Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016

[Webmaster]

Dear Dragonists!

The dates of the Dragon European Championship 2016 are fixed!

St Petersburg is waiting for you!

Next year’s Dragon European Championship will take place from 15th to 22nd of July, 2016 in beautiful St Petersburg, Russia.

So that newcomers can get acquainted with the waters and tune their boats, the Russian Dragon Association will hold the Russian Dragon Open Championship from 11th to 14th, 2016, immediately before the European Championship.

So, next summer Dragon lovers will have two reasons to visit this wonderful city which has been called the Venice of the North. Both of the championships will be based at the premises of yachting port Hercules, and the Organizing Authority is St Petersburg Yacht Club.

The official event web site will be available in August: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/

There will be an official presentation with details on logistics for the European Championship 2016 during the European Championship 2015 in Bastad on August 4 in Pepes Bodega after racing.

2016 Russian Dragon Open programme:

• 11th July: Registration. Measurement. Practice race.
• 12th July: Racing Day
• 13th July: Racing Day
• 14th July: Racing Day

Prize-awarding Ceremony for the winners will be held on the 17th of July within the frames of the European Championship Official Opening Ceremony.

2016 European Championship programme

• 15th July: Registration, measurement
• 16th July: Registration, measurement
• 17th July:
  • Registration, measurement, practice race
    Prize-awarding Ceremony, 2016 Russian Open Championship
    European Championship Official Opening Ceremony
    Gala Dinner
• 18 th July: Racing Day
• 19 th July: Racing Day
• 20 th July: Racing Day
• 21st July: Racing Day
• 22nd July:
  • Racing Day
    Prize-awarding Ceremony for the winners
    European Championship Closing Ceremony

http://www.russiandragon.ru

[Webmaster]

European Entries Now Open.

Entries for the Gazprom Dragon European Championship in St Petersburg, 15-23 July 2016 are now open to sailors who have qualified under EC rules 5 - 12. Please notify your National Association Secretary when you complete the entry. You may either enter online on http://www.dragoneuro2016.ru or you may download the forms from the website and email them to entry@dragoneuro.ru together with your measurement form and insurance details. Full details are available on the event website.

The European Championship will be preceded by the Russian Dragon Open Championship 11-14 July and you can enter for it also on the same website.

Event Website of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship, 15-23 July 2016 in St Petersburg, Russia

[Evgeny Golantsev]

“Dragons” are coming!

St.Petersburg is getting prepared for the main event of its sailing season – the “Dragon” European Championship.
An important step has been taken recently as the press conference of the St.Petersburg Saling Union.
Tatiana Kurbatova, the event Director and member of the speakers board informed more than 30 journalists and TV teams of the uniqueness of the event and its participants. This moment, Dragon Euro awaits 15 nations and 40 crews.

The event will take place on the waters of the Finnish gulf and will be conducted by the most experienced team of race officers and onshore organizers. Also, the vast cultural program is prepared and will delight the participants.
Stay tuned!

http://dragoneuro2016.ru/

[Evgeny Golantsev]

The Organizing Authority of the Championship announces the official cultural program of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016..

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded as the naval capital of Russia and is adorned with palaces, cathedrals, squares and monuments. The city has kept its strategic importance of a major sea port. Furthermore, St. Petersburg hosts many sailing events every year. The Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016 is one of the significant events in the sailing calendar of St. Petersburg.

Sunday, July 17
18:30 - 23:00.
Gazprom Dragon European Championship. Opening Ceremony. Gala Dinner.
Gala Dinner will take place on board of Frigate "Grace"(Blagodat’). The Frigate is a historical reconstruction of the three-decker battleship of the XVIII century which is moored in the very city center now. You will enjoy the friendly Opening Ceremony and observe the splendid historical sights of St.Petersburg from the open air deck of the frigate.
Dress-code: formal casual
Invited: all event participants, event sponsors & partners, organizers *
*Entrance by invitation only to be received at the event check-in. Limited number of additional tickets available.

Monday, July 18
18:00 – 19:00.
Visit to full-scale replica of the Poltava sailing ship.
The construction shed of Poltava ship is located next to the regatta venue. The Poltava was the first ship of the line in the regular Russian Baltic Fleet. She embodied the glorious victories of Peter the Great’s times. In 2012 there was a decision to reconstruct the ship in a full-scale. Now the construction shed and workshops are open for guests.
*You can order tickets by email to travel@dragoneuro2016.ru by July 10 and pay at event check-in.

Tuesday, July 19
20:00 – 00:00.
Boat tour along Neva, Fontanka and the channels
You will enjoy the evening view of St. Petersburg sailing along the Neva River and canals, passing Imperial palace and Grand cathedrals. The boat will also take you to the park area located on the islands where citizens of St. Petersburg like to spend their leisure time. The tour starts and finishes in the city center.
*You can order tickets by email to travel@dragoneuro2016.ru by July 10 and pay at event check-in.

Wednesday, July 20
19:00 - 22:00.
Owner’s Dinner.
Dragon Owners are invited to a private dinner. The reception will take place on board of “Neva” cruise boat.
Dress-code: smart casual \ cocktail
*Entrance by invitation only.

Friday, July 22
18:00.
Prize-giving and Closing Ceremony of Dragon European Championship 2016.
The ceremony will take place at regatta venue. There will be official part with Prize-giving. The evening will continue with music band and some surprises from organizers.
Dress-code: casual
Invite: all crew members, owners, partners*
*Entrance by invitation only. You can receive your invitation at event check-in.

Looking forward to welcoming you at the Dragon European Championship 2016!

