# Dragon (keelboat)

The Dragon is a one-design keelboat designed by Norwegian Johan Anker in 1929. In 1948 the Dragon became an Olympic Class, a status it retained until the Munich Olympics in 1972. 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 construction was introduced in 1973 and the rigging has been regularly updated.
The Dragon class is actively represented in over 26 countries on 5 continents. By 2004 there were 1,444 boats registered, and the number of boats built has averaged 45 per year. There are many more which are used for day sailing. The World Championships are held in every odd year and the European Championships are held annually. The Gold Cup, which can only be held in certain specified European countries, is unique in that all six races count without discard. It is held annually and often attracts over 100 entries, usually starting in one fleet.
A strong Class Association manages the class rules carefully to ensure safety, high quality and uniformity. Spars and sails have a wide range of adjustment during racing, allowing a skillful crew to optimize the boat for any conditions. Crew weight limits and restrictions on hiking out allow the Dragon to be raced successfully by a range of ages and both genders. It is possible to tow the Dragon behind many vehicles. It is often dry-sailed. It may be raced against boats of other classes, employing a Portsmouth Yardstick handicap of 986 or a D-PN of 89.5.

## History

The Dragon class was initiated by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, who gave Norwegian yacht designer Johan Anker a brief for a cheap cruising/racing boat with about 20 square metres (220 sq ft) of sail area. After the Second World War, the boat was considered slow, and genoa and spinnaker were introduced.
The Dragon was one of the Vintage Yachting Classes in the Vintage Yachting Games in 2008 and 2012.

## Events
### Olympic Games

Source:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Norway (NOR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Denmark (DEN) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | United States (USA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Argentina (ARG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | United Team of Germany (EUA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (12 entries) | Totals (12 entries) | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1948 London details | Norway (NOR) Thor Thorvaldsen Haakon Barfod Sigve Lie | Sweden (SWE) Folke Bohlin Gösta Brodin Hugo Johnson | Denmark (DEN) William Berntsen Klaus Baess Ole Berntsen |
| 1952 Helsinki details | Norway (NOR) Thor Thorvaldsen Haakon Barfod Sigve Lie | Sweden (SWE) Per Gedda Erland Almqvist Sidney Boldt-Christmas | Germany (GER) Theodor Thomsen Erich Natusch Georg Nowka |
| 1956 Melbourne details | Sweden (SWE) Folke Bohlin Bengt Palmquist Leif Wikström | Denmark (DEN) Ole Berntsen Cyril Andresen Christian von Bülow | Great Britain (GBR) Graham Mann Ronald Backus Jonathan Janson |
| 1960 Rome details | Greece (GRE) HRH Crown Prince Constantine Odysseus Eskidioglou Georgios Zaimis | Argentina (ARG) Jorge Salas Chávez Héctor Calegaris Jorge del Río Sálas | Italy (ITA) Antonio Cosentino Antonio Ciciliano Giulio De Stefano |
| 1964 Tokyo details | Denmark (DEN) Ole Berntsen Christian von Bülow Ole Poulsen | Germany (EUA) Peter Ahrendt Wilfried Lorenz Ulrich Mense | United States (USA) Lowell North Richard Deaver Charles Rogers |
| 1968 Mexico City details | United States (USA) George Friedrichs Barton Jahncke Gerald Schreck | Denmark (DEN) Aage Birch Poul Richard Høj Jensen Niels Markussen | East Germany (GDR) Paul Borowski Karl-Heinz Thun Konrad Weichert |
| 1972 Munich details | Australia (AUS) John Cuneo Thomas Anderson John Shaw | East Germany (GDR) Paul Borowski Karl-Heinz Thun Konrad Weichert | United States (USA) Donald Cohan Charles Horter John Marshall |

