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Displaying items by tag: MOD70 City Races

#TALL SHIP- The UK flagged tallship Lord Nelson, built specifically to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side-by-side as equals, last night anchored off Scotsman Bay. It was in these inshore waters recently where the impressive MOD70 'City' Races took place off Dun Laoghaire Harbour's East Pier, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The barque is run by the charity, Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST), and she followed in the wake of another albeit smaller tallship, Vilma, which too had anchored in Scotsmans Bay, though much closer to the shoreline. The Welsh schooner registered in Beaumaris, was in the flotilla with spectators to witness the MOD70s as the high-tech 'Formula 1' of boats belted across Dublin Bay.

JST also own another barque, the Tenacious, and both vessels are regular callers to Irish ports, where they provide sailing holidays for everyone to experience the thrill and adventure of life at sea and get involved in almost every activity on board. This can involve taking the helm, setting the sails and keeping watch, regardless of physical ability and previous sailing knowledge.

For details of voyages around the UK and Ireland click HERE, noting the vessels also cruise in far distant waters. For example Lord Nelson is scheduled to depart on a voyage from Kochi in India next year.

Published in Tall Ships

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.