German Grand Prix 2019 – Day 2

Sadly strong winds prevented sailing on the second day of the Dragon German Grand Prix in Kühlungsborn where regularly gusts of over 30 knots were recorded. Initially the Segelclub Kühlungsborn’s Race Committee announced a three hour postponement in the hope that conditions would abate, but it was not to be and so, just in time for lunch, the signal was flown to abandon racing for the day.

Whilst disappointed not to sail, the sailors were fully in agreement with the committee’s decision and were considerably cheered by the news that the daily social gathering would be brought forward to early afternoon so that the teams could enjoy delicious gourmet burgers by the Beach House restaurant and free beers courtesy of event sponsor Yanmar. Yanmar brand ambassador Peter Gilmour, who continues to lead the regatta by two points from Anatoly Loginov while Dmitry Samokin and Evgeniy Braslavets remain tied on ten points apiece for third, joined his fellow competitors in appreciating the sponsor’s hospitality before heading out to discover some of the many attractions that this delightful seaside town has to offer.

One man who was very happy not to race was German Dragon sailing legend Tommy Müller, who welcomed a day of recovery after yesterday’s exceptionally rough conditions saying, “When we are sailing in Cascais or Douarnenez the sequence of the waves is approximately 20 to 25 metres, but here they are only 5 to 8 metres and for the Dragon it’s a very challenging situation. During the first race yesterday we had a very big wave and I fell into the leeward side of my cockpit and my tactician Malte Phillip ended up falling on the mainsheet with Mario [Wagner] on top of him, so it was really a critical situation. I bent my back so was a little bit injured, but now with some pills I feel a bit better so hopefully we can race again tomorrow.”

Time ashore gave the sailors a chance to catch up with friends and high on the list of topics for discussion was the forthcoming 90th Anniversary Regatta, which will take place in Sanremo, Italy, from 5 -11 October 2019.

From it’s inception in 1929 as an entry by designer Johan Anker into a competition run by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club to find a low cost weekend cruiser for young people, through its early rapid growth across Europe and beyond, via it’s Olympic years from 1948 to 1972 and on to it’s incredible and lasting success in the modern ear, there are few classes on the planet that can claim such an illustrious history as the Dragon.

The 90th Anniversary Regatta will celebrate that history by bringing together sailors and boats from across the generations in a regatta combining fun competition afloat with relaxed camaraderie and great parties ashore. Regatta host the Yacht Club Sanremo is busy preparing a truly exceptional event for the class and already 140 modern and classic Dragons from 25 nations have confirmed their intention to race with the entry list growing daily. Further information about the 90th Anniversary Regatta can be found at www.dragon90.com.

Another hot topic of conversation was the new International Dragon European Cup Series. This week’s Dragon German Grand Prix is the third of four qualifying grade one regattas in this exciting new series, which will culminate with a Grand Final in Puerto Portals, Mallorca in November. Puerto Portals will also host the final qualifying event from 11 to 14 November and at the end of that regatta the overall top twenty ranked teams, including a quota of Corinthian (all amateur) crews, will move forward into the Grand Final.

That two day final will take place on 15 and 16 November and will feature fleet races on the first day to decide the top ten teams, who will then race a knock out series on day two to decide the Dragon European Cup Champion 2019. The teams racing this week and vying for a place in that final include multiple Olympians, America’s Cup veterans, World and Continental Champions, so it promises to be a showdown of epic proportions.

Whilst racing was not possible in Kühlungsborn today, conditions are forecast to improve for tomorrow’s third day when north westerlies of 15 to 23 knots are anticipated. The race committee has confirmed it hopes to start racing on time at 11.00 and has warned the competitors to prepare for up to three races. The regatta continues until Saturday 6 July with a maximum of 8 races possible.

Further information and full results from the event are available at www.dragon-kuehlungsborn.de and you can follow the event on the IDA’s Facebook page. Click here for additional images.

Provisional Top 10 After 2 Races

1. Peter Glimour – JPN56 – 1, 1 = 2
2. Anatoly Loginov – RUS27 – 2, 2 = 4
3. Dmitry Samokhin – RUS75 – 4, 6 = 10
4. Evgeniy Braslavets – ITA77 – 5, 5 = 10
5. Otto Pohlmann – GER1205 – 7, 4 = 11
6. Stephan Link – GER1162 – 6, 7 = 13
7. Pieter Heerema – NED412 – 12, 3 = 15
8. Gery Trentesaux – FRA428 – 10, 8 =18
9. Tobias Brinkmann – GER922 – 3, 19 = 22
10. Nicola Friesen – GER1207 = 11, 16 = 27