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DRAGON CLASS RECOLLECTIONS
THE DRAGON CLASS was launched in WA in 1951 by Ernie Tomlinson, a champion skiff and sharpie skipper who was looking for something more comfortable. Uffa Fox advised Ernie to build a dragon, rather than the 5.5 he wanted and Jack Savage in Melbourne was given the job.
Leander DKA2 arrived in Perth in time for Opening Day 1951 and with her white hull and blue Ratsey and Lapthorne sails, created enormous interest and enthusiasm for the establishment of a fleet at RFBYC.
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Athol Hobbs, Michael Ahern, Steve Craig, John Ahern and Alan Tomlinson were early owners in the growing fleet and the proposed holding of the Prince Philip Cup (PPC) in 1956 on Cockburn Sound was an added incentive to prospective owners.
Fleet racing started in 1955 on a course three and a half times around Freshwater Bay, but it wasn’t until Athol Hobbs retired from racing Philante and became the upriver starter that the Dragon course was moved to Melville water with races finishing at the Club finishing line.
The PPC 1956 was won by Tony Manford, Tam Thompson and Peter Jenkinson sailing Ernie Tomlinson’s Leander. The regatta was such a success in Cockburn Sound that RFBYC decided to run an annual regatta for all classes and the Sir Charles Gairdner Trophy for the Dragon State Championship was held there for many years.
Manford and crew sailed in the 1956 Olympic Trials in Melbourne in a chartered boat that sunk on the mooring two days before the first race and had to be slipped and caulked to make it seaworthy – the charter fee was waived. Graham Drane won the trials and finished fifth in the Olympics.
Many European Dragons were for sale after the Olympics and Sam Bennett brought Red Dragon back to RPYC where it was intended to start a fleet – but that never eventuated and Red Dragon raced with the RFBYC fleet in regular Saturday races for many years.
Sir Charles Gairdner bought Barbara a Singapore entry in the PPC and Steve Parker sailed her in some close races against Michael Ahern’s Mistral. They each won three state championships in the years 1959- 1962.
Fred Waterhouse and his Dragon Punai also remained in Perth after the cup and became a keen competitor at RFBYC where the fleet had grown to 12 boats by the late 50’s.
At RFBYC a manually operated platform slip was installed which caused so much back strain that power was very quickly added. (That slipway was located where current start boat Tam Thompson is berthed).
Tony Manford, Bob Day and Tam Thompson bought Leander and Michael Ahern’s new Borrenson built boat Maranal from Denmark enabling Geoff Bingemann, a very keen sailor all his life, to take over Mistral.
Against all odds Ahern and Manford competed in the 1960 PPC and Olympic trials in Melbourne – their boats being the first keel boats of any type to leave W.A for interstate competition. In those early years it was very difficult for W.A Dragons to compete in the eastern states owing to the lack of regular shipping and unsealed road across Australia. Time was also a factor as most people had only two weeks annual holiday.
Mick Brooke the veteran 14’ Dinghy Champion who had been sailing Dragons for a few years won the trials for the Rome Olympics, but his boat failed to measure up on arrival in Naples and he had to sail a borrowed boat in very poor condition.
The early 1960s saw further growth in the local fleet and there
top: plaque reads Leander Winner of the National Dragon Championship 1956/64/65/67/70. Presented by Commodore Tony Manford 1975 bottom: plaque reads Leander D KA 2 First dragon registered in W.A. 1st Place Prince Philip Cup 1956 Tony Manford, Peter Jenkinson, Tam Thompson
DRAGON CLASS RECOLLECTIONS
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Dragon Darkie (now named Aeolus) was received by Syd Corser in 1963
was much excitement about the PPC coming to WA again to be sailed on the Swan River in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games in October 1962.
Jack Linacre arrived with his boat Lill on the way home to Melbourne from competing in European regattas and he proved to be too good for the local fleet winning the Cup from Manford by a fine margin.
The Duke of Edinburgh was in town for the Commonwealth Games and he presented his trophy at a very fine ceremony on the Club lawn hosted by Commodore Merv Finn (a photo of that occasion is mounted in the Club bar to this day.)
Syd Corser, the winner of three Australian 14’ Dinghy Championships, received his new Dragon Darkie (now named Aeolus) from Bill Barnett in 1963 and became a dedicated competitor at the national level.
Four crews went to Adelaide in 1964 for the Tokyo Olympic Trials and PPC and the Leander crew won the cup from Norm Booth, Bill Barnett and Graham Drane in fairly fresh conditions on the Larges Bay and a good fleet of 30 boats.
In the second week the winds were much lighter and Graham Drane won the trials from Manford and was selected for the Olympics as the crew was chosen solely on the results of the trials – PPC results were not taken into consideration. Manford was selected as reserve skipper for the Dragon and 5.5 and Jim Hardy provided the wine for the whole team.
Graham Drane finished 5th in the Olympics, sailed at Oiso, South of Yokohama.
By the mid-sixties the RFBYC fleet has grown to about 25 boats and Jim O’Grady, a champion Sharpie and Flying Dutchman skipper joined the fleet with the first locally built boat Phantom VII but he didn’t stay for long. Jim’s crew included Phil Prosser, father of current Dragon sailors Simon and Neville.
In conjunction with great racing the WAIDA was in full swing raising money through fantastic social functions to help Dragon crews compete in the eastern states.
In Melbourne in 1965 there were 65 starters in the PPC and Leander won, after breaking a mast in the first heat when using a very full sail from Buddy Frederick’s loft in New Orleans.
The winners were honoured to be taken to Canberra to receive the Cup from The Duke of Edinburgh and Tony Manford laments that when the Duke said “As you have won the cup three times I suppose I should give it to you”, he was slow to take up the offer of this magnificent trophy.
