Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Big names line up for Dragon Gold Cup 2024 in Kinsale sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd

by International Dragon Association 23 May 2024 16:46 BST 6-13 September 2024
Kinsale Yacht Club Dragon Gold Cup 2024 sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd Heading upwind off the Old Head of Kinsale © Robert Bateman

Already many of the big names from the world of Dragon sailing have confirmed their participation in the 2024 Dragon Gold Cup Kinsale sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd. With nearly six weeks still to go until the entry closing date, 30 teams from Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands and France have already signed up.

Reigning Gold Cup Champion, Olympic Bronze medallist and America's Cup and Whitbread Race veteran Lawrie Smith will be defending his title, which he won in Torquay in 2023. Although British by nationality, Smith's love affair with Ireland is long standing and he will race under the flag of the Glandore Yacht Club. He first won the Gold Cup in 2015, but took some time out from topflight Dragon racing, before returning to the fleet in 2023 to win both the Edinburgh Cup (British Open Championship) and the Gold Cup in spectacular style, with a new crew of Ruaridh Scott, Goncalo Ribeiro and Richard Parslow.

This will be the 80th edition of the Dragon Gold Cup and in that long and illustrious history only seven sailors have ever successfully defended their title. Smith will be hoping to join Aage Birch, P Stulken, Bengt Palmquist, Fred Imhoff, Harm Müller-Spreer, Jorgen Schoenherr and Markus Wiser to become only the eighth person to retain the trophy.

"Dragon sailing is always enjoyable and challenging but throw in the bonus of sailing from Kinsale and it's impossible to resist defending our title. Kinsale is an exceptional venue with superb open ocean racing and great craic shoreside so we're really looking forward to the event. We'll be up against some tough competition, so it won't be easy, but we'll give it our best shot." Commented Lawrie Smith.

Switzerland's Wolf Waschkuhn will come to the event as the reigning Dragon World Champion and having finished second to Smith at the 2023 Gold Cup in Torquay he will no doubt be looking for revenge. Pedro Rebelo de Andrade of Portugal won the Gold Cup in 2019 in Medemblik, while Germany's Stephan Link claimed the trophy is 2017 and both will be hoping for victory again.

Also racing will be Graham and Julia Bailey aboard the historic Bluebottle, which was raced by the late Duke of Edinburgh. Now owned by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, she has been fully restored to racing condition and regularly competes on the international circuit. For Graham Bailey the return to Kinsale will be a welcome one, "My first experience of Kinsale was the Flying Fifteen Worlds in 1984 when Tony O'Gorman was the superb Race Officer. 40 years later we are very excited at the prospect of sailing Bluebottle in these famous waters against the great Irish and Continental teams convening to battle it out for the Gold Cup. It will be a thriller and what would really make my day is if Tony is still to be found in the vicinity of the yacht club bar - it's probably my round."

Long standing International Dragon Class sponsor Yanmar has confirmed that it will sponsor the event's après sailing programme. They join title sponsor Astra Construction Services Ltd, official timing sponsor TNG Swiss Watches, and supporting sponsors Cork County Council, Rooster, Guinness, the Trident Hotel, Actons Hotel, Pure Cork, the Kinsale Good Food Circle North Sails and The Blue Haven.

For international visitors getting to Ireland is very straight forward and Kinsale Yacht Club has negotiated deals with DFDS, Irish Ferries, Stenna Line and Brittany Ferries, full details of which can be found on the event website. Cork International Airport also has excellent direct links to many major European cities and is only 30 minutes from the clubhouse.

The 2024 Dragon Gold Cup Kinsale will take place from 5 to 13 September. Registration and weighing will be on Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 September, when there will also be a Practice Race. Championship racing will run from Sunday 8 September to Friday 13 September with a total of six races scheduled. Racing will take place in open ocean against the spectacular backdrop of the Old Head of Kinsale with a target first beat of 2.5 miles on a windward leeward course. Four races are required to constitute a series and there are no discards in the series.

Online entry is open until 26 August 2024.

Related Articles

Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay overall
Tight Racing and Tactical Brilliance The final day of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup brought sunshine, shifting breeze, and two exciting races that kept the championship wide open until the very last run. Posted on 11 Jul
Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay Day 2
Champagne Sailing and Fierce Competition Tor Bay turned on the charm on Day Two of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup, delivering stunning champagne sailing conditions for the International Dragon fleet. Posted on 10 Jul
Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay Day 1
Sunshine, lighter airs, and no shortage of high-calibre racing Tuesday 8th July welcomed the opening day of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup in Torquay with sunshine, lighter airs, and no shortage of high-calibre racing. Posted on 9 Jul
British Dragon South West Championship
A spectacular warm-up for the 2025 Edinburgh Cup Torquay delivered a spectacular warm-up for the 2025 Edinburgh Cup, as 13 Dragon teams took to the waters of Tor Bay for the South West Championship, a two-day regatta packed with shifting breezes, tactical gambles, and top-class racing. Posted on 8 Jul
Celtic Challenge at Glandore Harbour
Junior sailors steer the way to victory in annual team race The vibrant spirit of sailing camaraderie was alive and kicking in Glandore over the weekend as GHYC proudly hosted the much-anticipated annual team race against RAYC. The friendly rivalry, known as the Celtic Challenge, was anything but tame. Posted on 3 Jul
Medway YC Keelboat Regatta
What a blast - on the water and shoreside The regatta was a two day event with an additional practice race on the Friday evening. The cruisers racing two races on the Saturday all within the River Medway and down river as far as the entrance at Queenborough. Posted on 21 Jun
2025 South Coast Dragon Championship
Classic rivalries and conditions at the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta The Dragon South Coast Championship 2025 was a spectacular sailing showcase, hosted in Cowes as part of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's prestigious 250th anniversary regatta. Posted on 17 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta overall
Perfect Solent conditions and desperately tight racing for the conclusion Picture-perfect conditions of a building 8-18 knots from the south-west, bright sunshine and flat Solent conditions on the flood tide made for a glamorous conclusion to the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta on Sunday. Posted on 16 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 4
Challenging summer Solent conditions test the fleets A brisk south-westerly breeze, with gusts above 20 knots at times, made for challenging top-end conditions for all the fleets on a very busy Solent for the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta. Posted on 14 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 3
Patience rewarded on light air afternoon Conditions more akin to the Mediterranean greeted the 251 entries on day 3 of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta, with bright sunshine and a shut-down of air flow across the Solent racecourses. Posted on 13 Jun