Displaying items by tag: Dragon
As Ireland's sole representatives, Howth Yacht Club's Laura Dillon with Jonathan Bourke, Rita Gonçalves, Antonio Gois lie just outside the top third of the Dragon World Championships after three races sailed in Cascais, Portgual.
As Afloat.ie noted in its daily e–news yesterday, Dillon’s sailing record is nothing if not varied. Since 1996, when she clinched ISAF Youth Worlds bronze with Ciara Peelo and then became the first female ISA Champion Helm, the Howth sailor has campaigned in the RORC Series and Middle Sea Race at the wheel of the S&S41 Winsome, flown the flag as a Match Racing skipper, and this time last year was celebrating victory with Team Ireland at the UK Women’s Open Keelboat Champs.
Dillon is counting 18, 25, 45 to be 25th overall, nine points off the top 20.
Full results for the 70–boat fleet are here
Howth Helmswoman Laura Dillon In Top 20 of Dragon Worlds After First Race in Portugal
Dublin sailors Laura Dillon from Howth Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire sailor Jonathan Bourke lie 18th after the first race of the 2017 Dragon World Championship in Cascais, Portugal yesterday. The sole Irish entry 'Cloud' is also crewed by Rita Gonçalves and Antonio Gois.
Andy Beadsworth sailing Provezza, the Turkish flagged entry with his team of Ali Tezdiker and Simon Fry won the first race of the in superb sailing conditions and warm sunshine.
70 Dragons from 19 nations tackled the challenging waters off Cascais, only 20 km down the coast from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. For the first day of racing one longer race was scheduled using a 2 lap windward/leeward course of 2.2nm in length with a final upwind leg to the finish.
The race was started in gutsy 16 - 20 knots of breeze from 330 degrees, accompanied by rolling waves and warm hazy sunshine.
Race Day 2 on Tuesday 13 June has 2 races scheduled with a first warning signal at 1300hrs local time.
Full results are here
Royal St. George's Hegarty Retains Dragon East Coasts
In a repeat of last year's results, the Dragon East Coast Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club has been retained by by the Royal St. George Yacht Club's Neil Hegarty in Phantom crewed by David Williams and Kevin O'Boyle. One point behind in the 10–boat fleet was club-mate Martin Byrne's Jaguar with Conor Byrne and John Simms.
Third was Friday's overnight fleet leader Little Fella sailed by Cameron Good, Simon Furney and Henry Kingston. Full results are downloadable below as a pdf file.
Kinsale Yacht Club's Cameron Good sailing with Simon Furney and Henry Kingston lead the Irish East Coast Dragon Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.
Given Saturday's downpours, the ten boat Dragon fleet got the best of the weather on Friday and sailed two races in light winds and great sunshine.
Good, steering Little Fella, has a four–point cushion over second placed Phantom (Neil Hegarty, David Williams, Kevin O'Boyle) of the RStGYC and Good's own clubmates Mar J (Adrian Bendon, Luke Kedney, Michelle Hayes) in third who both share seven–points overall.
Results are downloadable below
The Kinsale Keelboat Regatta for one design fleets took place in Kinsale Yacht Club this weekend and Kinsale was delighted to welcome visiting Dragons from Glandore Harbour Yacht Club writes Michele Kennelly
Nine Dragons and twelve Squibs took to the waters on Saturday under grey skies and extremely blustery easterly winds. RO John Stallard made the wise decision to keep the fleets within the outer harbour. With winds peaking at 21 knots and choppy waters the 3 races provided a challenging day for the fleets.
Little Fella with Cameron Good, Simon Furney and Henry Kingston mastered the heavy conditions to take line honours in all 3 races. New to the fleet Serafina with Daniel Murphy, Brian Goggin and Mathias Hellstern were hot on their heels and were 2nd for all three races. Tenacious with Anthony O’Neill, Albert O’Neill and Eoghan O’Neill put in a very solid performance of 3, 4, 3 to end the day lying 3rd overall.
