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Lawrie Smith takes out 2011 Dragon World Championship

The last day of racing in the 2011 International Dragon World Championship started with glorious sunshine and by mid-morning, a consistent, if gentle Southerly breeze began to make it’s way up Melbourne’s Port Phillip.

By 11.30am Race Management indicated they were on station, having set a course of 160 degrees for the last heat. At 11.50 the race was away, but naturally you could have guessed after this week’s close and competitive racing that it was going to be a general recall. It was. A great proportion of the fleet was over, with the ones in the middle pushing out around 50 metres. This was exceptionally favourable for Linnea of Australia, who was still coming down to the line under spinnaker.

At 12.05 we were away, with the now mandatory Black Flag keeping everybody tidy. The left got the best of it, but by halfway, the massive separation we have become used to meant there were vessels near Brighton beach and out near the main shipping channel. Left of centre was the place to be as they got to the top.

The gybe set became very popular at the top mark, as there were large numbers of Dragons coming in from the beach. Some did not do so well out of it, the wonderful crew from the Dutch entry, Wolly, certainly faired the worst in this exchange. First at the top mark was the Russian entry of Mikhail Mouratov, with the now-always-there Danish crew on My Way taking second. Nick Rogers and crew on Karabos IX were third and the first of the Australian crews aiming to make a final charge at the scoreboard. In fourth place was the first of the Trans Bunker team in Bunker Prince.

Returning the bottom mark, a new course of 185 degrees was set, in a very civilised rounding. Most chose the left, with a few making a late decision to go in to that mark and came in under shy spinnakers, making them very quick, relative to the others. There were some spinnaker issues as a result, but nothing of major consequence. First was still Murka 12 from Russia with My Way in second and Bunker Prince taking over third place.

At the top for the second time, the breeze may have softened to around five knots, but My Way had managed to get a handy lead. One they would hold on to for yet another win in this regatta. Bunker Prince cemented second place, Murka 12, third and then Quicksilver III from Denmark started to climb up the board. As a result of a slightly lighter breeze, those heading inshore ran a little but shyer to keep the vessels moving.

At the bottom mark for the last time in the regatta, My Way had done more than enough to secure a good lead and eventual overall winner, Alfie, was in seventh and looking to get home well ahead of rival Bunker Queen, who had not been having a great day out on the track. Not many of the fleet pushed out to sea, with most choosing the inshore path and only the Bunker Boys decide to come back through the fleet after choosing the left hand side originally.

At the top for the final time, the race winner was Denmark’s My Way, who commented immediately after that it was, ‘Even better than our win the other day. It was very sweet, indeed.’ Skippered by Frank Berg, My Way also took out the coveted Corinthian trophy for the first all-amateur crew on the scoreboard. Frank said, ‘It’s our best result in the Worlds, ever.’ They had a Bronze previously. ‘Our boat is from 1989 and the oldest fibreglass vessel in the fleet. I thought we had good speed in the last three races. We didn’t do the Prince Philip Cup last week, but we would like to do the lead-in event in the future to get some improvements.’

Taking out the overall win, by the narrowest of margins at around just a few metres, was the British crew aboard Alfie.

Olympic Medallist, Lawrie Smith, who has not been sailing since his last Volvo Ocean Race campaign in 1999, was pretty happy to get a win in his comeback regatta. Speaking up at the clubhouse after the great win, Lawrie said, ‘Four young kids took care of sailing for a while. The twins are now 13 years old, so it makes doing something like this possible. It really is such a joyous way to come back. I honestly did not think we’d get the win. Then again, I also thought it was going to blow 25 knots each day!’

Crewmember, Tim Tavinor and owner of the boat builder, Petticrows, was also on board Alfie. ‘I’m exhausted is all I can say. It is my first Dragon Worlds win, too. Also, first and second overall were brand new boats delivered directly to the regatta. We had a really great time here and the on-water team were very, very professional.’ The third member of the team is Ossie Stewart, who said, ‘Tim’s boat is fantastic. We put a few new ideas into it and they really seemed to work.’

There were a very dedicated bunch of Race Officials and Volunteers who made this regatta at Royal Brighton Yacht Club possible and earned significant praise from all the competitors for turning on what they considered to be an excellent event. Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson, had this to say at the conclusion of racing. ‘There was 7 to 9 knots for the day and we did the course change to square it up. I believe the left hand track may have been favoured and the current was pretty huge today with the all the rain. It was certainly good to have to look for the sunshade today, not the wet weather gear. Finishing in sunshine a good breeze is a great way to round it off. One thing we don’t look at is who’s winning. We’re focussing on running a good track, but happy for Smith and the crew. We have four International Race Officers and two National ones in the team, so it’s great that everyone is delighted with the regatta.’