### World Championships

Source:
| Yearvte | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1965 Sandhamn | White Lady (DEN) Ole Berntsen Ole Poulsen Jan Berntsen | Denmark Aage Birch | Sweden Jörgen Sundelin |
| 1967 Toronto | Williwaw (USA) George Friedrichs Gerald Schreck Barton Jahncke | United States Robert Mosbacher | France René Sence |
| 1969 Palma de Mallorca | Aphrodite (USA) Robert Mosbacher George Francisco III David Saville | Australia John Cueno Ross Bradbury John Shaw | East Germany Roland Schwarz Jörg Pfeiffer Lothar Köpsell |
| 1971 Hobart | Debutante (SWE) Jörgen Sundelin Peter Sundelin Ulf Sundelin | Australia Norman Booth | Denmark Axel Holm |
| 1973 Athens | Crux (SWE) Roger Eliasson Johan Palmquist Jerry Burman | West Germany Oldenburg May Meyer | Denmark Børge Børresen |
| 1975 Rochester | Galejan 2 (SWE) Bengt Palmquist Johan Palmquist Björn Palmquist | Canada Bob Burgess | United States Craig |
| 1977 Thun | U-2 (AUT) Harry Ferreberger Franz Eisl Herbert Spitzbart | West Germany Ulrich Hofmann Hösch | Switzerland Wittwer Wittwer Wittwer |
| 1979 Geelong | Kirribilli (AUS) Robert Porter Ian Porter Robbie Antill | West Germany Markus Glas | Australia Barry Calvert Tim Watts Ted Laing |
| 1981 Trawemünde | Sandokan (FRG) Marcus Glas Mucki Binder Heiner Henwig | Denmark Børge Børresen Ole Børresen Goodall | Sweden Clander Hansson Nordin |
| 1983 Vancouver | Mistral (CAN) Bob Burgess Nigel Brown Shane Korman | Australia Ross Stiffe | Australia Jamie Wilmot |
| 1985 Douarnenez | Cato (FRG) Wolf Rappel Michael Lipp Michael Obermeier | | |
| 1987 Geelong | Nordjyllong (DEN) Valdemar Bandolowski Søren Hvalsø Erik Hansen | West Germany Andreas Lohmann Jorg Mossnang Paul Vestner | Australia Stephen Boyes |
| 1989 Torbay | Danish Blue (DEN) Poul Richard Høj Jensen Erik Hansen Jan Persson | | |
| 1991 Toronto | Krystle (AUS) Stephen Boyes Stephen Jackson Stephen Peel | | |
| 1993 Trawemünde | Senior BB (DEN) Jesper Bank Ole Børresen Børge Børresen | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen Claus Høj Jensen Sebastian Ziegelmayer | Germany Andreas van Eicken Rolf Schöppler Johan van Eicken |
| 1995 Fremantle | Karabos VIII (AUS) Nick Rogers Leigh Behrens Andrew Burnett | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen Klaus Jensen Richard Goldsmith | Australia Willy Packer Peter Hay Geoff Wedgwood Grantham Kitto |
| 1997 Maarstrand | Sanne (DEN) Jesper Bank Claus Olsen Ole Børresen | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen | Germany Markus Glas |
| 1999 Fort-de-France | Maria (DEN) Claus Høj Jensen Bo Reker Andersen Jes Hovgaard | Netherlands Fred Imhoff Richard van Ry Sven Machielsen | Denmark Peter Holm Maria Holm Søren Kæstel |
| 2001 Hornbæk | GER 956 Malte Philipp (GER) Torsten Imbeck Enver Adakan | GER 947 Werner Fritz (GER) Dieter Schoen Andreas Huber | DEN 317 Frank Eriksen (DEN) Jørgen Bonde Ole Børresen |
