EVENTS
TASMANIA
The 2023 Spring Regatta
The Tasmanian Dragons sailed a Spring regatta on the Derwent in cool blustery conditions; '95 World Champs Nick Rogers and Leigh Behrens teamed with Sam King to prevail. Racing on Saturday was cancelled due to strong sou’westerlies; Race 1 thus commenced at 9;40 am Sunday in a light nor’wester. Hugh Wardrop aboard Ridgeway was too eager and was OCS but quickly returned. New recruit to the Class was Jock Calvert, son of ’97 PPC Champ Bruce, and grandson of ’78 PPC Champ Don.
Jock showed real talent stating at the pin end and sailing well with experienced crew Brett Cooper and Richard Goodfellow.
Jock Young arrived at the top mark first, but superior boat speed and tactics resulted in a win for Karabos IX. Unfortunately, the blustery conditions put too much strain on the backstay of (four-time PPC Champ) Thorvalda and the mast popped off its footing,
leading to retirement.
The breeze was variable in strength but consistent, blowing from the northwest; that’s anywhere from west to north, so lifts were common, as were knocks; the skilled crew were those on the correct side more often than not. Race 2 – much the same result.
But Race 3 was exciting. Jock Calvert aboard the Ridgeway built Magic stayed away from the shenanigans at the Committee boat and had a beaut start with pace, height and clear air, and laying the top mark! Elsewhere, Karabos and Aquilla were arguing over the same piece of water, in very close proximity to the beautiful Sole Mio Committee boat in 5-8 knots – Aquilla completed a 360° exonerating turn!
That small early advantage was maintained to the end, Jock, Brett and Richard beat Karabos to the gun for their first win on their first day of sailing the imperious Dragon. But, Magic wasn’t having her best day and an increasing number of small issues
resulted in an early return to the marina.
Race 4 started with one of those northerly shifts which allowed Karabos to start at the pin end on Port and cross the fleet in a beaut (if chilly) 15 knots. But (again), while approaching the top mark on the starboard lay line, Karabos for’ard hand Sam King grabbed the fine tune and banked out, but . . . Sam held on and the boat sailed past with Nick holding out an arm and with a little effort reunited Sam aboard, he resumed position and thence went about normal activities at the mark. Sam is a precocious talent and is training for a spot in Paris next year. We wish him well; sailing with Nick and Leigh will do him no harm – they have been Class winners in Dragons since the late ‘80s with consistent State, National and World Championship wins.
Karabos won the short regatta in what was a fascinating day from Jock Young, new TIDA President Chris Steilberg and Tim Vincent aboard Aquilla II; who won the PHS trophy.
The State Championship was held by the RYCT, on the Derwent River, on the weekend of 15 & 16th July 2023.
Prizes were presented at discretion of the Tasmanian International Dragon Association but included the Barry Calvert Trophy for the best performed boat on the first three races, the Tasmanian International Dragon Class trophy for the best performed boat on Line Honours, the Cuthbertson Trophy for the best performed boat on PHS. These are seriously impressive pieces of silverware with hugely significant history. For further information please contact Peter Watson, the Sailing Operations Manager RYCT email sailing@ryct.org.au
Entries include Mr Dragon Nick Rogers, aboard his 2004 Ridgeway Dragon Karabos IX, Tom Watson sailing the ex-Karabos VIII, now Thorvalda (Tom is Peter’s son) and Peter Crane with a brand-new boat from Zane Ridgeway; AUS 229. This will be the seventeenth Ridgeway Dragon, from the first in 1984 built by father Darryl (169, 175, 176, 177, 179, 180, 183, 185, 187, 188, 192, 200, 205, 212, 215, 219, 220, 228 and 229).
Jock Young has another Ridgeway, Xanthos, but Jocks boats are generally named Aquila; Hugh Wardrop will have control of the Dragon named Ridgeway (formerly owned and raced by the youngest Prince Philip Cup winner Stephen Shield, with Chris Harmsen and Wayne Bell), 1998 PPC winner David Graney is chartering the dark-hulled Ridgeway, Magic and Victorian and under-cover Englishman Hugh Howard is exchanging his usual Petticrow Tarakona for Allegra to bring the entries to at least eight – a third of the Worlds entries. It should be a great weekend.
The 2023 State Championship results from the RYCT website:
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
WA State Championships for the Sir Charles Gairdner Trophy
and the Tony Fitzgibbon Trophy (hcp) will be helkd on 23-25 March 2024.
Resuts of the 2023 State Championshi-ps held 24-26 March 2023
WAIDA Woman's Helm Regatta - 15 October 2023
Report on the 2023 Womens Helm Regatta - click on PDF:
Helmswomen (L-R) Trish Ford, Margot Mathews, Caroline Gibson,
Laura Wheeler, Jen Richardson, Philippa Packer,
Mia Lovelady, Robyn Johnston with Sandy Anderson.
