Tactical Battles and Photo Finishes Define Day Three of the Dragon World Championship

Halfway Mark Reached at the 2025 Dragon World Championship

As the fleet battles on the waters of Vilamoura, the 2025 Dragon World Championship has reached its halfway stage, with two gripping races completed on day three.

Race Four: British Dragons Dominate

The day began with race four under black flag conditions, the fleet successfully got away on the second attempt. Unfortunately, IRL181, GBR832, and ITA79 were black-flagged, ruling them out of contention.

ESP9, the current leading Corinthian, led the charge to the first windward mark, closely followed by GER11, SUI311, and GBR819. As the fleet navigated the shifting conditions, many opted for the leeward side of the beat in search of gains, shaking up the rankings by the time they rounded the second windward mark.

Klaus, Jamie, and Diego on GBR819 capitalised on the shifting breeze, moving into pole position as they led the fleet downwind, chased by ESP9 and GBR833. A tactical battle unfolded, with Grant Gordon’s four-up team on GBR833 edging ahead of their Spanish rivals.

Ultimately, it was a stellar one-two finish for the British Dragons, with GBR819 claiming the race win, GBR833 securing second, and ESP9 rounding off the podium in third. Fleet leader TUR12 took fourth, ahead of GER11, SUI355, BEL100, and SUI313.

Grant Gordon, Louise Racing GBR833 “It has been a magnificent day today with fantastic conditions and competition on the water. It is always great to be up there close to the lead; we didn’t quite win it. Klaus and Fever did a great job, and we feel really good after today. 50% of the racing is done, there are lots of opportunities to come.”

Race Five: A Danish Photo Finish

While race four ran smoothly, the transition into race five was anything but straightforward, as wind shifts and drifting marks delayed proceedings. After three unsuccessful attempts, the fleet finally got underway on the fourth start, again under black flag conditions. For GBR832, it was an unfortunate repeat of race four, as another black flag ended their racing for the day.

Benefiting from the shifting WNW winds, USA325 surged to the windward mark in first, closely pursued by DEN423, SWE416, and SWE409. Meanwhile, Jerboa GBR831 and Ginkgo Racing SUI355 arrived together at the spreader, with Jerboa opting for an early gybe to gain a clear lane ahead of GBR815 Alfie.

GBR767 Firefly navigated a congested windward mark rounding, avoiding the chaos to make a clean run downwind. As the leaders stretched their advantage, positional gains were made across the final beat, though some suffered for being caught “on the wrong side” of the shifts.

While USA325 held their lead into the final windward mark, the true showdown came on the downwind leg, with boats jostling for position right up to the finish line. In a thrilling photo finish, DEN423 edged out championship frontrunner TUR12, securing a hard-fought race victory for the Danish team.

At the halfway point, Provezza TUR12 leads the Dragon Worlds 23 points clear of Gingko SUI355 and Louise Racing GBR833 in second and third overall, respectively.

Dr. Chacartegui ESP9 leads the Corinthian Dragons with Nono SWE416 and Flin NED447 in second and third.
Full results https://vilamourasailing.sailti.com/en/default/races/race-resultsall/text/2025DWC-en/menuaction/race

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