The Dragon
is the pre-eminent one design keelboat in the world. There are Class
Associations in 31 countries across the globe and more than 1,300 boats
registered as actively sailing. Sailors range from Olympic medallists to
enthusiastic club sailors, and aged from 8 to 85, but all find that in
different ways the Dragon provides a type of sailing that they enjoy. The
Dragon has held this position almost from the moment it was first conceived in
1929. Ninety years of success and no sign of it coming to an end.
The Dragon
embodies all the qualities that have made day-racing keelboats the preferred
form of competition for many of the best helmsmen from dinghy sailors to
America’s Cup competitors. Beautiful,
seaworthy, fast and always fashionable, the dragon seduces the most
demanding.

World Sailing Status |
International |
Type |
Keelboat |
No. of Crew |
285 kg max / 4 person max |
Designer |
Johan Anker |
Hull Material |
GRP and/or Wood |
Hull Length |
8.9 m |
Beam Length |
1.95 m |
Draught Length |
1.2 m |
Mainsail Area |
16 m2 |
Headsail Area |
11.05 m2 |
Spinnaker Area |
33.2 m2 |
Boat Weight |
1700 kg |
Hull Weight |
1650 kg |
The Dragon spread very rapidly and widely from
its beginnings in Scandinavia. Club fleets were established in several European
countries, Australia, North America and Asia.
More recently Russian helmsmen have become a force in the class. Among
the names that have been prominent are such as Poul-Richard Hoj-Jensen, Ole Berntsen,
Aage Birch and Borge Borresen from Denmark, Thor Thorvaldsen from Norway,
Markus Wieser, Vincent Hoesch and Tommy Muller from Germany, Fred Imhoff from
the Netherlands and Lowell North, Bob Mosbacher and Buddy Friedrichs from the
US. In addition more than a dozen Olympic medallists from other classes have
subsequently enjoyed much success in the Dragon, a testimony to its wide
appeal.
Below the elite level, dominated by ex-Olympic
and professional sailors, there is a vast range of opportunity offered by the
class. A glance at the IDA’s list of fixtures shows regattas at varying levels
throughout the year and the world. These range from local club events or weekly
points races through to national and regional championships. The typical
competitors are amateurs with strong sailing backgrounds, with perhaps a bit of
help sometimes from a professional friend. The range of venues is great, from
peaceful central European lakes to the more arduous locations of coastal
northern Europe and Australia. Wherever it is, there is the certainty of
meeting many very friendly, slightly obsessive sailors.
In Belgium the Belgian Dragon Association unites and regroups all the dragon sailors. This small group of enthousiast dragon sailors is organising this Dragon Gold Cup in cooperation with the Royal North Sea Yacht Club. Are you interested in trying a dragon or in joining the Belgian Dragon Association of one of its activities? Find the contact details on the contact page of this website.




The dragon
class has been considered to be a the royal sailing class, as several European
royalties have been active over different generations in the class.
It was in
1960 that HRH King Constantine of Greece became Olympic Champion in Naples, and
he has been President of the International Dragon Class since then. Also HRH Prince Henrik from Denmark has been
an active dragon sailor during his live, and his son H.R.H. Crown Prince
Frederik of Denmark succeeded him as Vice President of the International Dragon
Association.
King Juan
Carlos of Spain used to be a regular participant in dragon races. He competed in the 1972 Olympics in Kiel,
finishing in fifteenth place. In the UK the Royal Dragon was named “Blue Bottle”,
and was sailed by The Duke of Edinburgh and his son Crown Prince Charles.
Even the
royal courts of Norway and Sweden were very active in the international dragon
scene. In Belgium Elan (Bel 20) was the royal
dragon, which was presented to King Baudoin I in 1951. The dream of owning a yacht identical to those of royalty became a reality.
HRH Duke Philip of Edinburgh sailing his “Blue Bottle” royal dragon with his son Prince Charles
King Juan Charlos of Spain racing dragons
HRH Prince Consort of Denmark
HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark sailing dragon with his son Prince Christian
HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark sailing dragon with his son Prince Christian
HRH Prince Consort of Denmark