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Irish Dragon Class Sailing News and Regatta Results
The Royal Torbay Yacht Club has long been a popular host of Dragon championships
Torquay’s association with the International Dragon Class is long and illustrious, with the venue hosting the 1948 Olympic Games, at which the Dragon featured, and many national and international events since. The Dragon fleet will return once again to this…
The Irish Jaguar Dragon team of Martin Byrne, John Simms and Adam Winkelmann were  third overall at the Coupe de l'Amitié at at the Yacht Club de Cannes in France
The Irish Jaguar Dragon team from the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour took third overall at last weekend's Coupe de l'Amitié in France.  The keelboat trio of Martin Byrne, John Simms and Adam Winkelmann were in the…
Kinsale Yacht Commodore Matthias Hellstern welcomes Maeve Cotter as Regatta Director for the Dragon Gold Cup 2024
Maeve Cotter will act as the regatta director for Kinsale's staging of the Dragon Gold Cup in 2024. Cotter is a former Commodore of Glandore Harbour Yacht Club and the current Rear Commodore of Kinsale YC. She takes up the role…
Kinsale Yacht Club Person of the Year, Dave O’Sullivan with KYC Commodore, Matthias Hellstern, KYC Vice Commodore, Tony Scannell, ISA President, John Twomey, as well as members of the Under 25’s Kinsailor project
In the time-honoured tradition at Kinsale in West Cork, the end of the season at Kinsale Yacht Club is marked by the Laying Up Dinner. This event allows members to come together to celebrate the season passed and look forward…
The ultimate crew view – Don Street of Glandore racing Gypsy at the International Dragon Class 90th Anniversary Regatta at San Remo, and an uncountable number of boats in his wake. Gypsy was the fleet senior, and Don is senior to her…..
Glandore in West Cork is a picturesque international melting pot of folk of all types from many backgrounds, and like all melting pots, it can occasionally boil ever, particularly if you have someone like Don Street stirring the heated mix.…
Dragon racing at the Régates Royales, in Cannes
Martin Byrne’s Jaguar Sailing Team dropped to tenth overall after the final day of Dragon class racing at the Régates Royales, in Cannes on Friday. Byrne’s Jaguar Sailing Team from the Royal St. George, Dun Laoghaire and Daniel Murphy’s Fortitude from…
Dragon racing at Régates Royale in Cannes
Two of the leading British Dragons teams moved up the at Régates Royales rankings today in declining breezes in Cannes. Chris Brittain on GBR 818 scored a 2nd and 7th to move up to 4th overall, while Gavia Wilkinson Cox on GBR…
Dragon racing at the Régates Royales, in Cannes, where Dun Laoghaire's Jaguar Sailing Team lie fourth overall
An early morning start on Wednesday was delayed for the Dragon fleet at Régates Royales, in Cannes as the anticipated Mistral gale took its time to materialise. Eventually, the fleet got away in a stiff 25-knot breeze that took its…
Martin Byrne’s Jaguar Sailing Team (IRL 201) in action at the Régates Royales
Three of the Irish Dragon keelboat teams had top ten results today in Cannes on day two of Régates Royales. In race three, Cameron Good and Daniel Murphy on Fortitude finish seventh and move to 12th overall, while Mark &…
Dragon racing commenced on the Bay of Cannes on Monday at the Régates Royales in a very shifty 10/12 knot easterly breeze with glorious sunshine all day. The 10-country international fleet of 33 Dragons were grateful for some efficient race management aided…
There has been a post-Covid, resurgence in the Dragon fleet in Ireland where numbers are on the increase in Kinsale, Glandore and Dun Laoghaire
Martin Byrne’s well travelled Dragon - Jaguar Sailing Team from the Royal St. George Yacht Club will be joined by another three IRL registered teams at this year’s Régates Royales in Cannes where racing commences on Monday next. Byrne’s Jaguar…
Hallowe’en at the Royal Irish YC in Dun Laoghaire. The late John Sisk was in the syndicate which kept this 70ft 1926 Fife classic in pristine condition
The death of John Sisk of Dun Laoghaire highlights the sailing achievements of a private yet remarkable family whose name is internationally-recognised on major building sites and civil engineering projects in several countries, while at the same time, they are…
Kinsale's Cameron Good (hidden from view), Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern sailing 'Little Fella' are the 2022 Irish Dragon champions after leading a six-race contest at the Royal St. George Yacht Club on Dublin Bay from start to finish
Leading the championships from start to finish, Kinsale Yacht Club crew Cameron Good, Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern, sailing Little Fella claimed the Irish Dragon National Championships at the Royal St. George YC on Sunday. Royal St. George's Alistair Kissane, Ronan Murphy and Cian Hughes in…
Cameron Good (right) leads the Dragon class racing on Dublin Bay
After five races sailed at the Royal St. George YC Dragon hosted National Championships, Kinsale Yacht Club crew Cameron Good, Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern, sailing Little Fella, on 12 points, still lead overall by two points.   But after today's single race sailed,…
Dragon class racing on Dublin Bay
After four races sailed at the Royal St. George YC Dragon hosted National Championships, Kinsale Yacht Club crews occupy the top three overall.  Cameron Good, Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern sailing Little Fella on 14 points, lead by two points overall on…
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Lar Casey Cup for Dragons at Casey's Bar in Glandore
The 40th anniversary of the Lar Casey Cup for Dragons was won by Adrian Bendon’s MarJ at Glandore Harbour YC in West Cork. Second was Ghost, C.Dunne and C.Daly and third Little Fella, Cameron Good. The original event was also…

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.