In the Squib fleet Allegro with Colm Dunne and Rob Gill were also masters of the waves to take 1st in all three races. Sensation, Denis and Brid Cudmore, Breakaway, David Matthews and Elizabeth Bond and Flora, Dave Ross and Bobby Nash battled it out on the course with Sensation just 1 point ahead of Breakaway at day’s end to lie in 2nd place overall.
Day two and conditions could not have been more different. Blue skies and no wind greeted the fleets as they rigged for another 3 races. With most of the fleet under tow by the Committee Boat and supports RIBs they arrived to the outer harbour to 5 – 6 knots out of the South East. RO John hopped aboard a RIB and went outside the harbour to see if there was more wind outside to discover there was none so he very wisely made the decision to stay in the outer harbour and take advantage of the local sea breeze.
In the Dragon fleet Race 4 saw Little Fella continue to his run of 1st’s with Mar J, Adrian Bendon, Eoghan O’Mahony and Bill Applebe in 2nd and Grey Hare, Shawn Kingston, Tony Kingston and Luke Kedney in 3rd. With the wind shifting to the east the Committee Boat moved and reset the course. Race 5 saw Mar J get off to a flying start which they capitalised on and they took line honours with Serafina in 2nd and
Aphrodite, John Wyles, Peter Hayes and Arthur Mehigan in 3rd. The light airs were bouncing all over the harbour and the Committee Boat had to move again to reset the course for the final race. Race 6 started under very light airs and Aphrodite took advantage of the middle of the course to take control from the start. Little Fella took 2nd and Mar J came 3rd.
In the Squib fleet Allegro continued her dominance in Race 4. Breakaway came 2nd and Pulpo, Julie Silfverberg and Commodore Tom Roche were 3rd. Race 5 saw three boats OCS and all returned. Those who decided to sail up the right side of the harbour made huge gains on the fleet and dominated the race from the first rounding of the windward mark. Sensation took the line with Bateleur, John & Mary Stanley, in 2nd and Allegro 3rd. Race 6 saw Pulpo coming down the run with Allegro closing in, Breakaway was lying in 3rd and Sensation was 4th. Though the title was secure the minor placings were still all to play for. Allegro won with Breakaway in 2nd and Pulpo in 3rd. Breakaway and Sensation finished the Regatta on equal points but Sensation came 2nd overall on count back.
Many thanks to RO John Stallard who provided excellent racing in very challenging conditions, Ger Grant for providing Loa Zour as Committee Boat and being an excellent Flag Raiser, Michele Kennelly timing and results, Mark Layers Mike, Finbarr, Tony and Luca and Barry Ryan Civil Engineering for the sponsorship.
Kinsale Keelboat Regatta overall results:
Dragons:
1st Little Fella – Cameron Good, Simon Furney & Henry Kingston
2nd Serafina – Daniel Murphy, Brian Goggin & Mathias Hellstern
3rd Mary J – Adrian Bendon, Eoghan O’Mahony & Bill Applebe
Squibs:
1st Allegro – Colm Dunne & Rob Gill
2nd Sensation – Denis & Brid Cudmore
3rd Breakaway – David Matthews & Elizabeth Bond
Designed in 1929, the International Dragon combines classic elegance with grand prix performance, the world's greatest sailing venues and some of the best sailors on the planet. One of the Dragon fleet's most prestigious trophies is the Edinburgh Cup, which was presented to the class in 1949 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and is awarded annually to the winner of the International Dragon British Open Championship. That first Edinburgh Cup in 1949 was raced on the Solent and hosted by the Island Sailing Club, with the inaugural winners being Frank Woodroffe and Clare Lallow.
In 2017 the Edinburgh Cup will return to the Island Sailing Club once more, the fifth time the club has hosted the event and its twelfth visit to Cowes. More than 40 teams from at least 13 nations will compete from 8 to 14 July in a twin regatta event, opening with the Dragon South Coast Championship from 8 to 10 July, and culminating in the Edinburgh Cup from 11 to 14 July.
