Dragon (keelboat)
The Dragon is a one-design keelboat designed by Norwegian Johan Anker in 1929. In 1948 the Dragon became an Olympic Class, a status it retained until the Munich Olympics in 1972. The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP construction was introduced in 1973 and the rigging has been regularly updated.[1]
 Class symbol | |
.svg.png.webp) | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Johan Anker |
| Location | Norway |
| Year | 1929 |
| Design | One-Design |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 2–4 Maximum crew weight: 285 kg (628 lb) |
| Draft | 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Carvel GRP Cold moulded plywood Composite |
| Hull weight | 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) |
| LOA | 8.90 m (29.2 ft) |
| LWL | 5.66 m (18.6 ft) |
| Beam | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | Fixed |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 16.0 m2 (172 sq ft) |
| Jib/genoa area | 11.7 m2 (126 sq ft) |
| Spinnaker area | 23.6 m2 (254 sq ft) |
| Upwind sail area | 27.7 m2 (298 sq ft) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 89.5 |
| RYA PN | 986 |
| Former Olympic class | |
The Dragon class is actively represented in over 26 countries on 5 continents. There were 1,444 boats registered in 2004 and the number of boats built has averaged 45 per year. There are many more which are used for day sailing. The World Championships are held in every odd year and the European Championships are held annually. The Gold Cup, which can only be held in certain specified European countries, is unique in that all six races count without discard. It is held annually and often attracts over 100 entries, usually starting in one fleet.
A strong Class Association manages the class rules carefully to ensure safety, high quality and uniformity. Spars and sails have a wide range of adjustment during racing, allowing a skillful crew to optimize the boat for any conditions. Crew weight limits, and restrictions on hiking out allow the Dragon to be raced successfully by a range of ages and both genders. It is possible to tow the Dragon behind many vehicles. It is often dry-sailed. It may be raced against boats of other classes, employing a Portsmouth Yardstick handicap of 986[2] or a D-PN of 89.5.[3]
History
The Dragon class was initiated by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, who gave Norwegian yacht designer Johan Anker a brief for a cheap cruising/racing boat with about 20 square metres (220 sq ft) of sail area.[4] After the Second World War, the boat was considered slow, and genoa and spinnaker were introduced.[4]
The Dragon was one of the Vintage Yachting Classes in the Vintage Yachting Games in 2008 and 2012.
Events
Olympic Games[5]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Norway (NOR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 |  Denmark (DEN) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 |  United States (USA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 |  Australia (AUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 |  East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 |  Argentina (ARG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} United Team of Germany (EUA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (12 nations) | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
World Championships[6]
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 Sandhamn | White Lady (DEN) Ole Berntsen Ole Poulsen Jan Berntsen |
Denmark Aage Birch |
Sweden Jörgen Sundelin |
| 1967 Toronto | Williwaw (USA) George Friedrichs Gerald Schreck Barton Jahncke |
United States Robert Mosbacher |
 FranceSence |
| 1969 Palma de Mallorca | Aphrodite (USA) Robert Mosbacher George Francisco III David Saville |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} AustraliaCueno Bradbary Shaw |
East Germany Schwarz Pfeiffer Köpsel |
| 1971 Hobart | Debutante (SWE) Jörgen Sundelin Peter Sundelin Ulf Sundelin |
Australia Booth |
Denmark Holm |
| 1973 Athens | Crux (SWE) Roger Eliasson Johan Palmquist Jerry Burman |
West Germany Oldenburg May Meyer |
Denmark Börresen |
| 1975 Rochester | Galejan 2 (SWE) Bengt Palmquist Johan Palmquist Björn Palmquist |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} CanadaBurgess |
United States Craig |
| 1977 Thun |  U-2 (AUT)Harry Ferreberger Franz Eisl Herbert Spitzbart |
West Germany Ulrich Hofmann Hösch |
 SwitzerlandWittwer Wittwer Wittwer |
| 1979 Geelong | Kirribilli (AUS) Robert Porter Ian Porter Robbie Antill |
West Germany Glas |
Australia Barry Calvert Tim Watts Ted Laing |