Tonight it is the gala reception for the awarding of trophies and the auction of the six regatta flags to benefit the recent Queensland flood victims.

Photo above shows Alfie crossing the finish line in sixth place by the most slender of margins, and with it, the World Championships.

Golden Girl returns from 1956

After 55 years, the 1956 Olympic Gold Medal winning International Dragon, now known as Galejan II, but still with her original S(WE) 194 Sail Number, has made a return to Melbourne.

Crewed now by Johan Palmquist, Christofer Edström (co-owners) and Margareta Palmquist-Carlsson, the story is as fantastic as it sounds. At the 1956 Summer Olympic Games, the Dragon Class was sailed out of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, which is also home for the 2011 World Championships. Back then, Slaghoken II as she was known, was skippered by Folke Bohlin and crewed by Bengt Palmquist with Leif Wikström.

16 countries were represented at these Olympic Games and records from the day, say ‘The Dragon class was hotly contested in every event and the result was always very open. The Danish Boat, Tip, which was skippered by O.V.H Bersten, led throughout the series until the last race, when she finished sixth. This produced a tie with the Swedish boat, Slaghoken II, which ultimately won on count back. Bluebottle, owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, was sailed by G.H Mann and placed third. Its performance on the heavier days was outstanding.’

Palmquist would go on to skipper the same boat in the 1960 Tokyo Olympic Games, with the boat now known as Galejan. Success was not repeated, however. He continued to own the boat up until 1980, when it was sold to Norway. During those years, he introduced his son, Johan and daughter, Margareta, to sailing in the boat.

The CEO of Volvo bought the boat back after some time and donated the boat to the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club as a youth training vessel. By 1994, she had ended up onshore in a barn with cows and without much love. Johan and Christofer bought her back in 1995 with a view to competing in her in the 1997 Dragon World Championships in Maarstrand. Both of them had been competing in fibreglass Dragons for some time and it was fitting that it all began in 1995, which was the year that Bengt passed away.

‘When we got there, we could see through the planks, as all the glue had gone. In the first year, we put a new, modern rig and running gear on her. In year two, we took care of all the glue and in the third, we took on the varnish of her wonderful Mahogany construction’, said Christofer. ‘There was a confused cat and a horse that had grown accustomed to their inanimate co-habitant and looked on somewhat bewildered when we took the boat out of the barn.’

‘She's still fast and all original construction, which is amazing. Galejan II is true to form and close to class minimum weight.’ On Day two and by way of example, Galejan II and her crew were first to the top mark of the course. She is made from one Honduras mahogany log in the carvel plank method. Back then, there were no issues with shipping her to Australia, but this time, her materials are on the endangered species list and it took four months to get the paperwork sorted between Stockholm and Canberra

Galejan II came on her trailer on a Roll On/Roll Off ship on the bottom deck, where it is a more stable temperature. After five heats, the crew are sitting in sitting 37th position amongst the 75-boat fleet.

Galejan II is one well-travelled boat, having been in Melbourne, Tokyo, Lake Ontario in 1975 and Martinique in 1999. Two and half years ago, Johan, Cristofer and Margareta made their commitment to Melbourne and we’re delighted they did. Thank you for making the effort, so we could once again, see this most majestic of vessels. ‘The event has been well organised and everyone is very hospitable’, was Johan’s final comment.

The last day of racing for the 2011 Dragon World Championship gets underway from Brighton on the morning of Saturday, January 14. Lets hope there is enough wind to get an even race in. For further information, please go to /

Worlds Day 4 & 5

The real winner on Thursday, January 13, at the 2011 International Dragon World Championships was the weather. It managed to provide a consistent breeze of 5 to around 15 knots in the end, from the Eastern quadrant. The other group very much worthy of praise were Race Management along with the many officials and volunteers who made the two races on different courses possible and endured significant amounts of rain in the process.

It all started at 1.05, when the signal vessel, Tarni, indicated she was on station and the course, just South of Brighton on Melbourne’s Port Phillip, was also going to be 105. Degrees, that is. The rain had eased and the wind had settled too. At 1.10pm, the Answering Pennant came down and we were on. Clearly, the journalists and photographers on the media boat were not the only ones ready for some action, for when the start finally came at about 1.20pm, most of the fleet was over the line. The necessary general recall was used to reset the line to a new course of 100 degrees in a 5 to 8 knot breeze originating out of the East Sou’east.