"The Island Sailing Club is extremely proud of its long association with the International Dragon Class and in particular with the Edinburgh Cup. The members of the Club presented The Duke of Edinburgh and the then Princess Elizabeth with a Dragon on the occasion of their wedding in 1948, so can truly claim to have been instrumental in the Duke's close association with the class. We are very pleased to continue that close relationship through the Edinburgh Cup's return to the Island Sailing Club this year." Said Chris Thomas, Sailing Secretary of the Island Sailing Club.
The Dragon fleet is well known for its ability to combine serious competition with a full après sailing programme and the event's parties will hark back to the glamorous joie de vivre of the 1940s. The Edinburgh Cup Prize Giving Celebration Dinner Dance will be a black-tie evening and there will be social events throughout the week.
The entry list is expected to include not only the UK's top crews, but teams from Antigua, Italy, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium and as far afield as Finland, France, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Ireland, Turkey, Denmark, Germany, Japan and Australia. Among those racing will be British Olympic bronze medallist Lawrie Smith, who claimed the trophy in 2013 and will no doubt be hoping to make it a hat-trick.
In 1949 Clare Aisher took second place in the opening race of the regatta and lady helms have put in good results on many occasions since. However, it wasn't until 2015 that the Edinburgh Cup was finally won by a woman, when Julia Bailey claimed the winner's laurels in Largs. Julia is also returning to the fray this year in the hope of a second victory, although having crewed husband Graham to victory in Lymington in 2014, it would actually be her third time on the winning boat in four years.
Regatta Chairman Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, who will herself be competing, commented: "I am thrilled that the Edinburgh Cup is once again returning to the Isle of Wight and to Cowes. The Island Sailing Club's reputation for regatta management is second to none, and we are expecting a strong fleet from across Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Caribbean. Our own UK fleet will also be out in force and we look forward to welcoming our visitors and offering them not only great racing but also a vibrant social programme in the great tradition of the Dragon Fleet. We have outstanding support from our sponsor partners Visit Isle of Wight, Destination Cowes, Red Funnel and Shepards Wharf Marina whose generosity will help to ensure this is an exceptional event."
Speaking on behalf of Visit Isle of Wight and Destination Cowes Mark McNeill, Chairman of Destination Cowes, added "Yachting plays a huge role in the day to day life of the Isle of Wight and we are extremely proud that the International Dragon Class has chosen Cowes and the Island Sailing Club for this year's Edinburgh Cup". David Thornton of Visit Isle of Wight confirmed: "We are working in close partnership with Gavia and her team to create a truly unique event and look forward to welcoming the visitors in July and making their stay in Cowes a memorable one."
Red Funnel has created a special ferry travel offer to transport the boats and teams to and from the Island, details of which will be available from the event website at www.edinburghcup.org
Shepards Wharf Marina will provide berthing, launching and recovery for visiting Dragons at a special rate and the Island Sailing Club will provide a launch service from the club to the moorings and marinas. Extended versions of the packages from Red Funnel and Shepards Wharf are also available to any Dragons wishing to remain on the Island to participate in Cowes Week.
Dragon Sailing Thriving at Glandore Harbour Yacht Club, West Cork
What’s this about the tiny Glandore Harbour Yacht Club having the largest, most active Dragon Fleet in the country? Sally Fegan-Wyles reports from West Cork
On a cold winter night fifteen years ago, a bar-side conversation turned a great idea into reality. GHYC members were reflecting on the lack of local participation in the summer sailing school. Children were coming from Dublin and Cork, or even further afield, but not from the area around Glandore. The problem was that there was no tradition of sailing for fun in the local farming or fishing families. Yachts were for blow-ins.
It was Debbie Bendon who suggested providing free introductory classes to children from the local primary schools, hoping that if they had a great time, some of them might persuade their parents that they should come to the summer school courses. Debbie, Avril Cooke, and Neville Scott started to work with Glandore Primary School Headmaster Vincent O’Neill, and parents Noreen O’Mahoney and Kathleen Hayes to make it happen.
Fast forward 15 years, and meet Kevin Hayes, dairy farmer, former senior sailing instructor GHYC ISA training, and Captain of the Glandore Fleet of 13 Dragons. No one in Kevin’s family had been on the water before the national schools programme started, but now there are five sailing Hayes’, Michele, Clare, Kevin, Rebecca and Peter, three of whom crewed at the 2016 Irish Dragon Championship in Kinsale.