| 2003 Hobart | GER 982 - Chrisco Dieter Schön (GER) Vincent Hösch Andreas Huber | AUS 180 - KARABOS VIII Nick Rogers (AUS) Leigh Behrens Peter Lilley | AUS 166 - Kirribilli II David Graney (AUS) Martin Graney Murray Jones |
| 2005 Neustadt | DEN 365 - African Queen Jørgen Schönherr (DEN) Anders Kaempe Axel Waltersdorph | GER 950 - Occasion Harm Müller-Spreer (GER) Markus Wieser Thomas Auracher | SUI 296 - HLL-Ariston Vincent Hoesch (GER) Harro Kniffka Max Scheibmair |
| 2007 Dun Laoghaire | GER 996 - Sinewave Tommy Müller (GER) Vincent Hoesch (GER) Max Sheibmayr (GER) | SUI 299 - Gaudium Ulli Libor (GER) Stephan Hellriegel (GER) Frank Butzmann (GER) | GBR 708 - Rumours Len Jones (GBR) Claus Høj Jensen (DEN) Jamie Lea (GBR) |
| 2009 Medemblik | GBR 745 Poul Richard Høj Jensen (DEN) Theis Palm (DEN) Lars Jensen (DEN) | UKR 7 Lars Hendriksen (DEN) Michael Hestbæk (DEN) Sergei Pugachev (UKR) | DEN 396 Jørgen Schönherr (DEN) Axel Waltersdorph (DEN) Christian Videbæk (DEN) |
| 2011 Melbourne details | GBR 751 - Alfie Lawrie Smith (GBR) Timothy Tavinor (GBR) Ossie Stewart (GBR) | UKR 7 - Bunker Queen Markus Wieser (GER) Sergey Pugachev (UKR) Matti Paschen (UKR) | DEN 266 - My-Way Frank Berg (DEN) Søren Holm (DEN) Søren Kæstel (DEN) |
| 2013 Weymouth | GBR 758 - Fever Klaus Diederichs (GBR) Andy Beadsworth (GBR) Jamie Lea (GBR) | RUS 76 - Strange Little Girl Andrey Kirilyuk (RUS) Aleksey Bushuev (RUS) Alina Dotsenko (RUS) | UKR 7 - Bunker Queen Markus Wieser (GER) Sergey Pugachev (UKR) Matti Paschen (UKR) |
| 2015 La Rochelle | UAE 8 - Bunker Boys Yevhen Braslavets (UKR) Aleksander Mirchuk (UKR) Serhiy Timokhov (UKR) | RUS 76 - Strange Little Girl Dimitri Samokhin (RUS) Andrey Kirilyuk (RUS) Aleksey Bushuev (RUS) | UAE 7 Bunker Queen Markus Wieser (GER) Sergey Pugachev (UKR) George Leonchuk (UKR) |
| 2017 Cascais | TUR 1212 - Provezza Dragon Andy Beadsworth (GBR) Ali Tezdiker (TUR) Simon Fry (GBR) | RUS 27 - Annapurna Anatoly Lognov (RUS) Vadim Statsenko (RUS) Alexander Shalagin (RUS) | GBR 815 - Alfie Lawrie Smith (GBR) Hugo Rocha (POR) Gonçalo Ribeiro (POR) João Matos Rosa (POR) |
| 2019 Fremantle | TUR 1212 - Provezza Dragon Andy Beadsworth (GBR) Ali Tezdiker (TUR) Simon Fry (GBR) | GBR 820 - Louise Racing Grant Gordon (GBR) Ruairidh Scott (GBR) Sophia Weguelin (GBR) James Williamson | GBR 819 - Fever Klaus Diederichs (GBR) Jamie Lea (GBR) Diego Negri (ITA) |
| 2022 Kühlungsborn | GBR 819 - Fever Klaus Diederichs (GBR) Jamie Lea (GBR) Diego Negri (ITA) | TUR 1212 - Provezza Dragon Andy Beadsworth (GBR) Simon Fry (GBR) Arda Baykal (TUR) | SUI 318 - 1quick1 Wolf Waschkuhn (GBR) Joao Vidinha (POR) Charles Nankin (RSA) |
| 2023 Bodrum | SUI 318 - 1quick1 Wolf Waschkuhn (GBR) Joao Vidinha (POR) Charles Nankin (RSA) | GBR 820 - Louise Racing Grant Gordon (GBR) Luke Patience (GBR) James Williamson (GBR) Faye Chatterton (GBR) | GBR 192 - Bluebottle Graham Bailey (GBR) Julia Bailey (GBR) Ruairidh Scott (GBR) Will Bedford (GBR) |

