Press release
23 september 2009
STARS AND DRAGONS IN CANNES
For nearly 25 years Dragon class has been attracting the world’s
best small keelboat sailors, Olympic medallists and ocean racers.
This 8,90 metres long keelboat is actually quite hard to sail, with
tens of different settings with boats from different generations
competing. Most of the top Dragon sailors are in Cannes for the
Règates Royales
All but Paul Elvström, the undisputed Danish champion with his four
gold (Firefly 1948, Finn 1952, 1956, 1960),two Olympic medals (Star
1968, Tornado 1984) and nothing less than thirteen Worlds titles in
five different classes, few if any sailors can show such an
extraordinary record. The Dragon fleet can however boast sailors with
some important victories under their belts. The most renowned is
certainly the newly crowned World Champion, Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen
from Norway, who, at 63 has collected a silver medal at the Games at
Mexico ’68 and several Dragon World and European championships.
Scandinavian sailors have always been strong leading competitors
since the creation of the class back in 1929 whilst the Russians are
currently lighting up the scene.
An expample can be found in Anatoly Loginov, who is a newcomer to the
class but getting better at every new event and becoming the one to
watch out for: 2nd at the French Open Champ, 2nd at the Grand Prix
Petit Navire, 4th at the Worlds and 3rd at the Gold Cup. The young
Russian is also at the top of the International Ranking List 2009.
Second-placed German Thomas Müller is also racing in Cannes, sailing
with a family crew, made of Kim and Robin Müller, while the British
sailing celeb Lawrie Smith is back on French waters. All the
countries are very well represented in the truly international fleet
with nineteen French, twelve British crews, eight Germans, Russians,
Italians and Swedish boats and three Finnish, Irish and Dutch Dragons.
Funnily enough, it seems that the boat’s name is due to a
pronunciation mistake: when Anker introduced his design to the IYRU
(now ISAF) to have it included among the international classes he
said « Draggen » and the British thought that the Norwegian wasn’t
very good at Shakespeare’s language and translated it into «
Dragon ». The one-design became an Olympic Class in 1948 and competed
at the Games until Munich 1972. In 1979 aluminium masts were
introduced and thanks to Borge Borresen’s efforts composite hulls
were accepted in 1973. In 2008 the Class recorded some 1.700 boats
built worldwide.
The Dragon, facts and figures:
Length: 9,95 m
Beam: 1,96 m
Draft: 1,20 m
Displacement: 1 650 kg
Bulb: 1 000 kg
Mainsail area: 16 m2
Genoa area: 11,7 m2
Spinnaker area: 23,6 m2
Crew number: 3
The Russian march on Cannes
The winner of first official race for the Dragon Class, sailed on the
area northeast of île Marguerite with a breeze of 8 to 12 knots, was
undisputedly the Russians Anatoly Loginov, Andrey Kirjliuk and
Alexander Shalagin. After a general recall the Race Committee opted
for a windward/leeward course 1.5 miles long, but many crews were
over the line: nine boats were disqualified under Black Flag.
Loginov, on board his Annapurna, had anyway to fend the attacks from
the American Ivan Bradbury, who came in second on Elusive, and his
fellow countryman Victor Fogelson on Sunflower, 3rd. The first
British skipper, David Palmer on Princess Jalina was fifth to cross
the line while the first French trio Brouillet-Vermorel-Tenconi on
Feu Follet ended up in tenth position overall.
Around the Lérins
For the second racing day, the Régates Royales de Cannes took the
Classic Yacht fleet to round both the Saint-Honorat and Sainte-
Marguerite island before going to a mark placed non far from
Fourmigue, just in front of Golfe-Juan, for a total of nearly twelve
miles. The wind and weather conditions were once again ideal, 12
knots and sunny. Not an easy task for the crews, with good deal of
manoeuvring in quite choppy waters. The most powerful yachts, like
the J Class Shamrock V and Cambria were leading from the start but
the tricky section to the finishing line placed just in front of
world-famous Cannes waterfront, possibly made some illustrious
victims…
Results are still being processed by the organizers and they will be
posted on the official website www.regatesroyales.com
Two of the most competitive yachts racing at the Règates Royales en
Cannes are, no doubt about that, coming from the UK and Italy.
The Mighty Rowdy
The British owner Graham Walker, who has been involved in the
America’s Cup in the past but also in several Admiral’s Cup and
Ton Cup challenged with his boats called Indulgence, has since some
seasons turned his interest to classic yachts. That’s how he decided
to have one of the last Nathanaël Herreshoff 1916 designed New York
Yacht Club Forty, hull number 49 in fact, restored in Maine.
Measuring 17,97 metres, Rowdy it’s a flush-decked Marconi sloop
which won Trophée Rolex in Saint-Tropez last year. In Cannes, Rowdy
debuted by winning the first race on Tuesday, in real and corrected
time in the Vintage Marconi division.
Rowdy in numbers
Designer: Nathanaël Herreshoff
Year built: 1916
Owner: Graham Walker
Overall length: 19,79 m
Waterline length: 18,05 m
Beam: 4,40 m
Draft: 2,70 m
Bonafide, Sibbick at his best
Completely restored by her new owner, the Italian Giuseppe Giordano
at the Argentario shipyard in 2003 on a three years period, this
Charles Sibbick design was created after the 5 Tons Godinet rule for
J. Howard Taylor in 1899. She was built in record time-less than two
months- by Albert Yard on the Isle of Wight. Bonafide also has
another important record, as she started her career by winning the
first sailing gold medal at the first Olympic Games in Paris in 1900.
Bonafide
Designer: Charles Sibbick
Year built: 1899
Owner: Giuseppe Giordano
Overall length: 13,62 m
Hull length: 9,69 m
Waterline length: 8,90 m
Beam: 2,57 m
Draft: 1,86 m
Displacement: 11,4 t
Upwind sail area: 144 m2
Photos free of rights available on request–
Copyright : Guillaume Plisson – Régates Royales –Trophée Panerai
Further information on: www.regatesroyales.com
Les Régates Royales – Trophée Panerai une course organisée par
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