A black flag indicated the committee would not tolerate another mass over the line before the start and at a quarter to two a clean start got away. It was slow over at the boat end and Nick Rogers from Tasmania got the best start down at the newly favoured pin end. The right hand side and middle blitzed for the first work to the top and by the time they got there it was the Danes who had done more than enough. Interestingly, this was a new Danish crew making a feature of themselves. Frank Berg, Soren Holm and Soren Kestel on My Way were certainly doing it their way and went on to win the first race of the day by around three minutes.

Russia’s Zenith was second around the mark with series leaders, Bunker Queen in third. Nick Rogers and crew on Karabos IX, was fourth there after their great start. Unlike earlier races, only a few crews chose to go for the gybe set. The lead group had certainly got away well and the fleet separation continued. By the time they got back to the bottom of the course, My Way were stretching their lead, but another Tasmanian entry, Ridgeway had got in to second place, with Zenith now in third and Karabos IX remaining in fourth. Spinnakers were another key aspect of the racing and some refused to go back in to the their holds in the bows on the vessels, without some additional massaging. On Scot Plamer’s New Zealand entry, Kotoku, they didn’t resolve it quickly enough and the Dragon’s ultra pointy bow made short work of slicing straight through the fine cloth.

Returning to the top again, My Way stayed out in front, Zenith returned to second spot and Scoundrel, from Western Australia, jumped in to third place. The ever consistent and reliable Bunker Queen was still there with a top ten spot. A lot of vessels used the left side of the course, which in turn meant they had to come back through the Starboard tackers with no rights. On public vessel did not even consider the rights of the racers and went through the leaders, pushing on in the direction of Melbourne. Thankfully, no one suffered too badly, despite the vessel casting a significant wind shadow. The polished German crew aboard Sinewave were involved with the Ukrainian crew on Bunker Prince in an issue when the latter tried to gybe set on top of the Germans after the rounding.

It was a genuine 10 knots from 100 degrees by now and had been true to that direction for the entire race. The race was shortened to finish at the bottom and as we went down past the fleet, it was clear that they were now spread out over at least two thirds of the leg. My Way finished with daylight well and truly in second. The winners by a true country mile did high fives all round and despite a small language barrier, they did repeat several times how ‘Great’ it was.

Indeed the whole finish was very spectacular with groups of up to six boats all arriving on the finish line within inches of each other. It was a very colourful way to finish, especially given how grey it was out there in the rain and all. Taking second place was Russia’s Zenith with Tasmania’s Karabos IX getting third. The very enthusiastic and animated crew on Scoundrel from West Australia were also in the top ten, but the crews at or near the top of the overall leader board were definitely in the top ten. Bunker Queen was fourth and Lawrie Smith’s Alfie was ninth.

The course for race five was moved North, back in front of Royal Brighton Yacht Club and at 4pm the official vessels were on station with a course of 095 degrees in about a 10 knot breeze. At about a quarter past four the start sequence commenced and the high levels of competitiveness ensured a general recall was going to occur. Time for the Black Flag to be brought out again. Unlike the first race of the day, where Indulgence from Australia was forced to sit the race out, no one had to endure that particular fate.

There was a steady light rain settling in, with a 10 to 12 knots blowing and the start at half past four was jam packed at the Committee Boat end. ‘No Room’ was the call of the day as crews clambered for position. With everyone looking to maximise the advantages the right seemed to offer, Scoundrel was the first to head out that way. A couple more followed and then most went back, clearly aiming to capitalise on a middle course and not push the edges of the course too far. The rain remained at the ‘pesty’ level with 8 to 10 knots originating from about 100 degrees.

There was a really big stack of the fleet on Port, coming in to the top mark for the first time. Sweden’s Ming got there first with My Way taking second and the Prince Philip Cup winners from last week, African Queen, getting third position at the rounding. There were some great names appearing in the top ten, but one in particular deserves a mention. Montana from Germany is the current Corinthian (all amateur) leaders and they were in sixth place.

Coming up beside the Committee Boat at the bottom mark, we learned that the second race would run the full five legs, with Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson, saying with a smile, ‘Can’t make it too easy for them!’ The Danes on African Queen would arrive first, the Sinewave and Ming in third. Other championship hopefuls occupied a lot of the other positions in the top ten. There were a couple of protest flags flying on vessels; Denmark’s Quicksilver III and Russia’s, I Feel Good. There is nothing outstanding as a result of the day’s racing, so all is well.

Indeed with the breeze gaining a bit of strength and the rounding marks absolutely crowded, there was always going to be a fair amount of argy-bargy as crews looked for advantages. Some spinnakers caused issues as well, especially aboard Australia’s Puff.

