Aldeburgh Dragon Fleet

There has been a Dragon fleet at Aldeburgh for over seventy five years. Indeed one of its original members, Harkaway D-GBR-151, is still competing there with distinction. The fleet is based at Aldeburgh Yacht Club, one of the largest sailing clubs on the East Coast.

Racing takes place from Easter to November. The AYC regatta takes place in August and is one of the largest events of its kind on the East Coast. There is also a Dragon Open Meeting in June, which sometimes also functions as the BDA Classic and Vintage Championships. The sailing water is the estuary of the Alde and Ore, formed by the long spit of Orfordness. This provides generally sheltered water with good, stable winds due to the proximity of the sea and its ability to generate sea breezes and the lack of nearby obstructions on land. The estuary is relatively narrow and courses are challenging. It is generally hard to get away from competition and racing is close.

The Aldeburgh Dragon fleet has always spanned a very wide range of competition. It has two winners of the Edinburgh Cup to its name in Rory Bowman and Simon Fulford and now ranges from boats that are competitive in international events to older Classic and Vintage boats. A personal handicap system has been put in place in order to ensure an inclusive racing environment.

The fleet benefits from considerable technical knowledge of the class. Both Mike Hayles and Patrick Gifford have been chairmen of the IDA’s Technical Committee. Demon Yachts under the management of Matt Lingley has a great deal of experience of the restoration of older, wooden Dragons and Peter Wilson can provide an unparalleled amount of historical knowledge.

We are always delighted to welcome newcomers to the class and have been very pleased that several have joined us in the last few years. We can help them with the relative complexities of the Dragon if required and provide an enthusiastic environment for competition.

For more information please contact Tim Hannon(tel: 07778-188666, email: tim.hannon@btinternet.com)

or Patrick Gifford(tel:07930-558737, email: Patrick@kinnordy.com)

or visit the AYC website at www.aldeburghyc.org