Dragons Deliver Thrilling Racing at Cowes Week 2025
by Chris Grosscurth 14 Aug 2025 06:29 BST
2-8 August 2025
Dragons including Bertie & Bluebottle at Cowes Week 2025 © Tom Hicks /
www.solentaction.com
With the best turnout for many years, 13 Dragons, including classics, vintage, new models and international visitors from Hong Kong, Ireland and Denmark, went to battle in the world's largest keelboat regatta.
Day one saw a start off the squadron line in almost no wind, but with an expected SW breeze due to develop. Starting with spinnakers up, it was a race against the tide to the first mark near Gurnard, to then run down towards the bramble bank. Fit Chick managed to creep around first, closely followed by Bluebottle. Fit Chick managed to resist the ever-persistent charge of Bluebottle to take the first race win, Bluebottle second, Bertie third.
Conditions changed dramatically for race two, with a solid breeze and Solent chop making for a physical day on the water. Bluebottle and Jerboa were locked in a thrilling duel for much of the race, with Fit Chick, Dreki and Furious close behind. A bold call by Fit Chick on the final beat paid off, moving them into second behind Bluebottle and ahead of a constantly improving Dreki.
Unfortunately, due to a casting failure, Jerboa lost her mast in spectacular fashion, and this was the end of the week for this quick and well-travelled team.
Day three, Storm Floris had her say, and racing was (sensibly) abandoned.
Day four, Floris's hangover (and some sailors). This was Bluebottle's race dominating from start to finish with a horizon job on the fleet. Back in the pack, Bertie was in a controlling second, defending hard charges from Furious, Sanka and Fit Chick. Across the squadron line, downwind positions were Bluebottle, Bertie and Fit Chick.
Day five, this was a tough race that tested the nerve of every sailor in many regards! After a lengthy postponement to wait for the wind to fill in, we started from the RYS line on a long course up the western Solent past Newtown Creek and down again in low breeze and big tide! Bluebottle led from the start, but it was nip and tuck with the rest of the fleet. Furious, Dreki, Sanka, and Bertie all in the mix after the first run. Then things got interesting. Tacking against the tide along the Gurnard shore in amongst approx. 100 other dayboats make you keep your wits about you. Fit Chick and Dreki seemed to thread the needle the best to follow Bluebottle round the last mark for the run to the finish. That evening, the Dragons swapped foul-weather gear for cocktail dresses and joined the Darings at the Squadron, proof that Cowes Week is as much about the socials as the sailing.
Day six, A committee boat start with racing in the Eastern Solent. Furious took the left of the beat and capitalised on a big left shift to round first with a big lead, followed by the chasing pack of Bertie, Fit Chick, and Corinthian Spirits. Furious led for the majority of the race but with Bluebottle nipping at her heels. A quirky symptom of racing in the Solent is shipping and the timely addition of a container ship on our last beat to the finish had the top four boats split either side of it. This closed up the fleet and it was a tacking battle to the finish. Bluebottle first, Bertie second, Fit Chick third and Furious fourth, all within seconds of each other. A testament to the close racing in the Dragon fleet after two and a half hours of racing.
Day seven, the last race. One and two overall had already been decided but it was closely fought further down the fleet and a good race could see positions change overall. A simple course with a long upwind with the tide to Newtown East, a quick loop and then that classic Cowes Week finish downwind on the RYS line with all other fleets to follow. Bluebottle got the afterburners on initially and on the last downwind leg looked unassailable. Furious was close behind and a tight downwind battle was going on with Bertie, Sanka and Fit Chick. It looked like the finishing positions were done but as the fleet came along Cowes Green and closed up on the other fleets, Bluebottle and Furious found themselves locked out in no wind. Bertie, Fit Chick and Sanka opted for the more wind but more tide route going further left and started to pull up to the leaders. In the last 100m Fit Chick charged through to take the gun, closely followed by Bertie. Furious needled their way out to third and Sanka followed in fourth. Bluebottle copped the worst of the traffic to come home fifth.
Overall, Bluebottle won the week with Fit Chick second, Bertie third, Furious fourth and Dreki fifth.
A great week for all Dragons, and battles going on in whichever part of the pack you were in.
The fleet's thanks go to the regatta organisers for absolutely excellent race management and a very memorable event. The Solent Dragon fleet is having somewhat of a renaissance, and Cowes Week has proved that.
The class look forward to celebrating the 200th edition of Cowes Week in 2026, and then only two weeks afterwards, the Edinburgh Cup incorporating the UK Grand Prix (16-21 August 2026).
Full results can be found here.