By the top, the German crew on Sinewave had taken over first position, which they would then not relinquish for the remainder of the race. My Way was second and Ming took third. Russia’s Olga White had to take two sterns as she approached on Port tack, which meant she ended up with fifth around the mark. There were a few taking on the gybe set and go back through the bulk of the fleet, now arriving on Port tack to join the queue going in to the mark.

The bottom mark for the last time on the day was a lot cleaner than the previous one, no doubt due to increasing separation in the fleet. As a result, there were no real surprises on the board as they went around. Germany’s crew on Fiasco recovered their spinnaker from under the boat and continued on, which added some colour to the equation.

At the top and only metres from the host club, Sinewave won comfortably, with My Way in second and Ming in third. Sinewave’s skipper, former World Champion, Tommy Müller was, ‘Delighted to work our way to the top and stay there to get the win. It is so competitive out there’, which is a sentiment endorsed by many around the quay as they pack up from a hard day’s racing. Crewmen Michael Lipp and Vincent Hoesch then added, ‘We didn’t win the first half, so the pressure is on to take out the second!’

In a day that kind of belonged to the Danes and the Corinthian leaders it is important to remind everyone that the 2011 International Dragon World Championships end this Saturday, January 16. After the last race there is a gala dinner at the Brighton International. At that time, in addition to the champions being crowned, the six regatta flags created for the event will be auctioned off for the Queensland Premier’s Appeal after the devastation that has been wreaked through the State recently and caused the amazing weather endured by the competitors in Melbourne. These wonderful and colourful flags feature all competing nations national flags.

Racing continues on Friday, now that the Answering Pennant looks like being lowered shortly. With many crews still able to make an impression on the leader board, it will remain very competitive. Indeed, places on the dais have been won and lost during the regatta with great regularity. For further information, please go to /

Worlds Day 3 - Waiting, waiting. Always waiting.

At 3.27pm the course boat, Tarni, indicated they were on station and at the 3.30, the Answering Pennant, which had been up for most of the day, finally came down. A course of 150 degrees had been set and at 3.45, the race was away!

Regrettably, all the pent up adrenalin had the fleet well over and so the general recall was sounded. Race Management also reset the line to allow for a course change to 165 degrees. There was a second general recall at 4.05, which meant the black flag went up, to let all and sundry know that you had to play nicely on the next start or go home. At 4.20, which was around the time when a lot of people thought the breeze would finally kick in today, the race did get away. It would have been lucky to gust to 10 knots although by the finish it was easily a more solid nine knots and far less variable. It was unfortunate for two boats, who got the dreaded call over the radio and so for them, the day was over. Mark Woodland, Nigel Henderson and Matt Dundas aboard the Australian entry, Lyla, along with Sweden’s Martin Pålsson, Göran Alm and Johan Norem on Bendira will now be hoping that this can count as their drop, when there are more than the five races completed, which are required for the championship to be awarded.

As per yesterday, the fleet spread out from the near as half a nautical mile long start line, with a few new crews trying the Lucky Left. Not as many went to the right side as yesterday, but a lot went way, way left. Typically, the middle was the place to be, by the time they got to the top.

Former World Champion, Tommy Müller, led the fleet there, but the top 50 or so boats were packed in very tightly. Infringements were bound to occur and there were at least five penalty turns performed by crews in this batch. For overnight series leader, West Australia’s Richard Lynn, this meant his crew lost easily 20 places, as they not only had to perform the turn, but then get going again in the very disturbed air that all the other yachts going by had created. Great Britain’s Lawrie Smith was certainly happy to be back up the pointy end of the fleet and took Bunker Prince right out to the edge of the hitch mark. The other feature of the first rounding was a good number of crews going for the gybe set of their spinnakers.

The top three of Müller, Smith and Brasalev stayed the same all the way back down and by the time they got to the bottom mark, the pressure had filled in a little from the very gentle start. The desire to do well was still burning for most crews and there were definitely some incidents and lots of calls of ‘protest’. Again, many penalty turns were evident. As opposed to yesterday, there were not nearly as many changes in the top ten at the roundings. The likes of the Bunker Boys from the Ukraine and Australia’s Gilt Dragon II, along with yesterday’s victors, Scoundrel, all featured in these sorts of positions for the entire day.

Back at the top for the second time, Race Management signalled a course change back to 150 degrees and its reciprocal, 330. Again, there was lots of action in the front of the fleet and yet more penalty turns to be seen. Those who had come out right did well. The leaders had changed somewhat, with the Ukraine’s Bunker Prince coming in first from Germany’s Montana and then the Bunker Boys. Smith and Müller were still in the top ten, as too Sweden’s Ming and Australia’s, Scoundrel.

