Dragon Class Championships 2021 – RHKYC’s oldest racing fleet

WORDS: ANDY PIDDEN | IMAGES: PANDA MAN / TAKUMI IMAGES

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.

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.

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

earlier than previously for the competition but Friday supplied good NE monsoon conditions. After a competitive first start Race 1 was won by D59 confirming their pre regatta form whilst D55 worked their way to second. Andreas who was helming his own boat (D58) this year with a new crew delivered a competitive third place and D51 (Ken) a strong fourth. D12 was so excited they set off early confirming rumours of randomness. The only thing race 2 shared with Race 1 was D55 getting a 2nd place. This time D12 raced away with the bullet and D50 and D46 claimed 3rd and 4th. Then the third start. D55 and D12 pushed each other over the pin end and round the corner and down the fleet. The Chang boats helmed by Ida (D50) and Rita (D46) continued their form to take 1st and 2nd whilst D59 recovered from Race 2 to post a 3rd. D54 with new owners posted a very impressive 5th in this race. Meanwhile the Chang Cup was seeing round one of a closely fought battle between D37 and D8 with D33 and D41 in the mix. Beers on the dock afterwards centred on Gordi who made Dragon shirts appear as if by magic, whether anyone else could climb a mast to adjust diamonds like Sam and whether Lowell needs to cede the helm of D46 to Ida permanently (consensus was that he should !!)

Day 2, better breeze, and D55, having not won a race on the first day, was in a hurry to redress this and won the first race with D46 continuing their form of yesterday in 2nd and D58 continuing their fine form with a 3rd. D37 delivered a body blow to their competition in the Chang Cup coming in 4th. Race 2 saw D55 repeat their consistency with another win but now D50 and D59 reasserted their prior form to take 2nd and 3rd. Race 3 finally saw D12 work out some gremlins and win again in a titanic struggle with D55 with D46 and D50 just behind and this was now the enduring battle. D55’s results now had the appearance of putting together a proper regatta. Meanwhile D8 was beginning a run on D37’s strong hold on the Chang Cup that meant nothing was settled by the end of Day 2. This was a proper competition.

Day 3 delivered more good sailing conditions albeit lighter and a worrying wind change forecast. The full 15 boat fleet was out in good time and now everyone was on their A game. The first race of the day produced one for the closest races imaginable with D55 and D12 separating and coming together with the port boat always having to duck or tack and not more than a boat length apart on the runs right to the finish. D55 took the win and the championship, hats off to them. Race 2 produced exactly the same results in a different manner with D46 and D50 chasing D55 all the way and D12 only drifting past them at the end of the last run in failing breeze to take 2nd and 2nd overall With D46 3rd and 3rd overall. In the Chang Cup D8 with Josephine helming produced a tremendous race to grab 6th and eke ahead of D37 by a single point. How critical that became as the wind died completely and Race 3 was cancelled.

At the end D55 became worthy winners albeit they had to work hard this year. Only two points separated 2nd (D12) from 3rd (D46) and 4th (D50). D8 won the inaugural Chang Cup by 1 point from D37 and there were 8 Chang Boats altogether in the 15 boat fleet. D46 won the Ladies helm. It was an exciting and competitive Championships and was rounded off by a fitting dinner on a glorious evening on the lawn at Middle Island.