In 1966 the PPC was held in Hobart where Leander broke two masts. The second one in the last heat when in a winning position 300m from the finishing line.
Sir Charles Gairdner, the former Governor of WA, who had become the Governor of Tasmania was very hospitable to the WA contingent competing in the event. 1967 was a significant year in the Dragon history as it was the year John Cuneo joined the Brisbane fleet and he ventured to Perth for the PPC sailed on Cockburn Sound. John was a very successful Sharpie sailor and noted for his dedication to the sport which ever class he was competing in.
Tony, Bob and Tam finally won the cup from John in very tight racing but it was clearly evident that John was going to apply himself very enthusiastically, confirmed in the following year by winning the Olympic trials in Botany Bay in 1968 and selection in the team for Mexico. 1968 saw Bingemann, Corser and Manford on their way to the PPC and OT in Botany Bay. Geoff Bingemann sailed brilliantly, winning two races but John Cuneo was far too good and comfortably won both series. In 1968 the Olympic Games was held in Mexico and Tony became manager of the Olympic yachting team and reserve skipper for the Dragon and 5.5.
Bill Northam, Dick Sargent and Pod O’Donnell won a gold medal in 5.5 metre class – Australians first gold medal in Yachting at an Olympic Games.
Between the Olympic years of 1968-1972 the only PPC attended by WA boats was Adelaide in 1970. Sydney and Brisbane were too difficult to get to.
Skippers Bun Lynn, Dallas Dempster, Neville Stafford, Steve Parker, Syd Corser, Tony Manford and their crews made up the strongest ever WA team.
Leander won the cup but there was an ill wind blowing, because it was known that the Dragon was going to lose Olympic status and the Soling fleet at RFBYC was gathering strength.
Nevertheless, four Dragons went to Melbourne for the PPC and Olympic Trials in January 1972 and were struck dumb by the boat speed Eric Strain and Mike Fletcher had been able to achieve with the use of the Barber Hauler and specially cut jibs. Cuneo had seen Strain racing on Sydney Harbour but WA crews were completely surprised and it took some days to get new jibs and install and understand the Barber Hauler.
Eric Strain (previously a UK Olympian) won the PPC but John Cuneo won the trial from Manford and Strain. John Cuneo went onto win a gold medal at the Olympic Games held in Germany in 1972.
After the Olympics Tony Manford attended a meeting at the President of the International Dragon Association (IDA) Sir Gordon Smith’s home in London and proposed aluminium spars should be allowed as a clear sign to the IYRU that the Dragon was going to modernise. The proposal was defeated and the IDA was looked upon as a stagnant body when it did not fight hard enough for the Dragons Olympic status.
The IDA President of Honour King Constantine of Greece greeted Toby Manford at a cocktail party after the meeting and she was heard to say “which country did you sail for?” to which he replied, “I am right out of a country at present”; he had been ousted in a military coup (King Constantine remains the IDA President to this day).
In the early days of Dragon racing very few owners had the chance to compete overseas. Only Edis Boys, Jock Sturrock, Norm Booth, Jack Linacre and John Cuneo sailed in some European events and the experience gained lifted their standards which became the Australian standard.
Norm Booth and Bill Barnett were some of the first Australian sailors to find out that you do not sail in shorts and bare feet in European conditions.
After 1972 the class lost some of its stalwarts. Bingemann, Corser, Manford and Dempster moved to Solings and the Dragon fleet lost a lot of its momentum until glass hulls and modern rigging gave the fleet a new lease of life.
For many years commencing 1954 the Dragon Association in WA with David Cruickshank in charge was a strongly united group promoting Dragon sailing and uniting Dragon crews to such an extent that Dragon racing and social activities were a total life experience.
Fundraising was a big issue and very well supported by Dragon crews and their friends. Major events included:
The Calcutta Dinner on the eve of the Melbourne Cup started and run by the WAIDA for many years.
Gambling for 300 people on the Ferry SS Perth (also known as the Merry Ferry).
The first ever path Boat Show at the Claremont Show Ground run as a commercial venture and achieving a very good profit.
RFBYC has raced Dragons for 70 years and has provided first class shore facilities and a great Club atmosphere for social occasions.
The Club has the largest fleet of modern Dragons in Australia and hundreds of Club members have enjoyed sailing in this wonderful class that is more enduring than any other class of yachts on the Swan River.
Keelboat Pre Season Brie ng
Join Us 6.30pm Thursday 8 October 2020 Roland Smith Room Please RSVP to reserve your seat sailadmin@rfbyc.asn.au
• Meet the Race Officers and Start Teams • Meet your Fleet Captains • Special Regulations Equipment Audit forms • Changes to the Sailing Instructions / Handbook • Brief Summary of the new rules coming in to effect on 1 January • Explanation on the role of the safety boat operator Come along • Correct radio etiquette • Advising changes of skipper / sail number / retirements and be in the running to win some prizes • Short presentation by Dept. Transport and Interactive 30 Second Challenge. Bring along your life jacket for servicing Life jackets servicing must be booked in at time of RSVP. 36 RFBYC | Keane’s Point, Peppermint Grove | 9286 8200 | www.rfbyc.asn.au
Dinghy Pre Season Information Session
Join Us 0930 - 1000 for all Fleets
SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER RFBYC Dinghy/Junior Clubhouse rfbyc
• Meet our Rear Commodore Dinghy and Juniors – Scott Monro • Meet our Fleet Captains, Junior Committee, Race Officer and on water staff • Learn about changes to the Sailing Instructions/ Handbook from last season • Question and answer opportunity • Auditing opportunity immediately after the session until 1200 For further information, contact the Dinghy Administrator, Chelsea Hall at juniors@rfbyc.asn.au