Given that the fleet had started to separate out a lot more by the time they all got to the bottom mark again, it is no real surprise that it was a far more pleasant rounding. The seaway had built by now, too, and was easily one half of a metre. Montana from Germany, skippered by Dirk David and crewed by Stefan Abel and Mark Bayer, led the fleet in over Yevgen Brasalev’s Bunker Prince and then Markus Wieser driving Bunker Queen.

Yevgen Brasalev, Sergey Timokhov and Yevgen Kushienko aboard Bunker Prince would then go on to take the fleet up to the top for the win at a little after half past six in the evening. In second place would be Montana and third was the Bunker Boys, who are Lars Hendriksen, Yevgen Kushchiyenko and George Leonchuk.

Overall, Markus Wieser, Sergey Pugachev and Matti Paschen aboard Bunker Queen are leading the 2011 Dragon World Championship. Martin Palsso's Bendira is in second after initially having been given a Black Flag Penalty by the Race Committee  which was subsequently removed after a post--race photographic review. In third is the Bunker Prince  skippered by Yevgen Braslavez with Lawrie Smith's Alfie in fourth. Australia’s Richard Lynn, Ian Olson and Ron Rosenberg are in fifth, despite the misfortune today. Special mention has to be made of Montana, who are in sixth and the leading Corinthian (all amateur) crew at this time. The Banker Boys move in to seventh, Sweden’s Out Of Bounds holds eighth and yesterday’s winners, Scoundrel, are in ninth tonight. Former world champion, Thomas Müller and crew have Sinewave in tenth and the recently crowned Prince Philip Cup winners aboard African Queen are in eleventh.

Ultimately, all this means that there are a great number of crews who can win this 2011 Dragon World Championship.

“It was a hard one to wait around for and once on the water, we had a couple of systems to get over our heads before we felt we could get the race underway”, said Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson. “The breeze was originally at 240 degrees and swung in towards 170. We were delighted to get the race away and see it hold true, with a little phasing to the right.”

Racing will begin again on Thursday, as the crews have a lay day on Wednesday. For further information, please go to /

Worlds Day 3 - The Postponement flag is up, but not flying

At around 9.45AM today, the Race Management team decided to hoist the Answering Pennant and keep the crews ashore, whilst everyone waits for the wind to fill in. So, as you can see, the AP is up, albeit not flying. It's a bit like the trailers in the carpark, not a lot is moving.

If you wanted to see movement, it'll be either the crews near the trailers or the cafe staff making coffees.

There are three course boats out in the Northern areas of Melbourne's Port Phillip looking for consistent breeze. There have been glimpses of it, up to about seven knots on occasion, before it flitters to another direction or away completely. Rain is also moving down both sides of the Bay, which has hampered the cause for the Etchells Nationals in Geelong, who did head out on to Corio Bay. The large number of World, Olympic, America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and offshore sailors are enjoying dry clothes, food and each others company in and around the facilities at Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

All of this activity is a result of the significant systems up in the Northern parts of Australia, which have caused massive flood damage. In the end, the question becomes whether there will be any racing today at all. Whilst some of the models indicate breeze this afternoon, many a wise old sailing salt is shaking their head, indicating there is not much chance of that occurring. Meteorologically speaking, it is ultra rare to have to low pressure troughs that are going to join and go down each of the West and East coasts of the continent. They are bringing down the moisture from above the Tropic of Capricorn and also the humidity that is best known in places like Darwin. Adding to this is the large blocking high pressure system in the Tasman Sea.

At just after 1pm, AP over 1 went up indicating that there would be a clear hour for crews to do other things, before the next signals.

Worlds Day 2 - Australians get on the podium

This is an important feature for a country currently licking its cricketing wounds. For those non-cricket playing countries, I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to indulge us for this first paragraph or two. The West Australians have salvaged some of the country’s pride with a win on the day and also to be leading the running tally.

Getting up for the gun today was Scoundrel, crewed by William Packer, Denis Cullity and Randall Harding. After crossing the line, the crew were standing around the cockpit, somewhat bemused. “We have no idea how that happened. We did not even know we were a light weather crew - haven’t sailed a Dragon for 15 years (but at least some of them got a third in the World Championships back then) and we’ve been in Couta boats since.”

Leading the progressive results after the two races conducted thus far, is Richard Lynn and crew of Ian Olsen and Ron Rosenberg aboard, Puff-eu. They are on ten points and four clears of the second placed Ukrainian crew, Markus Wieser, Sergey Pugachev and Matti Paschen on Bunker Queen. Russia’s Anatoly Loginov, driving Annapurna, is in third.

