Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Junior Helmsman

Ireland had reason to celebrate at the Optimist North American Championship this past week with a podium finish among two top-five places.

Howth Yacht Club’s bright Oppy star Rocco Wright finished second just two points behind winner Gustavo Campos from Brazil — and James Dwyer Matthews of the Royal Cork/Kinsale wasn’t far behind in fifth place.

Ironically, the two were also separated by three spots in the final standings of this summer’s Optimist Worlds in Antigua.

In 83rd place, Clementine Van Steenberge (National Yacht Club) topped the girls who comprised the rest of Team Ireland in the Bahamas last week. Full results are available HERE.

In other youth sailing news, the National YC scored top results in the Junior Helmsman’s event in Schull last weekend.

Representing the Laser Radial, Clare Gorman with crew (and brother) Conor Gorman were second overall after taking the medal race, while Clare was also named first girl.

Rian Geraghty-McDonnell and crew Nathan Van Steenberge representing the 29er class were third overall.

Published in Youth Sailing

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

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 is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.