And it’s not just the Hayes, hundreds of local youngsters from four local primary schools (Glandore, Leap, Union Hall and Abbystrewry) have been through the programme, which is now run by Anne O’Mahoney. Many of them have gone on to attend further sailing courses, and are now coming back as sailing instructors, either in Glandore, or in sailing clubs in the US, where GHYC graduates have a great reputation.
GHYC Dragon class Captain Kevin sailing Miss Fire
Interview with Kathleen Hayes
How did you feel when you first heard of the programme?
“Ever since I saw a line of little mirrors coming into the harbor, with the heads of the summer school children hardly up to the sides of the boat, I was determined that someday my children would learn to sail. So we jumped at the chance. Michele was the first, and I went down to the harbor with my camera to watch. She came off the water on such a ‘high’- the fun they had, and the level of excitement- if we could only bottle the joy that those children felt our fortune would be made.”
Was Kevin equally keen?
“He took to it like a duck to water. Normally a rather shy child, he could not wait for us to leave when we dropped him off. Already when he was 10-11, he was helping to teach the children from the other schools. All five of our children then went to the GHYC summer school for the full set of sailing courses, and then did the instructors course. So far Michelle, Clare and Kevin have all worked as instructors, with Rebecca starting this summer, and Peter chomping at the bit.”
And what about yourself?
“I would have loved to sail, but its too late for me to learn. Instead I get out on the water on any boat I can hitch a ride from, and I take pictures. Still trying to capture the joy of sailing”.
A simple idea has changed the nature of GHYC, building a level of local engagement that is not always seen in yacht clubs, and ensuring that GHYC has a very bright future.
Glandore Harbour Yacht Club national school sail training in West Cork
Classic Dragons Reunited at the Royal St.George Yacht Club
Upwards of 160 Dragon sailors attended a classic dragon sailors reunion this month at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.
Guests from Spain, France, UK, together with a large contingent from Kinsale and Glandore matched those from Dublin Bay.
Throughout the evening Dragon characters of the wooden era to recounted some amusing memories, notably Conor Doyle, John Kidney, Bill Riordan, Tom Fitzpatrick, Dan O'Connor, Reggie Goodbody, the present Dublin Bay class captain Conor Grimley and not forgetting Tony O'Gorman.
Ireland in the front row of a Dragon start at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. IR2, Isolde – E.Kelliher, R.Dalton and H.Maguire. Photo: Hashimoto
A wonderful "slide show" of over 200 pictures of Dragons and their crews from 1962 up to the present day ran during the proceedings in the background.
Among the memorabilia on display was part of a broken wooden mast, Eddie Keliher's souvenir medal from the 1964 Olympic Games and a letter from Paul Osterberg describing his father bringing the first Dragon named Alp(h)a, into Ireland in 1937, some 80 years ago, delivered with sails to Dublin docks at a cost of £300.
