
The Dragon is a one-design
keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
designed by
Norwegian Johan Anker
Johan August Anker (26 June 1871 – 2 October 1940) was a Norwegian sailor and yacht designer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics, in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and in the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Personal life
He was born at Refne in Berg, � ...
in 1929. In 1948 the Dragon became an
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
Class, a status it retained until the
Munich Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
in 1972. The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain.
GRP construction was introduced in 1973 and the rigging has been regularly updated.
The Dragon class is actively represented in over 26 countries on 5 continents. By 2004 there were 1,444 boats registered, and the number of boats built has averaged 45 per year. There are many more which are used for day sailing. The World Championships are held in every odd year and the European Championships are held annually. The Gold Cup, which can only be held in certain specified European countries, is unique in that all six races count without discard. It is held annually and often attracts over 100 entries, usually starting in one fleet.
A strong Class Association manages the class rules carefully to ensure safety, high quality and uniformity. Spars and sails have a wide range of adjustment during racing, allowing a skillful crew to optimize the boat for any conditions. Crew weight limits and restrictions on hiking out allow the Dragon to be raced successfully by a range of ages and both genders. It is possible to tow the Dragon behind many vehicles. It is often dry-sailed. It may be raced against boats of other classes, employing a
Portsmouth Yardstick handicap of 986
or a D-PN of 89.5.
History
The Dragon class was initiated by the
Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club
Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (, ''GKSS'') is a yacht club in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was founded in 1860. Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club resides in Långedrag and Marstrand.
Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club organises Stena Match Cup Sweden.
References ...
, who gave Norwegian yacht designer
Johan Anker
Johan August Anker (26 June 1871 – 2 October 1940) was a Norwegian sailor and yacht designer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics, in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and in the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Personal life
He was born at Refne in Berg, � ...
a brief for a cheap cruising/racing boat with about of sail area.
After the Second World War, the boat was considered slow, and
genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
and
spinnaker
A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a Point of sail#Reaching, reach (wind at 90° to the course) to Point of sail#Running downwind, downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinna ...
were introduced.
The Dragon was one of the Vintage Yachting Classes in the
Vintage Yachting Games
The Vintage Yachting Games are an international Quadrennial multi class sailing (sport), sailing event for Former Olympic sailing classes, former Olympic classes and the Paralympic Games, former Classes of the Paralympic Games. The Vintage Games ...
in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
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*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
.
Events
Olympic Games
Source:
World Championships
Source:
Vintage Yachting Games
Source:
European Championships

Source:
In memory of
Madame Virginie Hériot and in accordance with her often expressed wish to encourage yachting, the Committee of the
Yacht Club de France
The Yacht Club de France is the senior nautical club in France, and one of the most important yacht clubs in the world.
History
The club was established in 1867, during the Second French Empire. It was bestowed Royal Patronage by Emperor Napole ...
decided at a meeting on 21 May 1946 to initiate an International Cup and name it the "Coupe Virginie Hériot". The Cup is assigned to the International Dragon Class, but remains the property of the Yacht Club de France.
In agreement with the Committee of the International Dragon Association the "Coupe Virginie Hériot" is the main trophy of the European Dragon Championship. The event is now held annually.
Gold Cup

The International Dragon Cup was presented in 1937 by members of the Clyde Yacht's Conference with the intention of bringing together as many competitors of different nationalities as possible for yacht racing in Europe in a friendly spirit, in order to perpetuate the good feeling which existed at the first International Clyde Fortnight. The Clyde Yacht Clubs' Conference has been reconstituted as the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association and the International Dragon Cup has become known as, and is now renamed, the 'Dragon Gold Cup'.
Members of the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association created specific rules for this competition and donated a perpetual trophy made of pure gold for an annual international race.
From the beginning, the Gold Cup was considered a family event for the Dragon Sailors and could be raced by yachts of the International Dragon Class belonging to any country, and for this reason was a very well attended event.
Until 1965, the year of the first Official World Championship, the Gold Cup was considered the unofficial World Cup. The first rules created by the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association established that the Cup should be sailed annually and that the Cup should be retained by the winner for one year only. It also established that the event should take place in rotation in the following countries: Scotland, France, Sweden, Germany, Holland and Denmark.
With the revision of the rules in 1997, the number of hosting countries was enlarged to eleven: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The hosting country and the Organising Authority continue to be selected by the Clyde Yacht Clubs' Association in conjunction with the International Dragon Association and the number of participants was limited to 120.
Class association
Source:
Homepage
''International Dragon Class Association''. Retrieved 3 January 2021
The International Dragon Association (IDA) was founded on 31 October 1961 with London as its headquarters.
The principal objects of the IDA are:
* To further the interests of the International Dragon Class in all countries where Dragons are sailed and to introduce the Class to new countries.
* To be responsible for the administration of the class rules and coordinating proposals for rule amendments for consideration by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
* To ensure that the class retains its "International" status by complying with the criteria adopted by the ISAF.
* To co-ordinate and select venues for the following international championships:
** World Championships
** European Championships
** Gold Cups
* To produce regular newsletters containing information about the Class and the activities of the IDA for distribution to all Dragon sailors throughout the world.
* Membership is open to National Dragon Class Associations.
Class officers
President
Vice-Presidents
* H.R.H. King Frederik of Denmark
* Christopher Dicker
* Poul Richard Høj Jensen
Poul Richard Høj Jensen "PRHJ" (born 2 June 1944) is a Danish sailor, boatbuilder, sailmaker and Olympic champion. Høj Jensen lives with his wife Sophia alternating in Burnham-on-Crouch and Freetown, Antigua and Barbuda.
Personal life
Marr ...
Chairman
References
External links
Classic Boat's guide to Dragon Class
International Dragon Class Association WebPage
Australian Class Link
USA/CAN Class LInk
UK Class LInk
French Class Link
Dutch Dragon Class
Belgian Dragon Class
{{Use dmy dates, date=January 2015
1920s sailboat type designs
Classes of World Sailing
Keelboats
Olympic sailing classes
One-design sailing classes
Sailboat type designs by Johan Anker