A Pirate is a type of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

sailing dinghy. It was first constructed in 1935, and has no trapeze. The Pirate was designed in 1934 by the German boat builder Carl Martens. The boat was originally manufactured in solid wood, although since the 1960s

glass-reinforced plastic Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, or a sandwich of the two, is also used. According to the regulations for this class of boat, kevlar and carbon fiber are forbidden. The Pirate is a youth dinghy. It was formerly the only class used in German youth sailing championships. At present, the Pirate class is only registered in Germany. With more than 380 participants in the official rank list, it is one of the most active race classes in Germany. The Pirate is sailed by two persons, and measures 5.0 metres long by 1.6m across. The Pirate Class has also been used by the

Royal Canadian Sea Cadets The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (RCSC; french: links=no, Cadets de la Marine royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, t ...

as a youth trainer. The maximum sail surface, comprising two sails, amounts to 10 m² according to the class regulations. Since the 1960s,

spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...

s up to 10 m² are also permitted. The use of a Genoa or

Gennaker A gennaker is a sail that was developed around 1990. Used when sailing downwind, it is a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker. It is not symmetric like a true spinnaker but is asymmetric like a genoa, but the gennaker is not attached to the for ...

is not permitted. The sails can be manufactured from cotton, linen or synthetic fabrics. Carbon fiber in the sails is forbidden, and may be used only as reinforcement in the windows of the sail. The Piraatjol, a dinghy of the same name albeit in Dutch, was designed in the 1950s by Dutch naval architect Jaap Kraaier.

External links

International Pirat Association

Deutsche Piraten-Klassenvereinigung e.V.
– Germany
Österreichische Piraten-Klassenvereinigung
– Austria
Schweizerische Piratenvereinigung
_ Switzerland
Festival der Holzpiraten
Website by ''Malte Storn'', about Pirates, built from wood, annually Festival in Germany. (German) {{Sailing dinghies and skiffs, state=collapsed Dinghies 1930s sailboat type designs Sailboat type designs by German designers