| 1981 Trawemünde | Sandokan (FRG) Marcus Glas Mucki Binder Heiner Henwig |
Denmark Børge Børresen Ole Børresen Goodall |
Sweden Clander Hansson Nordin |
| 1983 Vancouver | Mistral (CAN) Bob Burgess Nigel Brown Shane Korman |
Australia Stiffe |
Australia Wilmot |
| 1985 Douarnenez | Cato (FRG) Wolf Rappel Michael Lipp Michael Obermeier |
||
| 1987 Geelong | Nordjyllong (DEN) Valdemar Bandolowski Soren Hvalso Erik Hansen |
West Germany Andreas Lohmann Jorg Mossnang Paul Vestner |
Australia Stephen Boyes |
| 1989 Torbay | Danish Blue (DEN) Poul Richard Høj Jensen Erik Hansen Jan Persson |
||
| 1991 | Krystle (AUS) Stephen Boyes Stephen Jackson Stephen Peel |
||
| 1993 Trawemünde | Senior BB (DEN) Jesper Bank Ole Børresen Børge Børresen |
Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen Claus Høj Jensen Sebastian Ziegelmayer |
Germany Andreas van Eicken Rolf Schöppler Johan van Eicken |
| 1995 Perth | Karabos VIII (AUS) Nick Rogers Leigh Behrens Andrew Burnett |
Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen Klaus Jensen Richard Goldsmith |
Australia Willy Packer Peter Hay Geoff Wedgwood Grantham Kitto |
| 1997 | Sanne (DEN) Jesper Bank Claus Olsen Ole Børresen |
Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
Germany Markus Glas |
| 1999 Fort-de-France | Maria (DEN) Claus Høj Jensen Bo Reker Andersen Jes Hovgaard |
 NetherlandsFred Imhoff Richard van Ry Sven Machielsen |
Denmark Peter Holm Maria Holm Søren Kæstel |
| 2001 Hornbæk | Germany Malte Philipp Torsten Imbeck Enver Adakan |
Germany Werner Fritz Dieter Schoen Andreas Huber |
Denmark Frank Eriksen |
| 2003 Hobart | Chrisco (GER) Dieter Schön Vincent Hoesch Andreas Huber |
Australia Nick Rogers Leigh Behrens Peter Lilley |
Kirribilli II (AUS) David Graney Martin Graney Murray Jones |
| 2005 Neustadt | African Queen (DEN) Jørgen Schönherr Anders Kaempe Axel Waltersdorph |
Occasion (GER) Harm Müller-Spreer Markus Wieser Thomas Auracher |
HLL-Ariston (GER) Vincent Hoesch Harro Kniffka Max Scheibmair |
| 2007 Dun Laoghaire | Sinewave (GER) Tommy Müller Vincent Hoesch Max Sheibmayr |
Gaudium (SUI) Ulli Libor Stephan Hellriegel Frank Butzmann |
Rumours (GBR) Len Jones Claus Høj Jensen Jamie Lea |
| 2009 Medemblik | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen Theis Palm Lars Jensen |
 UkraineLars Hendriksen Michael Hestbæk Sergei Pugachev |
Denmark Jørgen Schönherr Axel Waltersdorph Christian Videbæk |
| 2011 Melbourne |
Alfie (GBR) Lawrie Smith Timothy Tavinor Ossie Stewart |
Bunker Queen (UKR) Markus Wieser Sergey Pugachev Matti Paschen |
My-Way (DEN) Frank Berg Søren Holm Søren Kæstel |
| 2013 Weymouth | Fever (GBR) Klaus Diederichs Andy Beadsworth Jamie Lea |
 Strange Little Girl (RUS)Andrey Kirilyuk Aleksey Bushuev Alina Dotsenko |
Bunker Queen (UKR) Markus Wieser Sergey Pugachev Matti Paschen |
| 2015 La Rochelle |  Bunker Boys (UAE)Yevhen Braslavets Aleksander Mirchuk Serhiy Timokhov |
Strange Little Girl (GBR) Dimitri Samokhin Andrey Kirilyuk Aleksey Bushuev |
Bunker Queen (UAE) Markus Wieser Sergey Pugachev George Leonchuk |
| 2017 Cascais[7] |  Provezza Dragon (TUR)Andy Beadsworth Ali Tezdiker Simon Fry |
Annapurna (RUS) Anatoly Lognov Vadim Statsenko Alexander Shalagin |
Alfie (GBR) Lawrie Smith Hugo Rocha Gonçalo Ribeiro João Matos Rosa |
| 2019 Fremantle[8] | Provezza Dragon (TUR) Andy Beadsworth Ali Tezdiker Simon Fry |
Louise Racing (GBR) Grant Gordon Ruairidh Scott Sophia Weguelin James Williamson |
Fever (GBR) Klaus Diederichs Jamie Lea Diego Negri |
Vintage Yachting Games[9]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (5 nations) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Medemblik | Netherlands (NED) Reinier Wissenraet Gijs Evers Marc Reijnhoudt |
United Kingdom (GBR) Miss Gavia Wilkimson-Cox Ron Rosenberg Jon Mortimer |
Australia (GER) Gordon Ingate David Giles Keith Musto |
| 2012 Lake Como | Ukraine (UKR) Yevgen Braslavetz Georgii Leonchuk Sergey Timokhov |
Netherlands (NED) Reinier Wissenraet Pim ten Harmsen van der Beek Marc Reijnhoudt |
Russia (RUS) Vasiliy Senatorov Igor Ivashintsov Aleksandr Muzychenko |
| 2016 Weymouth Bay |
European Championships[10]
In memory of Madame Virginie Hériot and in accordance with her often expressed wish to encourage yachting, the Committee of the Yacht Club de France decided at a meeting on 21 May 1946 to initiate an International Cup and name it the "Coupe Virginie Hériot". The Cup is assigned to the International Dragon Class, but remains the property of the Yacht Club de France. In agreement with the Committee of the International Dragon Association the "Coupe Virginie Hériot" is the main trophy of the European Dragon Championship. The event is now held annually.