### Vintage Yachting Games

Source:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | Totals (5 entries) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2008 Medemblik | Netherlands (NED) Reinier Wissenraet Gijs Evers Marc Reijnhoudt | United Kingdom (GBR) Miss Gavia Wilkimson-Cox Ron Rosenberg Jon Mortimer | Australia (GER) Gordon Ingate David Giles Keith Musto |
| 2012 Lake Como | Ukraine (UKR) Yevgen Braslavetz Georgii Leonchuk Sergey Timokhov | Netherlands (NED) Reinier Wissenraet Pim ten Harmsen van der Beek Marc Reijnhoudt | Russia (RUS) Vasiliy Senatorov [ru] Igor Ivashintsov Aleksandr Muzychenko |
| 2018 Copenhagen | No Dragon representation. | | |

### European Championships

Source:
In memory of Madame Virginie Hériot and in accordance with her often expressed wish to encourage yachting, the Committee of the Yacht Club de France decided at a meeting on 21 May 1946 to initiate an International Cup and name it the "Coupe Virginie Hériot". The Cup is assigned to the International Dragon Class, but remains the property of the Yacht Club de France. In agreement with the Committee of the International Dragon Association the "Coupe Virginie Hériot" is the main trophy of the European Dragon Championship. The event is now held annually.
| Yearvte | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1978 Ostend | Netherlands Ed Frech Jan Bakker Steven Vis | | |
| 1979 | | | |
| 1980 | Austria C. Scheineker | | |
| 1982 | West Germany Markus Glas | | |
| 1984 | Denmark Børge Børresen | | |
| 1986 | West Germany Markus Glas | | |
| 1987 | West Germany Markus Glas | | |
| 1988 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen | | |
| 1990 | Denmark Lars Hendriksen | | |
| 1992 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen | | |
| 1994 | Germany M. Erhard | | |
| 1995 | Germany H. Erich | | |
| 1996 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen | | |
| 1998 | Netherlands Fred Imhoff | | |
| 2000 | Denmark Poul Richard Høj Jensen | | |
| 2002 Thun | Germany M. Erhard | | |
| 2003 Kinsale | Netherlands Fred Imhoff Richard van Rij Rudy den Outer | Switzerland Vincent Hoesch Horro Kniffka Bernd Faber | Denmark Frank Berg Soren Kaestel Mads Christensen |
| 2004 Tallinn | Germany Harm Muller-Spreer | Denmark Frank Berg | Germany Werner Fritz |
| 2005 La Trinité-sur-Mer | Denmark Claus Høj Jensen | Great Britain Poul Richard Høj Jensen | France J. Pasturaud |
| 2006 Cowes | Denmark Lars Hendriksen | | |
| 2007 Hanko | Germany Markus Wieser Sergei Pughchev Thomas Auracher | Germany Wolfgang Rappel Hans Jürgen Benze Michael Lipp | Finland Henrik Dahlman Lars Henriksen Oscar Dannström |
| 2008 Oslo | Russia Maxim Logutenko Mikhail Senatorov Vladimir Krutskih | Russia Dmitry Berezkin Igor Goihberg Alexei Bushhuev | Germany Thomas Müller Vincent Hoesch Maximilian Scheibmeyr |
| 2009 St. Tropez | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen | Germany Markus Glas Max Glas Andreas Lohmann | Ukraine Eugen Braslavets Sergey Timokov Michael Hestbek |
| 2010 Balatonkenese | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen | Russia Dmitry Berezkin Anatoly Kudritskiy Aleksey Bushuev | Russia Anatoly Logonov Andrey Kirilyuk Alexander Shalagin |
| 2011 Boltenhagen | Denmark Jens Christensen Kim Andersen Anders Bagger | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen | Ukraine Evgeny Braslavetz Sergey Timokhov Olexandr Myrchuk |
| 2012 Attersee | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Matti Paschen | Germany Marcus Brennecke Vincent Hoesch Michael Lipp | Russia Victor Fogelson Oleg Khoperskiy [ru] Vicheslav Kaptyukhin |
| 2013 Cascais | Portugal Jose Matoso Gustavo Lima Frederico Melo | Ukraine Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Georgii Leonchuk | Denmark Jens Christensen Kim Andersen Anders Bagger |
| 2014 San Remo | Denmark Lars Hendriksen Kleen Frithjof Anders Bagger | United Arab Emirates Markus Wieser Sergey Pughchev Georgii Leonchuk | United Arab Emirates Evgeny Braslavetz Sergey Timokhov Igor Sodorov |
| 2015 Båstad | United Arab Emirates Evgeny Braslavetz Sergey Pughchev Georgii Leonchuk | United Arab Emirates Hendrik Witzmann Theis Palm Markus Koy | Russia Anatoly Logonov Alexander Shalagin Vadim Statsenko |
| 2016 St. Petersburg | Russia Anatoly Loginov Alexander Shalagin Vadim Statsenko | Germany Stephan Link Frank Butzmann Michael Lipp | Germany Markus Brennecke Jochen Schümann Theis Palm |
| 2017 Thun | Pow Wow (POR) Pedro Andrade Bernardo Torres Pego Charles Nankin | Rocknrolla (RUS) Dimitry Samokhin Andrey Korolyuk Alexey Bushuev | Bunker Prince (RUS) Yevhen Braslavets Sergey Pugachev Sergey Timokhof |

