The coastal village of Abersoch is set to host a major event in the world of keelboat racing: the 76th Edinburgh Cup, the British Dragon Association National Championship. This year's championship holds special significance as it coincides with the centenary anniversary of the South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club (SCYC), promising an unforgettable celebration of sailing heritage and competitive spirit.

From 7th July 2024, the pristine waters of Cardigan Bay will come alive as 25 Dragons from Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, and Japan converge to compete for the coveted national championship title and the illustrious Edinburgh Cup trophy. The event will span four days of racing, showcasing the stunning International Dragons and sailors from around the globe.

The Edinburgh Cup, a prestigious fixture in the sailing calendar, has a storied history with Abersoch and the SCYC. The club has had the honour of hosting the championship numerous times: in 1962, 1969, 1976, 1982, 1988, 2011, 2016, and 2019. This July, the tradition continues, underscoring the club’s commitment to excellence and its pivotal role in the sailing community.

This year's championship holds special significance as it coincides with the centenary anniversary of the South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club (SCYC) Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Current reigning Edinburgh Cup Champion Lawrie Smith will be heading to North Wales with the aim of retaining the title. He is joined by previous Edinburgh Cup champion Martin Byrne, and current Edinburgh Cup Corinthian Champions Jono Brown and Chris Grosscurth, along with many national and regional champions.

In addition to the main event, the Edinburgh Cup will be preceded by the two-day British Dragon Association Northern Championship, setting the stage for an exciting week of top-tier sailing competition.

Royal St. George Yacht Club trio Neil Hegarty, David Williams and Conor Byrne in Phantom (IRL225) are the Zurich Dragon East Coast Championships after six testing races sailed off Kinsale, Co. Cork.

Consistency paid for the Dublin Bay boat with five results in the top four, emerging with a one-point margin over locals James Matthews, David Good and Fergal O'Hanlon sailing 'TBD' (IRL 219) to take the title in the 11-boat fleet.

Zurich Dragon East Coast Champions - Neil Hegarty, David Williams and Conor Byrne in Phantom (IRL225) Photo: Bob Bateman

Second at the Zurich Dragon East Coast Champions - James Matthews, David Good and Fergal O'Hanlon sailing 'TBD' (IRL 219) Photo: Bob Bateman

Third was the overnight leader after Saturday's four races, the Jaguar Sailing Team of Martin Byrne, Adam Winkelman and John Simms, who lost out with a 5 and 8 scored in Sunday's final two races.

Third at the Zurich Dragon East Coast Champions - the Jaguar Sailing Team of Martin Byrne, Adam Winkelman and John Simms sailing 'TBD' (IRL 219) Photo: Bob Bateman

Southwesterly winds up to 20 knots got the regatta off to a great start. Very shifty northerly winds on Saturday added plenty of drama before the fleet sailed the concluding races in a 15 knot breeze from 220 degrees out near the old head of Kinsale on Sunday morning.

Race Officer Con Murphy completed the full programme by deploying robotic race marks for the windward-leeward courses for the first time off Kinsale. 

Robotic marks on station at the Dragon East Coast Championships Photo: Bob Bateman

 "The robotic marks worked very well in the conditions, with just one incident of losing control of one of the gate marks on Friday’s race one", Murphy told Afloat.

The moving gate mark resulted in Jaguar being given redress for the average points of races 2, 3, and 4 ( 3.5 points) for race 1.

Redress awarded for Friday's first race and a win in Saturday's fourth race has moved Royal St. George's Jaguar Sailing Team to the top of the Zurich Dragon East Coast Championships leaderboard at Kinsale Yacht Club in County Cork.

Martin Byrne, Adam Winkelman and John Simms now lead the 11-boat fleet by 1.5 points from the host club's James Matthews, David Good and Fergal O'Hanlon sailing 'TBD' on 16 points.

Lying third is the day one leader, Neil Hegarty, David Williams and Conor Byrne in Phantom on 19 points.

Racing continues on Sunday, and two more races are scheduled.

See a day one Dragon photo gallery by Bob Bateman here

Royal St. George Yacht Club trio Neil Hegarty, David Williams and Conor Byrne in Phantom (IRL225) lead the Zurich Dragon East Coast Championships after two races sailed off Kinsale, Co. Cork.

The Dublin Bay boat has the same five points tally as locals James Matthews, David Good and Fergal O'Hanlon sailing 'TBD' (IRL 219) but tops the leaderboard thanks to a second race win in the 11-boat fleet.

Southwesterly winds up to 20 knots got the three-day event off to a swift start with Race Officer Con Murphy deploying robotic race marks to set the windward-leeward course for the first time off Kinsale.

Lying third is a second Kinsale boat, Cameron Good Henry Kingston, Simon Furney sailing 'Little Fella' ( IRL211) on six points.

