Please select your home edition
Edition
Musto 2023 HPX LEADERBOARD

An interview with Peter Menzel on the 2022 Dragon World Championship

by David Schmidt 8 Jun 2022 16:00 BST June 12-17, 2022
Dragon Worlds at Cascais day 5 © Paulo Moreira

Johan Anker designed the Dragon keelboat in 1929, and it quickly established itself as one of the most competitive—and prettiest—One Designs afloat. The boat became an Olympic class in 1948, and it competed in its last Games at the 1972 Munich Olympics. While the loss of Olympic status can be a death blow to some classes, the Dragon-much like the equally venerable Star-has long enjoyed a dedicated following that has remained committed to the boat and the class long after its Olympic starting guns fell silent. Fiberglass boats were introduced in 1973, and the development class has worked to keep its rigging modern.

Today, the boat is sailed in more than 25 countries and continues to attract some of the fastest names in One Design sailing (also much like the Star). World Championship regattas are held every other year, and collecting the top prize at a Dragon Worlds is no easy feat.

This year’s Dragon Worlds (June 13-18) are being held on the waters off of Kühlungsborn, Germany, and are being hosted by the Sailing Club Kühlungsborn.

A glance at the entry list (as of this writing) reveals a fleet that is almost 50 strong in numbers and includes boats and teams from at least 12 countries. This is impressive, given the travel restrictions that have hampered regattas on both sides of the Pond since the pandemic began closing down borders and making international travel a significant hurdle. (While a North American boat hasn’t won the Dragon Worlds since American George Friedrichs’ Williwaw took top prize in 1967, there are currently no entries with a “CAN” or “USA” prefix on their sails.)

I checked in with Peter Menzel, regatta manager of the Segelclub Kühlungsbrn, via email, to learn more about this highly competitive world-championship regatta.

What kind of entry numbers are you seeing this year?

53 boats. Most of them from Germany and Europe. [For] exact [entry] numbers and countries see on www.dragon-kuehlungsborn.de/event-infos/registrierung-wm/?lang=de

Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter on the waters off of Kühlungsborn in mid-June? Also, what are the best-case and worst-case weather scenarios?

Typicaly we have wind between 10 to 20 knots from western direction. So alongshore with very low disturbance. Off course we do not know the exact weather, but typically we have very good sailing conditions with temperatures about 20 °C and low chance of summer thunderstorms.

So, with a bit of luck perfect sailing conditions.

In the ideal world, how many races do you and the other organizers hope to score? Also, how many races will you run per day?

Ten races [total,] with two races per day.

How important do you think local knowledge will be for this regatta? Also, if you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) teams, what would it be?

As we will sail on open waters, the conditions are very simple, but off course there are some really tricky effects like unexpected currents and the effect of the shoreline, although it is far away and most sailors tend to neglect it.

So, my advice [is]: inspect the local currents before each race, be prepared for short and steep waves, and don't just neglect the shoreline. Also have a regular look to the clouds.

Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta’s environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?

We are supporting the UN Decade of Oceans, and we are planning to [send] parts of the [sponsorship] money to an ocean restoration project.

We also are using autonomous marks to minimize fuel consumption by mark-laying boats.

Related Articles

Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago. Posted on 1 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Project FEAR turns southwards
Charity circumnavigation progress report from the Shetland Islands Last month I didn't even know that Muckle Flugga existed. Yet today, the very name of the island brought tears of emotion to my eyes, as I heard Jazz Turner scream it out in victory, in a video she took when passing the lighthouse. Posted on 22 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom. Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality. Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun
Barton Marine Pipe GlandsCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERExposure Marine