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 Ostende | Netherlands Ed Frech Jan Bakker Steven Vis |
||
| 1979 | |||
| 1980 | Austria C. Scheineker |
||
| 1982 | West Germany Markus Glas |
||
| 1984 | Denmark Börge Börresen |
||
| 1986 | West Germany Markus Glas |
||
| 1987 | West Germany Markus Glas |
||
| 1988 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
||
| 1990 | Denmark Lars Hendriksen |
||
| 1992 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
||
| 1994 | Germany M. Erhard |
||
| 1995 | Germany H. Erich |
||
| 1996 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
||
| 1998 | Netherlands Fred Imhoff |
||
| 2000 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
||
| 2002 Thun | Germany M. Erhard |
||
| 2003 Kinsale | Netherlands Fred Imhoff Richard van Rij Rudy den Outer |
Switzerland Vincent Hoesch Horro Kniffka Bernd Faber |
Denmark Frank Berg Soren Kaestel Mads Christensen |
| 2004 Tallinn | Germany Harm Muller-Spreer |
Denmark Frank Berg |
Germany Werner Fritz |
| 2005 La Trinité-sur-Mer | Denmark Claus Hoj Jensen |
Great Britain Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
France J. Pasturaud |
| 2006 Cowes | Denmark Lars Hendriksen |
||
| 2007 Hanko | Germany Markus Wieser Sergei Pughchev Thomas Auracher |
Germany Wolfgang Rappel Hans Jürgen Benze Michael Lipp |
 FinlandHenrik Dahlman Lars Henriksen Oscar Dannström |
| 2008 Oslo | Russia Maxim Logutenko Mikhail Sanalorov Vladimir Krutskih |
Russia Dmitry Berezkin Igor Goihberg Alexei Bushhuev |
Germany Thomas Müller Vincent Hoesch Maximilian Scheibmeyr |
| 2009 St. Tropez | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen |
Germany Markus Glas Max Glas Andreas Lohmann |
Ukraine Eugen Braslavets Sergey Timokov Michael Hestbek |
| 2010 Balatonkenese | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen |
Russia Dmitry Berezkin Anatoly Kudritskiy Aleksey Bushuev |
Russia Anatoly Logonov Andrey Kirilyuk Alexander Shalagin |
| 2011 Boltenhagen | Denmark Jens Christensen Kim Andersen Anders Bagger |
Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen |
Ukraine Evgeny Braslavetz Sergey Timokhov Olexandr Myrchuk |
| 2012 Attersee | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen |
Germany Marcus Brennecke Vincent Hoesch Michael Lipp |
Russia Victor Fogelson Oleg Khoperskiy Vicheslav Kaptyukhin |
| 2013 Cascais |  PortugalJose Matoso Gustavo Lima Frederico Melo |
Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Georgii Leonchuk |
Denmark Jens Christensen Kim Andersen Anders Bagger |
| 2014 San Remo | Denmark Lars Hendriksen Kleen Frithjof Anders Bagger |
United Arab Emirates Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Georgii Leonchuk |
United Arab Emirates Evgeny Braslavetz Sergey Timokhov Igor Sodorov |
| 2015 Båstad | United Arab Emirates Evgeny Braslavetz Sergey Pughchev Georgii Leonchuk |
United Arab Emirates Hendrik Witzmann Theis Palm Markus Koy |
Russia Anatoly Logonov Alexander Shalagin Vadim Statsenko |
| 2016 St. Petersburg | Russia Anatoly Logonov Alexander Shalagin Vadim Statsenko |
Germany Stephan Link Frank Butzmann Michael Lipp |
Germany Markus Brennecke Jochen Schümann Theis Palm |
| 2017 Thun[11] | Pow Wow (POR) Pedro Andrade Bernardo Torres Pego Charles Nankin |
Rocknrolla (RUS) Dimitry Samokhin Andrey Korolyuk Alexey Bushuev |
Bunker Prince (RUS) Yevhen Braslavets Sergey Pugachev Sergey Timokhof |
Gold Cup[12]
The International Dragon Cup was presented in 1937 by members of the Clyde Yacht's Conference with the intention of bringing together as many competitors of different nationalities as possible for yacht racing in Europe in a friendly spirit, in order to perpetuate the good feeling which existed at the first International Clyde Fortnight. The Clyde Yacht Clubs' Conference has been reconstituted as the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association and the International Dragon Cup has become known as, and is now renamed, the 'Dragon Gold Cup'.