Zurich Dragon East Coast Championships at Kinsale Yacht Club Day One Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

The Dragon Eastern Championships witnessed a first for host club Kinsale Yacht Club on Friday (June 7th), when the club deployed robotic marks for the first time for the three-day event.

The move to the new marks follows their success at a rejuvenated Scotland Series last month, which was overseen by senior Irish Race Officer Con Murphy and robotic buoy agent Kenny Rumball.

Murphy is in charge in Kinsale this weekend, and using the high-tech marks will serve as a useful trial for when the West Cork club stages the prestigious 2024 Dragon Gold Cup on the same waters in September. Murphy will also be the Principal Race Officer then, so admits to having a vested interest in getting the best use out of the new technology that eliminates a lot of manpower in race course management.

"It’s about 40 metres deep where the Dragons will be racing off Kinsale, and having robotic marks should make course setting and changing much easier than at present!" he told Afloat. 

13 boats will contest the East Coasts, with four boats entered from Dublin Bay, gaining valuable practice time on the Gold Cup race track into the bargain.

The anticipation for the 2024 Dragon Gold Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club is building as some of the biggest names in Dragon sailing have already confirmed their participation in the upcoming event, sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd. With almost six weeks remaining until the entry closing date, 30 teams from various countries, including Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands, and France, have already signed up.

Reigning Gold Cup Champion Lawrie Smith, a well-decorated sailor with achievements in the Olympic and America's Cup, is set to defend his title under the flag of the Glandore Yacht Club. Having won the Gold Cup in 2023, Smith will strive to join the exclusive group of sailors who have successfully defended their title in the event's 80-year history. 

"Ireland's exceptional venue with superb open ocean racing and great shoreside atmosphere make it impossible for us to resist defending our title. We'll be up against some tough competition, but we'll give it our best shot," commented Lawrie Smith. 

That tough local competition was on show on Dublin Bay as recently as last weekend when an Irish team bested a three-nation Cannonball Trophy event on Dublin Bay.

Other notable sailors will also participate, such as Wolf Waschkuhn, the reigning Dragon World Champion, and Pedro Rebelo de Andrade of Portugal, who claimed victory in the 2019 Gold Cup. Additionally, Graham and Julia Bailey will sail the historic Bluebottle, once raced by the late Duke of Edinburgh and now owned by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. 

The 2024 Dragon Gold Cup Kinsale promises an exciting après sailing programme, with sponsorships from Yanmar, Astra Construction Services Ltd, TNG Swiss Watches, Cork County Council, Rooster, Guinness, and more. International visitors will find it convenient to travel to Ireland, with negotiated deals by Kinsale Yacht Club with major ferry companies and excellent direct links to many European cities from Cork International Airport.

The championship, scheduled from September 5 to 13, will feature registration and weighing from Thursday, September 5 to Saturday, September 7, followed by a Practice Race. Championship racing will take place from Sunday, September 8 to Friday, September 13, with six races scheduled in the open ocean against the stunning backdrop of the Old Head of Kinsale. With no discards, four races are required to constitute a series.

Dublin Bay was once again the venue for the Cannonball Trophy. Travelling Dragon keelboat sailors from the South Coast of the UK and the Netherlands came together to sail against The Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

A misty bay welcomed the three nations on Saturday, 18th May 2024, as teams prepared the fleet of International Dragon keelboats for team racing. 

The first race of Irish v Netherlands proved interesting with an ebb tide and an 8-knot northerly breeze, with Dragons choosing to stay close to shore heading to the first mark. 

Dragon keelboats prepared for the 2024 Cannonball Trophy at the Royal St. George Yacht Club pontoon

Ten races were completed on Saturday in tricky conditions as the tide turned and the breeze eased drastically in the afternoon. 

One of Team UK's helmsmen, Chris Grosscurth, said, "It has been really well organised, close, and interesting racing today."

Only two races were sailed on Sunday in more light northerlies away and a strong outgoing tide, enough to complete the Cannonball Trophy event with 12 races sailed. 

Team Ireland had an excellent weekend and won the trophy from the defending British team. 

2024 Cannonball Trophy results

• 1st Ireland
• 2nd Britain
• 3rd Netherlands

Kinsale Yacht Club has announced entry is open for its staging of the Dragon Gold Cup, sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd, from September 6 to 13, 2024.

This year's event will attract over 60 teams from more than 20 countries worldwide.

The Dragon Gold Cup, which was first presented in 1937 by the Clyde Yacht Clubs Association, brings together competitors from around the world to compete in a friendly spirit. The event is renowned for its world-class racing programme, camaraderie, and hospitality.

This will be the third time that Kinsale Yacht Club has hosted the prestigious event, having previously done so in 1977 and 2012. The club is known for its exceptional hospitality and will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that this year's event is a resounding success.

