International Dragons – Danes take the Prince Philip Cup

by John Curnow on 8 Jan 2011 Dragons Prince Philip Cup presentation.

African Queen, the International Dragon, with her Danish skipper, Joergen Schoenherr and crew of Axel Waltersdorph and Teis Palm were presented with the Prince Philip Cup at a gala ceremony at Victoria’s Parliament House last night. Making the presentations was none other than John Bertrand, yachting superstar and the Patron of the event host, Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

Speaking with the skipper immediately after the presentation, a very delighted Joergen Schoenherr had this to say, 'What a fantastic place to sail. Melbourne’s Port Phillip has lots of wind, which makes a nice departure from some of the places we sail in Europe. There’s also a good, deep swell to surf the Dragons on.'

Moving on to look at next weeks World Championships, Joergen then added, 'I think it is on the most open championships we’ve seen in Dragons in a long time. There are so many good crews to beat. Conditions will play a big role, as the crews all have different strengths. Quite simply, there are lots of boats that can win.'

'We have quite a lot of pros in the class at present. My team is lucky to have spent a bit of time with Victor Kovalenko, along with Malcolm Page and Nathan Wilmot of Australia’s 470 team. Victor is just fantastic. He spent some time at my house in 2010. His knowledge within sailing is unique', said Schoenherr.

'One of our crew, Ties Palm, has sailed with West Australia’s Richard Lynn previously here in Australia. He and his crew of Ian Olson and Ron Rosenberg are very well prepared and certainly one to watch out for. They were only just outside the podium for the Prince Philip Cup, so are definitely right up there. Having been on a diet for the last week to reach our weigh-in requirement of 285kg, were keen to have a little bit of the wonderful hospitality on offer tonight and then it’s back in to it after registration tomorrow, Saturday', Joergen commented in finishing.

Ultimately, it all means that the International Dragons world Championships beginning on Sunday will be very close and exciting to watch.

You can do so from the Middle Brighton pier in Melbourne or click here