Irish National Dragon Champions 1966–2012
Irish National Dragon Champions
Year Boat Helm Crew Crew
1966 ADYAR G.F.Crosbie R.D’Alton P.D.Crosbie
1967 MEDUSA J.O.T.Hughes
1968
1689
1970 MAJ-BRITT A.Holm P.Holm P.R.Hoj-Jensen
1971 MEDUSA J.O.T.Hughes
1972 ALETTA S.A.Flood R.Michael R.Rafter
1973 ALPHIDA S.A.Flood H. Byrne J.McMenamin
1974 CRAZY IV T.N.Goodbody A.Smyth S.Dyke
1975 TRITON C.Good J.Fleurie F.O’Keefe
1976 GALAX A.O’Gorman G.O’Driscoll T.Ender
1977 PANCHO J.Kidney H.D.Boyd D.G.Nolan
1978 GALAX A.O’Gorman G.O’Driscoll T.Ender
1979 GALAX A.O’Gorman G.O’Driscoll T.Ender
1980 GALAX A.O’Gorman G.O’Driscoll T.Ender
1981 HIKARI J.Kidney L.Kidney D.G.Nolan
1982 WARLORD II P.Tolhurst J.McWilliams C.Melville
1983 TITAN G.Owens B.O’Connor R.Rafter/T.Fitzpatrick
1984 GALAX A.O’Gorman G.O’Driscoll T.Ender
1985 ALPHIDA C.Doyle G.O’Gorman K.Jolley
1986 HIKARI J.Kidney L.Kidney D.G.Nolan
1987 SABBATICAL R.D.Browne P.V.Maguire B.Pollett
1988 INFINITY A.O’Gorman G.O’Driscoll J.Mulcahy
1989 ELSA C.Doyle G.O’Gorman B.Lynch
1990 INFINITY A.O’Gorman W.O’Connor D.Mathews
1991 YANKEE-DOODLE G.Foster M.Covell G.Bailey
1992 IF G.A.Crosbie R.Jacob P.F.Crosbie
1993 DANISH BLUE P.R.Hoj-Jensen A.Shires C.Brittan
1994 DANISH BLUE P.R.Hoj-Jensen S.Brien C.Brittan
1995 KIN S.Brien M.Shanahan D.Caskey
1996 KIN S.Brien M.Brien D.Caskey
1997 DAS BOOT J.Lavery P.V.Maguire M.Covell
1998 WHISPER M.Cotter D.O’Dowd P.R.Hoj-Jensen
1999 DANISH BLUE P.R.Hoj-Jensen M.Payne W.Rappel Jnr
2000 WHISPER M.Cotter D.O’Dowd P.R.Hoj-Jensen
2001 CHIMERA A.Craig A.Shanks G.Elmes
2002 DANISH BLUE P.R.Hoj-Jensen W.Rappel Jnr J.Jordan
2003 PHANTOM N.Hegarty P.Bowring D.Williams
2004 KIN S.Brien P.R.Hoj-Jensen A.O’Connell
2005 STAMPEDE M.Payne J.Mortimer D.Grindley
2006 SINEWAVE T.Müller V.Hoesch M.Scheibmayr
2007 PHANTOM N.Hegarty P.Bowring D.Williams
2008 JAGUAR M.Byrne P.deAndrade A.Winkleman
2009 PHANTOM N.Hegarty P.Bowring D.Williams
2010 JAGUAR M.Byrne A.Winkleman P.deAndrade
2011 JAGUAR M.Byrne A.Winkleman P.deAndrade
2012 DANISH BLUE P.R.Hoj-Jensen A.Norden D.Ordenburg
Dragon Edinburgh Cup Winners 1949–2012
Dragon Edinburgh Cup Winners
| Year | Helm | Yacht | Location |
| 2012 | Simon Brien | KIN (IRL214) | Cultra |
| 2011 | Martin Byrne | Jaguar (IRL201) | Abersoch |
| 2010 | Klaus Diederichs | Fever (NOR282) | Cowes |
| 2009 | Bill Hardesty | Gorgeous Worgeous (GBR723) | Falmouth |
| 2008 | Don O'Donoghue | Seabird (IRL204) | Plymouth |
| 2007 | David Palmer | Princess Jalina (GBR 700) | Weymouth |
| 2006 | P R Hoj-Jensen | Danish Blue (GBR705) | Cowes |
| 2005 | P R Hoj-Jensen | Danish Blue (GBR705) | Lowestoft |
| 2004 | R Bowman | Yeah Baby (GBR662) | Torbay |
| 2003 | R Bowman | Yeah Baby (GBR662) | Clyde |
| 2002 | P R Hoj-Jensen | Danish Blue (GBR685) | Cowes |
| 2001 | R Bowman | Yeah Baby (GBR662) | Falmouth |
