Dragon Class Championships 2021 – RHKYC’s oldest racing fleet W O RD S: A NDY PID D EN | IM AGES: PA NDA M A N / TA KUMI IM AGES
Sailing evertheless there were some interesting tussles lining up for the fleet. Reigning champion D55 was present with Tam and a strong crew. Ida and Rita were fronting D46 and D50 continuing their strong form from last year and continuing a proud HK Dragon characteristic of very competitive lady helms (thanks Pat Loseby for lighting this path). Meanwhile Bram also bought good form into the competition on D59. CC was even bringing a new boat D60 to the event and his crew had bought his previous boat! The dark horse was D12, alone in the open category, which since rerigging was capable of first to last and back again for no discernible reasons (even to its crew). Coming off the back of winning IRC3 in the China Coast Regatta at their first attempt suggested they would be competitive.
How do you create one of the most challenging and hard fought Dragon Class Championships when a large number of regular skippers are away? Phyllis and Lowell Chang, Mark Castagnet (who departed for a Christmas break in 2020 without mentioning how many Christmases he was talking about), Frederic who had bitten the quarantine bullet into China for business (there are no quick trips anymore) were all absent whilst Beto had sold his boat after the last Champs. So that was three of the top four from 2020 missing. Just to add more complications the previous weekend warm up races off Lamma were lost to the sailing calendar rejig following Typhoon Sarika. 20
| FEBRUARY 2022 AHOY!
However the big excitement was reserved for the Chang Cup, newly installed as a fitting tribute to the everlasting support, participation, influence and love bought to the class by Lowell and Phyllis Chang over decades. Without them the class would certainly not enjoy the magnitude and enthusiasm of today, in fact it may have died away like many wooden boats of yesteryear. Instead RHKYC’s oldest fleet is bursting at the seams with more demand to bring new boats in than there is space and more crew demand than can be offered. So this perpetual cup is for the first Chang built boat helmed by its owner in the Champs and there was much desire to win this Cup evident. Weigh in on Thursday evening (it is an Open Championship) proved popular to some slightly undernourished looking Dragon sailors and the Bistro was busy after as a source of pre regatta nutrition. October was much