Members of the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association created specific rules for this competition and donated a perpetual trophy made of pure gold for an annual international race. From the beginning, the Gold Cup was considered a family event for the Dragon Sailors and could be raced by yachts of the International Dragon Class belonging to any country, and for this reason was a very well attended event.
Until 1965, the year of the first Official World Championship, the Gold Cup was considered the unofficial World Cup. The first rules created by the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association established that the Cup should be sailed annually and that the Cup should be retained by the winner for one year only. It also established that the event should take place in rotation in the following countries: Scotland, France, Sweden, Germany, Holland and Denmark.
With the revision of the rules in 1997, the number of hosting countries was enlarged to eleven: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The hosting country and the Organising Authority continue to be selected by the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association in conjunction with the International Dragon Association and the number of participants was limited to 120.
Class association[13]
The International Dragon Association (IDA) was founded on 31 October 1961 with London as its headquarters. The principal objects of the IDA are:
- To further the interests of the International Dragon Class in all countries where Dragons are sailed and to introduce the Class to new countries.
- To be responsible for the administration of the class rules and coordinating proposals for rule amendments for consideration by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
- To ensure that the class retains its "International" status by complying with the criteria adopted by the ISAF.
- To co-ordinate and select venues for the following international championships:
- World Championships
- European Championships
- Gold Cups
- To produce regular newsletters containing information about the Class and the activities of the IDA for distribution to all Dragon sailors throughout the world.
- Membership is open to National Dragon Class Associations.
President
Vice-Presidents
- H.R.H. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
- Christopher Dicker
- Poul Richard Høj Jensen
Chairman
| Period | Country | Chairman | Major achievement |
| 1961–1965 | United Kingdom | Sir Gordon Smith | |
| 1966 | France | F Thierry-Mieg | |
| 1967–1969 | United Kingdom | Sir Gordon Smith | |
| 1970–1972 | France | F Thierry-Mieg | |
| 1973–1975 | United Kingdom | P Dyas | |
| 1976–1978 | France | P Manset | |
| 1979–1981 | United Kingdom | P Dyas | |
| 1982–1984 | France | P Manset | |
| 1985–1988 |  Ireland | C Doyle | |
| 1989–1992 | Germany | N Geissler | |
| 1993–1994 | Finland | T Nurmilaukas | |
| 1995–1996 | United Kingdom | Chris Dicker | |
| 1997–2000 | Portugal | C. R. Ferreira | |
| 2001–2004 | Sweden | Thomas Olrog | |
| 2005–2006 | Germany | Rupert Fischer | |
| 2007–2010 | United Kingdom | Rob Campbell | |
| 2011–2015 | Netherlands | Richard Blickman | |
| 2015–2019 | Russia | Vasily Senatorov | |
| 2019– |  Monaco | Jens Rathsack |
References
- "Some history of the Dragon class at britishdragons.org". Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- "RYA Portsmouth Yardstick Scheme 2007" (PDF). Royal Yachting Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- "Keelboat Classes". US Sailing. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- Bremberg, Fred; Seth, Staffan (1965), Segelbåtstyper: kortfattade beskrivningar med igenkänningstecken och dimensionsuppgifter för svenska segelbåtar (in Swedish) (2nd revised ed.), Stockholm: Aldus/Bonnier, p. 64
- Olympic results at sports123.com
- World champions at sports123.com Archived 25 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- "Cascais Dragon World Championship – Clube Naval de Cascais".
- "Final Result for International Dragon Class 2019 World Championship after 10 races with 9 races to count". Sportspage. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- Vintage Results at vintageyachtinggames.org
- European championships at International Dragon Class Association
- "Dragon European Championship 2017 manage2sail". manage2sail.com.
- Gold Cup winners listed at International Dragon Class Association
- International Dragon Class Association Homepage
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dragon. |