The organising committee, chaired by Maeve Cotter, has already begun preparations for the event, which will include registration and equipment inspection from September 5 to 7. On September 7, a warm-up race will allow competitors to familiarise themselves with Kinsale's outstanding open water race area.

Championship racing will be held from September 8 to 13, and the event will be one of the most challenging inshore keelboat regattas in the world. The Race Committee may adjust the programme if races are lost, but just one race per day is scheduled, and the races are run over a very large windward/leeward course with leg lengths of two miles or more.

In addition to the overall Gold Cup prizes, there will also be prizes for the top Corinthian, all amateur, crews. Competitors wishing to enter the Corinthian competition must submit their full crew lists with confirmation of the World Sailing ID and valid G1 categorisation for each crew member by September 7, 2024.

Online Entry is now open with a special Early Bird entry fee of €850 for those who enter by June 30, 2024. From July 1, the entry fee will be €950, and entry will close on August 26, 2024.

The entry fee includes craning in and out, trailer parking, berthing, and tickets to the Gold Cup Gala Dinner and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for all members of the crew.

Members of the British Dragon Association (BDA) and their guests came together at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in Knightsbridge, London, for the BDA’s Annual General Meeting and Dinner in January.

The evening kicked off with the AGM, where outgoing Chairman Simon Barter was delighted to report that participation in UK based Dragon racing has seen a strong resurgence, with numbers regularly racing in club and regional events at the highest levels for some years. The meeting then elected its new Class Chairman Andy Moss, of the Burnham on Crouch Dragon fleet. Andy, owner of Hands Off GBR 760, has been racing Dragons for 20 years and has been a regular traveller to the regional and national events, Oostende and France.

2024 British Dragon Championship Events

Also confirmed at the meeting were the dates and venues for the 2024 British Championship events, which are:

• 1-2 June South Coast Championship – Cowes, IOW
• 22-23 June Classic/Vintage Championship - Aldeburgh
• 7-8 July Northern Area Championship – Abersoch, Gwynedd
• 9-12 July Edinburgh Cup (Open British Championship) – Abersoch, Gwynedd
• 21-23 September East Coast Championship – Medway, Kent
• 28-29 September Scottish Championship – Edinburgh, Scotland

After the AGM pre-dinner drinks were served in the bar, and then guests were called through to the Royal Thames’ delightful dining room, which overlooks Hyde Park. With some 50 Dragon sailors and guests in attendance, including visitors from the Irish Dragon fleet, the highlights of the evening were a delicious three course meal followed by the presentation of the prestigious Citron Trophy, and the premier of an exciting new video.

The Citron Trophy is awarded to the Dragon which has achieved the best cumulative results in the combined British championship events during the past season. The winner for the 2023 season was Gavia Wilkinson-Cox of the Cowes fleet and her team racing GBR831 Jerboa. A member of the British fleet for almost 50 years, this is the second time that Gavia has engraved her name on this prestigious award.

After the trophy presentation, Gavia then switched hats from award-winning sailor to Chair of the organising committee for the 75th Dragon Edinburgh Cup and British Grand Prix, which was run by the Royal Yacht Squadron in August 2023. This special celebration regatta attracted an exceptional entry and brought together sailors from across the 75-year history of the British Open Dragon Championship. As one of only four International Dragon Grand Prix events in 2023, it also attracted some of the best sailors from around the world to compete, and Gavia and her media team took the opportunity to create a very special video to mark the occasion.

In introducing the premier of the video Gavia explained, “A key part to promoting the British Dragon Class, in perpetuity, has been the production of a film of the regatta. Whilst of course being a record of the 75th Edinburgh Cup – the aim has been to highlight and profile the diversity of the class: young, not so young, male, female! I am grateful to Rick and James Tomlinson for the production of this film. I hope the BDA and our fleets can make constructive use of this film – which will live for posterity on Youtube and other social media sites. Tonight marks the premier of the film. Not quite the BAFTA’s, but important non the less! Enjoy!”

Irish Dragon sailors were in action in Portugal at the weekend with Royal Cork and Baltimore's Harry Durcan on board the winning boat in round two of the Algarve Dragon Winter Cup at Vilamoura.

Durcan was part of a four-up British entry skippered by Pete Cooke with Torvar Mirsky and Peter Nicholas, who tied on points with Portugal's Pedro Rebelo de Andrade but won on the tie-break rule.

Also racing from Ireland was Dun Laoghaire's Jonathan Bourke with Conn Harte-Bourke and Sam Gullivan, who finished seventh in the 11-boat fleet.

Round three of the Cup sets sail on February 16th.

In a big year for Irish Dragon sailing, Kinsale Yacht Club will stage the class's prestigious Gold Cup this September.