Hornbaek ready to welcome the Dragon Gold Cup fleet

by Nicolai Lassen on 21 Jul 2016 Hornbaek Boat Club, the Royal Danish Yacht Club and Hellerup Sailing Club are ready and raring to go as the time approaches for this year’s Dragon Gold Cup. As the clubs put the finishing touches to the late-August event, preliminary entries count 13 countries with a large number of Dragon class stars due to visit the Nordic Rivera, 45 kms north of the Danish capital. The competitor’s list reads like a “Who’s who?” of the modern Dragon fleet, with the ruling champion Lawrie Smith from the UK due to defend the title.

The three clubs hosting this year’s event are happy to be welcoming triple Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup legend Jochen Schümann, who will be calling the shots for Marcus Brennecke (GER11), a successful sailor himself having scored third in the recent Danish Open and sixth in the Italian Championship.

There are several more strong crews from Germany. GER 1123 Michael Zankel, helm of “Powwow”, is sailing with Pedro Andrade, a top tactician from Portugal. The team had a fantastic season last year in Cascais, having won one event and taking two times third places in the winter series. GER 1157, Michael Schmidt, also a great and very competitive sailor, winner of the 2015 Regattes Royales and the Swiss Open Championship.

Four times Dragon European Champion and all-round successful helmsman Marcus Wiezer (UAE7) will again be part of the Transbunker Team, together with the Olympic gold medalist and World Champion 470 Evgeniy Braslavets and 49er Athens silver medalist Georgiy Leonchuk. 2015 was very successful for the team: Transbunker won both World and European championships so in St. Petersburg the team will face a tough competition to defend their title. This year the team has already won Dragon Grand Prix Germany and the Italian Open.

The Danish fleet is led by former European Champion and national champion Jens Christensen as well as two other successful skippers and former champions, Lars Henriksen and Jørgen Schønherr. Switzerland’s Hugo Strenbeck (SUI 311) has already scored this year’s Grand Prix Guyader in Duarnenez.

The Danish fleet has grown from strength to strength from the classic Dragon Olympic era to modern times, with seasoned sailors are often competing alongside relative newcomers to the Dragon. Dragon Gold Cup winner of all time, with seven victories – latest in 1972 – 90-year-old Aage Birch will be following the Gold Cup 2016 closely from his home in Hornbaek.

“It is a great honour for the three clubs, Elsinore Council, Sport Event Denmark and Visit North Zealand as well as the whole Danish sailing community to be the host for Hamlet Dragon Gold Cup 2016. Whether a Dane will be able to win the cup on home turf remains to be seen,” says Julian Isherwood co-organiser of the 2016 event and commodore of Hornbaek Boat Club.

Sailing conditions off the Hornbaek coast are ideal for the lengthy Gold Cup courses. The waves start up in Norway, with steady winds and at times playful currents issuing from the narrow Elsinore strait at the mouth of the Baltic approaches – at times enough to make even the most seasoned sailors and judges dizzy.

East of Hornbaek lies Elsinore – home of Shakespeare’s Hamlet – while to the north the imposing cliffs of the Kullen peninsula in Sweden and west to Nakkehoved lighthouse – the northernmost point of the capital island Zealand.

It is here that the drama of the Dragon Gold Cup 2016 is to be played out, with a professional water and land organisation designed to meet the high expectations of Dragons from across the world.

The expertise of the three organising clubs holds the promise of an unforgettable week. On-land activities will be offering plenty of socialising for sailors, judges and helpers, under the guidance of Hornbaek Boat Club, while the sporting event is being run by an A-team from KDY and HS.

Hornbaek may not be the luxury of Sardinia’s Porto Cervo, or one of the other luxury spots Dragons visit each year. But the area has the charm and elegance that others strive for and pump investment into, but often fail to achieve. At Hornbaek, the entire town is dedicated to providing the sport and social opportunities of the weeklong Dragon event.

The Ilse Jacobsen Hornbaek fashion empire is main sponsor for the event. Elsinore Municipality and the national SportsEvent Denmark and Visit North Zealand are backing the event and Hornbaek Harbour itself has expanded to secure assembled berths for all the Dragons due to attend.