Sailing: ABERDEEN WORLD DRAGON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Thrilling sailing should be store at the forthcoming Aberdeen World Dragon Championships which will take place in Ireland (Dublin Bay) for the first time, from Saturday 1st September – Friday 7th September 2007.

A fleet of 70 Dragons, deemed one of the most exciting and demanding keel boats in the world and normally sailed by crews of three, from 15 nations will contest the eight race series. Leading international contenders who embody some of the finest sailing talent in the world will be represented.

Key international contenders include;

• Poul-Richard Hoj-Jensen (known as ‘Hojo’) who is a multiple Olympic gold medallist. He has won four European Championships, four Gold Cups and was world champion in 1989 (from Denmark)
• Defending world champion Jorgen Schonherr (from Denmark)
• Frank Berg who has won six Danish national championships and was second in the Europeans in 2007 is also one of the ‘hot on-form’ helmsman to watch out for.
• Tommy Muller, former Gold Cup winner who won the 2006 Irish national title is also a key contender (from Germany). The Gold Cup is known as the ‘unofficial
  World Championships’ in the Dragon World as there are no qualifications criteria to compete. 
• Recently crowned 2007 European Champion Markus Wieser (from Germany)
• HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark is also competing.
  

In addition there is also a very strong contingent from Russia, led by Alexei Krylov who is a former Olympic 470 sailor and was Snipe world champion in 2002. This Russian Division has been showing very strongly in recent international events and will definitely be in contention for top placing.

18 local boats will compete. Leading the Irish challenge will be former Irish champion and European silver-medallist Andrew Craig of the host Royal St George Yacht Club. Andrew who is also Irish Dragon Association Chairman was silver medallist in the European Championships in 2000, winner of the Citron Trophy (best boat in the British Isles) in 2002 and 2nd in the British Championships in 2007.

Other strong Irish contenders include Neil Hegarty who has just won the 2007 Irish national Dragon championships, John Lavery, former national Dragon champion and world Fireball champion in the 1990s, John Ross-Murphy, winner of the Grand Prix in Douarnenez in 2005, Don O'Donoghue, Regates Royales winner in 2006 and South Coast Champion in 2007 (all from Dublin). Michael Cotter and Simon Brien are also former national Dragon champions.

The Cork man to watch for is Cameron Good who sails with Henry Kingston and Simon Furney. This crew has competed in the Irish and regional Dragon racing scene for the last ten years averaging in the top five boats for the last five years. They finished mid fleet in the Dragon Europeans in 2003, 2nd in the East Coast Championships in Dublin and 5th in the South Coast Championships in Glandore in 2007.

There have been 21 Dragon Class World Championships, starting in 1965, and only seven countries have won. There have been six Danes, four Germans, three Australians, three Swedes, two Americans, a Canadian and an Austrian. Will the Irish have a starring role in the 2007 event?

For further information please contact:  Jane Curtin, Press Officer, Aberdeen Dragon World Championships. Tel.: 087 938 0779 or the Race Website: www.dragonworlds@rsgyc.ie