### Gold Cup

The International Dragon Cup was presented in 1937 by members of the Clyde Yacht's Conference with the intention of bringing together as many competitors of different nationalities as possible for yacht racing in Europe in a friendly spirit, in order to perpetuate the good feeling which existed at the first International Clyde Fortnight. The Clyde Yacht Clubs' Conference has been reconstituted as the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association and the International Dragon Cup has become known as, and is now renamed, the 'Dragon Gold Cup'.
Members of the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association created specific rules for this competition and donated a perpetual trophy made of pure gold for an annual international race. From the beginning, the Gold Cup was considered a family event for the Dragon Sailors and could be raced by yachts of the International Dragon Class belonging to any country, and for this reason was a very well attended event.
Until 1965, the year of the first Official World Championship, the Gold Cup was considered the unofficial World Cup. The first rules created by the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association established that the Cup should be sailed annually and that the Cup should be retained by the winner for one year only. It also established that the event should take place in rotation in the following countries: Scotland, France, Sweden, Germany, Holland and Denmark.
With the revision of the rules in 1997, the number of hosting countries was enlarged to eleven: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The hosting country and the Organising Authority continue to be selected by the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association in conjunction with the International Dragon Association and the number of participants was limited to 120.

## Class association

Source:
The International Dragon Association (IDA) was founded on 31 October 1961 with London as its headquarters. The principal objects of the IDA are:
* To further the interests of the International Dragon Class in all countries where Dragons are sailed and to introduce the Class to new countries.
* To be responsible for the administration of the class rules and coordinating proposals for rule amendments for consideration by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
* To ensure that the class retains its "International" status by complying with the criteria adopted by the ISAF.
* To co-ordinate and select venues for the following international championships:
** World Championships
** European Championships
** Gold Cups
* To produce regular newsletters containing information about the Class and the activities of the IDA for distribution to all Dragon sailors throughout the world.
* Membership is open to National Dragon Class Associations.

### Class officers
#### Vice-Presidents

* H.R.H. King Frederik of Denmark
* Christopher Dicker
* Poul Richard Høj Jensen

#### Chairman

| Period | Country | Chairman |
| 1961–1965 | United Kingdom | Sir Gordon Smith |
| 1966 | France | F Thierry-Mieg |
| 1967–1969 | United Kingdom | Sir Gordon Smith |
| 1970–1972 | France | F Thierry-Mieg |
| 1973–1975 | United Kingdom | P Dyas |
| 1976–1978 | France | P Manset |
| 1979–1981 | United Kingdom | P Dyas |
| 1982–1984 | France | P Manset |
| 1985–1988 | Ireland | C Doyle |
| 1989–1992 | Germany | N Geissler |
| 1993–1994 | Finland | T Nurmilaukas |
| 1995–1996 | United Kingdom | Chris Dicker |
| 1997–2000 | Portugal | C. R. Ferreira |
| 2001–2004 | Sweden | Thomas Olrog |
| 2005–2006 | Germany | Rupert Fischer |
| 2007–2010 | United Kingdom | Rob Campbell |
| 2011–2015 | Netherlands | Richard Blickman |
| 2015–2019 | Russia | ÎÎÎÎÎ |
| 2019–2021 | Monaco | Jens Rathsack |
| 2021– | France | Gerard Blanc |