The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Burnham-on-Crouch once again played host to the much-loved Burnham Dragon Easter Regatta, a highlight in the calendar for many. This year, the event saw eight Dragons participating, including three enthusiastic teams that travelled from the Medway Yacht Club.

Scheduled to start on Good Friday, the regatta faced an early setback due to strong winds on Thursday that prevented the boats from launching. This challenge led to a postponement, which unfortunately coupled with an unforeseen safety boat issue led to no racing on Friday.

Finally, on Saturday, albeit with very little wind in the morning, the regatta was able to commence, with a reduced schedule that allowed for two races.

In the opening race, with all Dragons getting away on the first time of asking, local Burnham boat Avalanche clinched the win. Sun, good wind and favourable tides were a winning combination for Peter Marchant’s Beauty & The Beast who took the race two win.

Easter Sunday brought improved conditions for racing, with a stronger easterly breeze, incoming tide, and misty skies creating a dramatic setting for the day’s races. The third race of the regatta was a closely fought battle that saw Edwin Hannant’s Gandalf get away to an excellent start, and the fleet converged on the windward mark with chop and wind fighting each other. But it was Burnham Dragon fleet captain, Ian Gray’s Still Crazy that claimed the win.

A quick tack straight off the start in race four saw Chris Grosscurth’s Fit Chick make straight for the South shore and lead into the first windward and downwind marks. It was a race of short-tacking tactics that saw Mark Wade’s Avalanche overtake upwind to win the fourth race.

The final race of the day, and the event, saw the Dragons race closely against one another in the River Crouch with Avalanche once again crossing the finish line first, securing the overall regatta win.

The Burnham Dragon Easter Regatta 2024, despite the initial weather challenges, was a testament to the resilience and passion of the Dragon sailing community.

The prize-giving dinner was an excellent end to the event with sailors, friends and support team coming together to celebrate another great Dragon regatta.

BDA Chairman, Andy Moss drew the first winner of the newly introduced BDA Raffle with Mark Wade and team Avalanche winning two tickets to the 2025 BDA AGM and dinner.

Big thanks to the fantastic team onboard Race committee boat Phoebe and to the team at RCYC Burnham.

RESULTS

Rank	Boat	SailNo	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total	Nett
1st	Avalanche	GBR722	Mark Wade	James Wade Nigel Cole	RCYC	1	2	(3)	1	1	8	5
2nd	Beauty and the Beast	GBR746	Peter Marchant	Katie Cole Andrew Norden	RCYC	2	1	2	(3)	2	10	7
3rd	Whistle	GBR560	Quentin Strauss	Philip Catmur Jamie Blair	Medway	3	4	DSQ	2	3	21	12
4th	Still Crazy	GBR827	Ian Gray	Heath Puxley Rene Nel	RCYC	4	3	1	(8)	5	21	13
5th	Hands Off	GBR760	Andrew Moss	Tim and Teresa Wilkes	RCYC	6	(7)	4	5	4	26	19
6th	Fit Chick	GBR753	Chris Grosscurth	Emma York Harriet Norden	Medway	5	5	(7)	4	6	27	20
7th	Gandalf	GBR726	Edwin Hannant	John Hewat James Hannant	Medway	(7)	6	5	6	7	31	24
8th	Dublin Bay	GBR826	David Warner	Alex Burnett Geoff Butcher	RCYC	8	RET	6	7	RET	39	30