If it was a hard day in the office yesterday for the crews, then today was to be Race Management’s turn. Last night, it was felt that the Answering Pennant might have been displayed at the beginning of racing today, so as to let the breeze die down from the forecast 30 knots. That certainly arrived, but it was much earlier in the day, from around 5am, in fact. The result that there was not a lot around at lunchtime, some 2 to 4 knots only, from the East Sou’east. Some rain was also present and it returned once all the crews were tied up at the end of the day, as well. Out at the marina, as crews prepared to depart, one unnamed crewmember was very disappointed to see the rain fall, “I just hung out all my gear on the boom to try and let it dry. Guess I’ll have to wear it inside-out.”

A relieved Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson, once back on dry land said, “It was a tough one for us today. We’re really thrilled to have got a race in. Racing will be on again from 11am, tomorrow.” No doubt they’ll be keen to pick up today’s lost, second race.

Racing was meant to get underway at 1pm, but a wall of boats over the line meant it was a general recall and so the fleet got away, happily, at 1.15. In the light breezes, the fleet stretched out massively across Melbourne’s Port Phillip from virtually Altona to Brighton Beach. Not many had chosen the middle of the course, but these were the boats to do best. It was quiet on both sides, but those out past the shipping channel to the West, fared worst. Coming in from the beach meant you were on Port tack and this set up many a cross with those coming in from the right, on Starboard.

The delightful Swedish Dragon, Galejan II, lead the fleet to the top mark for the first time and set the tone for the order of the day with the gybe set. The all-timber vessel came in a respectable 25th by the time the race was done. Back down at the bottom of the course a change in direction was set to 170 degrees and the idea was definitely to head for the beach to return to the top, as the wind had gassed out on the right side of the course. The fleet had well and truly spread out by now and as they rounded at the top again and there were far less gybe sets of spinnakers.

As you would expect with a day where the maximum wind would have been barely 8 knots, the top ten positions changed somewhat dramatically. Indeed the winner, Scoundrel, was in tenth place at the top the first time, third at the bottom and then second once they got back to the top. It was a narrow win, but the resounding cries of happiness at the end, indicated they were pretty happy about it all. Also of interest was that current leader, Puff-eu, was not even in the top ten for the first rounding, but showed up thereafter at each mark and finished with a sixth place to grab the lead.

Also consistently in the top ten were Russia’s Olga White and crew, the Ukraine’s Bunker Boys, along with Juli, also from Russia. Another Australian crew to feature well on the day were the Tasmanians Nick Rogers, Leigh Behrens and Simon Burrows aboard, Karabos IX.

A shortened course finish at 3.30 had people considering the likelihood of a second race in the day. Indeed a lot of competitors had already started the slow journey back to the hosts at Royal Brighton Yacht Club. Whilst the Committee Boat went looking for wind, even they had to accept fate ultimately and the hoots from the horn were not far off.

Back at the daily presentations, apart from bringing up the winners, a big feature was made of Martin ‘Stavros’ Payne’s birthday. He is one of yachting’s most jovial characters and writes very good articles for various publications, too. He is crewing aboard Wouter ten Wolde’s wonderful looking vessel, Wolly, with Wouter’s daughter, Juliette. Yesterday they may have been absolute last, but today, they led the fleet down to the bottom mark on the first run and finished with an ultra narrow gap, to get a fourth.

You can watch the International Dragon action from the Middle Brighton pier, the Royal Brighton Yacht Club café and upstairs balcony. All visitors welcome. 

Worlds Day 1 - First day was a tough day at the office

A Sou’sou’east breeze of 16 to 18 knots for the duration of the race meant it was a tough day at the office for all of the 75 crews competing in the International Dragon Class World Championships. The Race Management team chose to go slightly offshore, but directly in front of Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

Victorious on the day was the British crew aboard Alfie. The skipper is Lawrie Smith and crew of Ossie Stewart and Petticrow’s (the boatbuilder) owner, Tim Tavinor. They had been at or near the top of the fleet for every mark rounding and then stayed out right for the last work home, to the finish. They also finished sixth last week in the Prince Philip Cup, so it shows that the competition at the top of the fleet is very real and goes a long way down the entry list, just as Joergen Shoenherr said after winning last week’s event. Lawrie Smith said immediately after the win, “It was a great day’s sailing, but it is a long way to go. Happy with the result, however.”

