Saturday's practice race of the 80th Gold Cup for the International Dragon class could not be staged today due to a lack of wind off Kinsale Harbour.
The 62-boat fleet representing 14 countries and four continents went out to race but found no wind on the championship race course and were towed back to the club marina ahead of tomorrow's first race of a six-race schedule.
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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.
Sept 6th – 13th - 80th Dragon Gold Cup, Kinsale YC
Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
