The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929. 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 and continues to be the predominant one design keel boat class in Europe.
The Dragon Design
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 had produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs on any racing boat.
Spars and sails are infinitely and easily adjustable while racing, allowing a skilful crew to optimise the boat for any conditions, and removing the need for an optimum body weight that characterised so many other classes. Dragon races cannot be won by brute strength. The Dragon's design philosophy has made it a class where extremely close racing is the norm, and where races are won by the crew's mastery of the conditions and tactics on the course rather than by speed advantage.
LOM 8.9m Beam 1.95m Draught 1.2m Displacement 1700kg(with mast) Mainsail 16sqm Genoa 11.7sqm Spinnaker 23.6sqm
Australian Dragon Sailing
In 1954 the Duke of Edinburgh gifted the Prince Philip Cup for the winner of the Australian Dragon Class Championship.
Currently there are Dragon fleets racing in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. The Prince Philip Cup is a perpetual trophy and the Australian Championships are held by rotation in each state in which the Dragon class is raced.
Western Australian Dragon Sailing
The Western Australian Dragon Class has raced from the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club following the introduction of the first boat "Leander" by Ernie Tomlinson in 1950.
There are 24 Dragon class yachts registered with the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (RFBYC) as at 30 April 2011.
The major Western Australian Dragon Championships comprise the RFBYC Club Championship which is a seven race series held over the Clubs summer racing calendar from October to April and the WA State Championships, generally a six or seven races series held in February/March.
Links:
1) www.intdragon.org - International Dragon Association
2) www.dragonclass.org.au - Australian International Dragon Association
3) www.segeltrimm.info - Fritz Sails (Germany), Dragon Tuning Guide
If you are interested in more information or sailing on a Dragon, please email Hamish McHaffie yachtops@rfbyc.asn.au
Dragons for Sale - click here
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