The Principal Race officer, Kevin Wilson, said of the day, “It was a great breeze that hung in all day at 170 to 175 degrees with just the normal phase swings, which provided for a really nice racetrack. We have a couple of protests that have been lodged. One is from the Race Committee against GER 1002, skippered by Andreas Lohmann, for non-compliance with the wearing of personal flotation devices. The race was a little over two hours in duration with just the one vessel over the start line at the beginning. The crew aboard Australian crew aboard, Liquidity was 50 metres short of coming back over the line when they resumed racing. After notification of this error, they retired from racing for the day. The first beat was 2.5 nautical miles in duration and then went to 1.8nm for the next two works to windward. On the days where we have one race we will aim to be on the track for two hours and where we have two races in a day, this will be shortened to around 90 minutes each.” At the post race results announcements, spectator vessels were also reminded to keep an appropriate distance from the action, after one vessel came in too close at the finish line.

There are five Danish crews participating in these World Championships. When asked about the newest members of their Royal Family, Joergen Schoenherr, Theis Palm and Axel Waltersdorph from African Queen, who were last week’s victors, all said simultaneously, “It is fantastic news and great for you too – they’re half Aussie!”

Today’s racing had the leaders taking the right side of the course for the first work to windward. Also amongst the leaders was another of the Danish crews, Flawless, along with the Ukrainian crew from Bunker Queen. The last boat on the first time at the bottom mark was the Australian entry, Aquila. However, making it in to the top ten at this point was former world champion Thomas Müller and crew of Vincent Hoesch and Michael Lipp aboard, Sinewave.

Most of the fleet then worked up the centre of the course for the next work and by the top mark, Andrew York’s Australian entry, Wizzardry was a member of the top ten roundings. It was at the bottom mark for the second time when the International Jury’s boat ceased to work and they were quickly retrieved by another course boat and dragged out of the way of the bulk of the fleet that were still to come down. West Australian entry and former Prince Philip Cup holder, Richard Lynn, certainly knew all about this, as they sailed by.

For the last run uphill, the leaders went out to the right side of the course, while a band of hopefuls pushed out to the extreme left. By the time they all got to the top, it was evident that the right had paid. Behind Lawrie Smith were Jens Christensen and crew with Out Of Bounds in second, then Anatoly Loginov aboard Annapurna, Richard Lynn and Puff-eu. In fifth place today were Flawless, the Danish crew of Stig Lassen, Karsten Hey and Soeren Hvalsoe.

Racing is scheduled to begin at 1pm on Monday, January 10, 2011. The strong Sou’easterly breezes of over 25 knots, which are expected in the morning, may see this slightly delayed, as they are meant to abate as the afternoon progresses.

You can watch the International Dragon action from the Middle Brighton pier, the Royal Brighton Yacht Club café and upstairs balcony. All visitors welcome. Alternatively go to /

International Dragons – World Championships begin today

After a cool change swept through Melbourne last night, today is a lot cooler, with a forecast top of just 24 degrees Celsius. Presently, a Sou’easterly breeze of around 15 knots is blowing through the Brighton course area, which is under cloud and probably will be for most of the day. There is a strong wind warning current for the Port Phillip zone, with 30 knots expected in the evening. This should be well after the 2.30pm start time, however. A sea of one half to one metre is going to mean there will be the ability for crews to surf their majestic Dragons.

70 vessels, 43 of which are from overseas, with just under 220 crewmembers, representing 11 countries are competing for the World Championship and its corresponding Corinthian title for the highest place amateur crew.

Briefing took place this morning at 10am, where Chairman of the Organising Committee, Andrew Merrett welcomed the competitors and explained the regatta outline. Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson, then reminded the crews of their responsibilities and emphasised that the black flag will be deployed if there is a need for more than two general recalls. During the question time, Chairman of the International Jury, Doug Sloan, reminded competitors that as an International event, English is the language of the course and that the word ‘Protest’ must be used when notifying other crews of infringements. Following on from that, he also reminded crews that penalty turns must be done at the earliest possible opportunity, without causing additional issues for other competitors. Doug is an exemplary Hobie Cat sailor from Northern California.

Close and exciting sailing is going to be a feature of the International Dragon World Championships. You can do so from the Middle Brighton pier, the Royal Brighton Yacht Club café and upstairs blacony in Melbourne. All visitors welcome. Alternatively go to /

International Dragons begin racing

Racing for the International Dragons began on Port Phillip in Melbourne today, Tuesday, January 4, 2011. The Prince Philip Cup is the Australasian Championship and it is taking place immediately before the 2011 International Dragon Class Worlds, which are from January 9 to 15. The International Dragons are a majestic, classic metre design vessel that ensures close racing amongst the fleet. The Royal Brighton Yacht Club is hosting both events, so there will be plenty of land-based viewing opportunities from the Middle Brighton Pier.