| 2000 | S Brien | Kin (IRL157) | Cultra, NI |
| 1999 | M Payne/D Hall | Flame Again (GBR617 ) | Lowestoft |
| 1998 | P Dann | Tyr (GBR591) | Torbay |
| 1997 | R Bowman | Ygraine (GBR626) | Edinburgh |
| 1996 | P R Hoj-Jensen | Danish Blue (GBR612) | Cowes |
| 1995 | R Bowman | Loki (GBR503) | Falmouth |
| 1994 | R D Brown | Sabbatical (GBR591) | Bangor |
| 1993 | P R Hoj-Jensen | Danish Blue (GBR585) | Forth |
| 1992 | I Ratnage | Water Rat (DK552) | Lowestoft |
| 1991 | G Foster | Yankee Doodle (US299) | Clyde |
| 1990 | G Foster | Yankee Doodle (US294) | Cowes |
| 1989 | C J Thornton | Warrior (DK557) | Torquay |
| 1988 | S Fulford | Wisp (DK507) | Abersoch |
| 1987 | R Bowman | Loki (DK503) | Lowestoft |
| 1986 - tie | R Bowman | Loki (DK503) | Strangford Lough (unofficial as only 4 races ) |
| 1986 - tie | T G Wade | Avalanche IV (DK497) | Strangford Lough (unofficial as only 4 races ) |
| 1985 | B Borresen | BB XXIII (DD245) | Edinburgh |
| 1984 | T O'Gorman | Galax (IR4) | Cowes |
| 1983 | T G Wade | Avalanche IV (DK497) | Torbay |
| 1982 | T O'Gorman | Galax (IR4) | Abersoch |
| 1981 | N Truman | Tertius (DK415) | Lowestoft |
| 1980 | T O'Gorman | Galax (IR4) | Cultra, NI |
| 1979 | P Stuelken | Red Dot (G545) | Edinburgh |
| 1978 | A O'Gorman | Galax (IR4) | Cowes |
| 1977 | Brig.P.Henson & NJ Streeter | Fanfare (K480) | Torbay |
| 1976 | C. Doyle | Alphida (IR7) | Abersoch |
| 1975 | C. Doyle | Alphida (IR7) | Edinburgh |
| 1974 | J. Gilmour Manuel | Tarka (K448) | Lowestoft |
| 1973 | N.J.Streeter | Sandpiper (K459) | Clyde |
| 1972 | S. Tait | Royalist (K455) | Cowes |
| 1971 | J. McMenamin/R. Hennessy | Alphida (IR7) | Cultra, NI |
| 1970 | D & A Young | Jane (GBR374) | Torbay |
| 1969 | KL Gumley | Rogue (K445) | Absersoch |
| 1968 | P. Dyas | Jerboa II (K432) | Edinburgh |
| 1967 | RD Judah | Salamander (K370) | Clyde |
| 1966 | S. Tait | Nerus (K398) | Lowestoft |
| 1965 | Ros Miller & J Leask | Blue Haze (K375) | Cowes |
| 1964 | LD & KL Gumley | Karen II (K377) | Belfast |
| 1963 | M Parry | Andromeda (K381) | Torbay |
| 1962 | NG Booth | Adios (KA71) | Abersoch |
| 1961 | CO Svae | Spaghetti (N228) | Clyde |
| 1960 | Mr.MrS JA Caulcutt, JMF Orean | Venture (K313) | Lowestoft |
| 1959 | Bruce Banks & WC Lucas | Apollyon (K201) | Cowes |
| 1958 | AF Buckley/DR. AJ Mooney | Nirvana II (K254) | Cultra, NI |
| 1957 | P. Dyas | Viking (K276) | Torbay |
| 1956 | Marchese Paolo Pallacicino | Aretusa (I18) | Clyde |
| 1955 | KH Preston & J Raymond | Tania (K278) | Lowestoft |
| 1954 | W. Godon Smith | Vana (K272) | Bembridge |
| 1953 | AF Buckley | Ashaka (K92) | Cultra, NI |
| 1952 | JA Day | Taiseer (K83) | Torbay |
| 1951 | T.Warrer | Lil (D116) | Clyde |
| 1950 | FR Woodroffe & CW Wallow | Blue Skies (K214) | Lowestoft |
| 1949 | FR Woodroffe & CW Wallow | Blue Skies (K214) | Cowes |
