Dragon 75th anniversary regatta preview
by Maguelonne Turcat 15 Jun 2004 21:30 BST
10-16 October 2004
This is the claim being made for the 75th Anniversary regatta of the International Dragon Class, at which an astonishing total of 250 boats are expected to cross the start line in the Bay of St Tropez in October.
Sponsored by Hanseatic Lloyd and promoted as a 'Celebration Regatta' rather than a championship, the event was originally expected to attract around 150 boats from European countries but has met with an overwhelmingly favourable response with entries pouring in from 31 countries. The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Chris Dicker says 'We have now been forced to close the list with enquiries still coming in. We have confirmed slightly over 250 entries in the expectation that a few will drop out and we will end up with very close to 250 boats on the water.'
For most of the races, which begin on Monday 11th October and conclude on Saturday 16th, the fleet will be divided into five groups but for the 75th Anniversary Race on Thursday 14th, the entire fleet will start together. Not many clubs could even consider organising such a spectacular event but the Société Nautique de St Tropez (SNST) has unique experience thanks to the Voiles de St Tropez and other major events that they stage each year.
The entry list is extraordinary: twelve members of European Royalty have accepted to be Honorary Patrons and at least four are expected to take part in the racing. His Majesty King Constantine, who is President of the International Dragon Association and an Olympic Gold Medalist, His Royal Highness, Prince Henrik of Denmark, IDA Vice-President and a regular competitor in Dragon events, and His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain who competes at the highest level in sailing events and His Majesty King Carl Gustav of Sweden have all indicated that they will participate in some if
not all of the races.
Apart from King Constantine, several other Olympic Medalists are entered: Poul-Richard Hoj-Jensen, Valdemar Bandolowski, both Soling gold medalists and Peder Lunde from Norway who took gold in the Flying Dutchman in 1960, the same year that Prince Constantine (as he then was) won the Dragon gold. Ulli Libor who won silver in the Flying Dutchman in 1968 is one of several stars from the past who have returned to top-level sailing via the Dragon. Jacques Rogge, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee who raced in the Moth and Finn classes and also competed in the Olympics will be able to relax in St Tropez after the heavy responsibilities of Athens. In today's Hall of Fame there is no higher standing than winner of the America's Cup so it will be fascinating to see how Russell Coutts, the unchallenged master of one-against-one racing and a gold medalist, will fare in such a huge fleet.
The main part of the fleet - as near to 215 boats as possible - will be divided into four groups which will compete against each other alternately to produce 'gold', 'silver' and 'bronze' fleets for the final races. In addition, about 35 'classic' dragons, built prior to 1972, will race in their own group. The entire fleet will race together in a Grand 75th Anniversary Race on October 14th. The Dragon Class is famous for its social events and it goes without saying that not a single evening will be wasted, the highlight being the Anniversary dinner and dance on Thursday evening.
The Dragon was designed in 1929 by Johan Anker of Norway whose original idea was for a 'weekend cruiser-racer' for which purpose there was a tiny cabin with two bunks tucked under the side decks. However the cabin was soon forgotten when the Dragon became a successful racing yacht and today only a low bulge in the coaming shows where it used to be. Being selected for Olympic competition between 1948 and 1972 forced the Dragon to a higher level of performance and also unfortunately put it beyond the reach of many weekend sailors. But after a temporary dip in popularity after 1972,
the Dragon staged a strong come-back that has lasted ever since. Crucial to this was the change-over to glass-fibre hull construction which ensures that boats remain competitive for much longer without costly maintenance.
The special appeal of the Dragon is its combination of classical elegance with top racing performance plus the fact that three people have to work in perfect coordination to achieve success. Although the hull shape is substantially unaltered since 1929, the rig is completely modern and highly adjustable and calls for a good deal of knowledge and experience to get the best out of it. It is a truly international class with over 1,500 boats being actively sailed in more than 30 countries. More than ever, it is a 'connoisseurs' boat for those people who really love to compete at a high level in a spirit of friendly rivalry and competitive respect.
Entries for the Anniversary Regatta reflect the strong level of interest from European countries with Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Sweden providing the bulk of the fleet. However it is fascinating and encouraging to find entries from much more distant countries such as Cayman Islands, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Singapore and at least three from Russia which is returning to this type of sailing after a long absence.
There is little doubt that the Dragon 75th Anniversary Regatta will be 'the' keelboat event of 2004 and one of the most remarkable to grace the Bay of St Tropez which has seen so many famous sailing events. There will be a full press service at St Tropez in addition to daily reports and results issued by email and via the principal websites. The entry list can be viewed on the IDA website.
In a word: 'unmissable!'