74 vessels are going to compete in the Worlds, with 40 of these representing 12 overseas countries. These include Germany, which has the biggest Dragon fleet on the globe, the Ukraine, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden. This is a marvellous and unique achievement, not matched by any other class previously. Inside the fleet is a vast array of yachting talent from many different arenas, including the International Dragons. There are simply way too many names to feature them all, but included in the golden pool of yachting’s greatest, are names like former Dragon World Champion, Tommy Müller, renowned UK Olympic Medallist, Lawrie Smith and Russia’s Olga White.

Just some of the Australian names of note are Nick Rogers and Richard Lynn. Lynn, a West Australian, is the current holder of the Prince Philip Cup and this is what he had to say about the events and the sailors coming to Melbourne to compete. “It is a very exciting time for Australian Dragon Sailing. Never before has there been an assembly of such great yachtsmen from around the World. The calibre of sailor is of the highest standard, with present and past World, Olympic, European, Gold Cup and Australian Champions all competing in the one place.”

“From a personal point of view, I’m very excited to be representing Australia, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and the Australian Dragon Association. I’m sure the Australian sailors will be able to match the European’s on any given day and make it a contest, as we certainly don’t want a one sided affair. It promises to be a great the contest on the water”, Richard then added.

“We should acknowledge and sincerely thank our European friends for making the journey to Melbourne, as it’s a long and expensive exercise. Hopefully for their efforts, Melbourne will turn on the weather and give us a Championship that will make them want to come back.”

Looking towards his own campaign, Richard said, “My team includes Ian Olson and Ron Rosenberg and we have worked diligently over the last two years. We believe we are ready to defend the Prince Philip Cup and keep it in Australian waters. Although, saying that, our focus is on the World Championships and gaining a real indication of where we are placed.”

Valdemar Bandolowski is another significant name on the entries list. His crew have sent DEN392, Flawless, to Melbourne late last year, as have most of the other entries, given that there are not enough Dragons in Australia to supply all the competitors with chartered boats.

Valdemar raced in the Soling Worlds at Brighton some years ago and he is the 1976 and 1980 Soling Olympic Gold Medallist. On another occasion, he borrowed an Etchells from Royal Brighton Yacht Club Patron, John Bertrand, to do a local regatta. Valdemar won the Dragon Worlds back in 1987, which were held in Geelong and is a previous winner of the Dragon Gold Cup in 1984 and 1986. Valdemar was also the skipper of the Danish America’s Cup Challenges from 1987 to 1991.

Petticrows are one of the world’s premier builders of these types of craft and the owner of that business, Tim Tavinor, is sailing with the UK Olympic Medallist, Lawrie Smith, who just recently bought an International Dragon, in time to ship it to Melbourne.

Finally then, Australian hopeful, Nick Rogers, sails a Ridgeway built vessel called, Karabos IX. He will be joined on the course by the newest Ridgeway, which was completed in Tasmania last month. It has undergone significant testing on on-water trials before being shipped to Melbourne. One of those tests is for buoyancy. This is a type test, done on one boat per model line. The boat has to be laid over 90 degrees for one minute and then come upright and float for 30 minutes without the decks awash. Zane Ridgeway, builder of the vessel and 2011 International Dragon World Championship sponsor said, “This is the last photo that I managed to take before she laid over to 90 degrees and the last thing I was thinking about was photos.” Needless to say, Ridgeway AUS 215, passed and they are looking forward to competing in the new vessel.

For more information please see www.dragonworlds2011.com.au or visit the club on The Esplanade, Middle Brighton in Melbourne.

The night before the Nationals

with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before the Nationals, when all through the house
Not a soul was stirring, not a skipper, crew or spouse
The boats on the hardstand, stowed with such great care
In hopes that the crews, soon would be there
With many sailors nestled, in planes of all kinds
Heading for Brighton with racing on their minds
New sails have been paid for, insurance (what a pain)
We've lost those last few kilos, or all would be in vain;
So now it's time to clear the head, and see the start flag flutter
And hope that in the next few days we never have to utter,
The little phrase that causes, skippers such distress:
"Honest Mr Jury, I wasn't OCS"

The boats have arrived and all is in readiness for the start of the Prince Philip Cup (Australian National Championship) and the 2011 Dragon World Championships. Summer has also finally arrived, and along with it the sea breeze that makes Port Phillip Bay such a fantastic place to sail.

Some recent additions to the website:

• Sailing Instructions posted (see under Race Documents)
• Final dates/times for registration, measurement and weigh-in (see "Important Dates" under Race Documents)

Below is an interview with John Longley, America's Cup legend and longtime Dragon sailor from the west coast of Australia. Also included are a few pictures from around the club with all the preparations for what should be a great event. From the measurers to the bar staff, Race Committee and office staff - everything is ready to go! Click on the thumbnail for a larger image in the photos below.