Links to All Clubs
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
Metung Yacht Club
Royal Brighton Yacht Club
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
Royal Yacht Club Tasmania
ISAF International Sailing Federation
IDA International Dragon Association
Trio - the glorious winner
VICTORIA
The Victorian International Dragon Association held the 2023 Victorian International Dragon State Championship, for the JJ Savage Trophy, at Metung Yacht Club on 26-29 January 2023.
Congratulations to winner Nick Rodgers in Karabos IX, stealing first place from local and AIDA President Fred Haes, with Damien Daniels taking out third. Sailing conditions on Lake King at Metung were excellent.
Results and reports available here:
One Design Regatta - Charles Stephenson Trophy International Dragons, Metung Yacht Club 11 & 12 March 2023.
Gippsland Lakes Easter Regatta 2023
NEW SOUTH WALES
IDANSW State Champiuonships 2023 - 18 & 19 November 2023
The Notice of Race is available here and on the RSYS Website.
RESULTS and REPORT for the IDANSW State Championships 2022
by Brad Johnson, President IDANSW
The International Dragon class NSW State Championship Regatta was sailed on
26 and 27 November 2022. We had seven boats entered including three interstate
visitors; Nick Rogers and crew from Tasmania sailing Karabos IX, Sandy Anderson
and crew from WA sailing Plum Crazy and Damien Daniel and crew from Metung in
Victoria sailing Imagination.
Sydney turned on some great weather for the regatta with mostly sunny skies and breezes in the 10-15knots range. The Race Officer for the regatta was Rob Ridley who, together with the race management volunteers, did a fantastic job in ensuring we enjoyed four races on Saturday and a further three races on Sunday.
Saturday started with breezes from the south-east which clocked towards the east later in the day with four individual fleets, consisting of Etchells, Ying Lings, J70’s and the Dragons, racing the upwind / downwind course starting and finishing in Taylor Bay. The breeze backing from south-east to more easterly meant we started with the upwind marks oriented towards Rose Bay and by the last race we were sailing to an upwind mark set more towards Watsons Bay. The combination of four individual fleets and the re-orientation of the course through the day meant that the Race Management on Mischief was no doubt a hectic operation but always well managed and clearly communicated to the fleets.
We ended Saturday with Michael (Wally) Bartley’s Trio AUS130 and Richard Franklin’s Liquidity AUS 216 the pretty evenly matched leaders and our inter-state visitors coming to grips with the traffic and the choppiness of Sydney Harbour on a sunny week-end day. The comment was heard back in the Pond at the conclusion of the Saturday racing that “it was a bit like sailing in a washing machine!”
Sunday came up with the classic Sydney Harbour north-easterlies, albeit a bit slow to come in with any strength, so the first race was a challenging 5 knots with some shiftiness and the tidal current coming into play with the course starting and finishing adjacent Point Piper and the upwind mark towards the middle of the harbour. The north-easterly breeze strengthened through the day and veered towards the east later in the day so the start / finish was moved towards Clark Island for the last race.
The relocation of the start / finish towards Clark Island gave all of the crews the opportunity to get up close with the 18-footers that were also racing on Sunday afternoon.
The experience gained by our inter-state visitors in the previous day of racing showed up on Sunday as each of the inter-state boats enjoyed some higher placings on Sunday however ultimately Trio AUS130 helmed by Matt Whitnall prevailed as the 2022 NSW State Champion on 9 points with both Richard Franklin in Liquidity AUS216 and Nick Rogers in Karabos IX AUS205 equal on 14 points requiring a count-back to determine Liquidity AUS216 in second place and Karabos IX in third place.
The International Dragons have the Prince Phillip Cup Australian Championship Regatta being sailed in Sydney harbour at the beginning of January 2023 and all boats are confirmed entries to this upcoming regatta together with a number of other inter-state entries so the NSW State Championship Regatta was an excellent opportunity to sharpen skills and get experience of sailing on Sydney Harbour.
At the conclusion of the racing on Sunday and packing up of the visiting boats we all enjoyed a taste of the Careening Cove “Pizza Night” and presented prizes for our podium winners. A good time was had by all crews and a spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship was evident both on and off the water – albeit combined with inevitable competition on the water!
Our congratulations to Trio AUS130 which, as a 55 years old timber veteran of Dragon racing on the harbour, is a credit to the spirit of one-design racing and to Michael Bartley who beautifully maintains this piece of sailing history.
Our thanks once again to the RSYS Sailing Office and the volunteers for their excellent management of the regatta and also to the RSYS staff at Careening Cove for their attentive service on Sunday – “Pizza Night” is to be highly recommended!
Brad Johnson, President
Rob Parker and Andrew Locke presenting the Saracen Plate to winner Jen Richardson.