[Evgeny Golantsev]

The Gazprom European Dragon Championship 2016 starts in less than 6 weeks. So, it’s time to introduce teams, whose way to St. Petersburg literally won’t be long: these are crews from Scandinavian countries – Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

We’ll start with Danish ones. Moreover, there is a special reason: first of them – Jens Christensen (DEN410) – just won the Marblehead Trophy. At that regatta he sailed the boat “Out of Bounce” with Kim Andersen and Rene Villefrance. But for the upcoming European Championship the “Crew 2” position for this team is still “to be determined”. Anyway, Jens is the head of “North Sails” and a very successful sailor, so undoubtedly one of the favorites for the Europeans.

The second Danish team (DEN408) is owned by Soren Hvalsoe, but at the following Europeans it will be helmed by Frank Berg. He has been Danish National Champion in many classes, he is a “Legend” in Denmark. With Karsten Hey ("Crew 2") this team also has good chances to win.

SWE389 “HIGH TIMES” owner and helmsman is Karl-Gustaf Löhr. He has an excellent crew – Martin Rudbäck and Jesper Bendix; the last one has been Danish National Champion in Dragons. This team presents Royal Swedish Yacht Club. Interesting thing: they are pretty high in the IDA rating, nevertheless, this team will perform as Corinthian.

And now we pass to the teams whose way to the racing route is the shortest: all those three are from Finland. First of them (FIN91) sails the boat called “Paloma”: the helmsman Sami Salomaa with Andreas Johanson and Michael Wilhelmsson. Their latest result was 23-rd place at the Open Danish Championship.

FIN89 boat called “Lume” is owned by Rudy Jurg. Sara Antila helms this boat – she’s Rudy’s girlfriend. The crew includes two women more: Mia Eklund and Katariina Wiinikka, so they can race 4 up. And Rudy Jurg is a Dutch Sailor who's family lives on the Isle of White. He has recently moved to Helsinki, which is why he now races under the Finnish flag.

And the last one Finnish crew is FIN90. At the beginning, the Corinthian team that sailed “Angela” looked like Peter von Koskull, Ii-Min Tcheng and Niko Ruokosuo. This year, they won the Grade 1 event in Cannes. But then for some reasons they had to make changes in their entry: instead of Peter von Koskull as skipper, they will have his brother Johan von Koskull; instead of Kasper von Koskull as crew, will sail Jakob von Koskull.

There are still 38 days before the event starts. It’s more than enough time to submit an application. St. Petersburg is waiting for you!

Gazprom European Dragon Championship 2016

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Professional yachtsmen really never go out on the water without the proper skin protection against sun exposure.

The sunscreen brand Lancaster, a long-term partner of the Russian Dragon Association and the official prize sponsor of the Russian Open Championship for the past six years, will offer its products daily onsite to all the participants of the Dragon European and Russian Open Championships to protect their skin during both events. As well, Lancaster will provide the prizes in all scorings for both Dragon European Championship and Russian Open Championship.

Lancaster and the sun are inseparably linked. Confirming the status of the expert and the leader in the field of solar protection, Lancaster constantly offers innovative researches and scientific developments. Nowadays, Lancaster is the top-brand in Europe, the one that registered 34 patents in this field in the past decade.

Among more than 50 remedies for optimum protection, secure tan and unrepeatable golden shade of skin, you will surely find your favorites!

[Evgeny Golantsev]

And now we introduce sailors from the Great Britain who have already entered the upcoming European Championship and will be a significant power in all the races. This is not surprising at all, as the sailing traditions in the United Kingdom are very strong and widely known.

One of the favorites of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016 will be Klaus Diederichs (GBR 758), a former World Champion (2013, Weymouth). He is bringing an extremely strong team to St.Petersburg with Karol Jablonski and Jamie Lea.

Two other British sailors – Mike Hayles (GBR 764) and Ron James (GBR 633) – have attended many regattas around Europe. They have retired from work to spend most of their time racing Dragons. Both of them will be coming to St. Petersburg to sail with their wives.

A little over a month remains before the Dragon European Championship 2016 starts. So, there still is time to register. St. Petersburg is waiting for you!

[Evgeny Golantsev]

With this post we would like to say a word about another valuable squadron – the Germans. The Germans also have impressive sailing traditions and helmsmen from that country regularly conquer the podiums at different international competitions.

GER 11, Marcus Brennecke, is probably the most impressive German team with Jochen Schümann as tactician. Schümann won three gold Olympic medals in Finn (1976) and Soling (1988 and 1996) as well as one silver medal (2000). He also won the 2003 and 2007 America’s Cup with Swiss Team Alinghi acting as sporting director.

GER 1123, Michael Zankel, helm of “Powwow”, is sailing with Pedro Andrade, a top tactician from Portugal. The team has ad a fantastic season last year in Cascais, winning one and taking two times third places in the winter sailing series down in Cascais.

GER 1157, Michael Schmidt, also a great and very competitive sailor, won the 2015 Regattes Royales and the Swiss Open Championship.

GER 1162, Stephan Link, silver medalist of the German Championship in 2015 and the winner of Grand Prix in Cannes, is coming with former olympian Frank Butzmann as a tactician and Michi Lipp as a very experienced crew.

And the fifth German helmsman is Marcus Wieser (UAE 7). Wieser have won European Championship 4 times (2012, 2010, 2009, 2007) and three times – the Gold cup (2014, 2013, 2011). He is an experienced skipper with the desire to win.

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Glenfiddich is official partner of Gazprom Dragon European Championship

When a race is over, what can be better than a sip of delicious amber whiskey in a cool summer evening and a chat with fellow sailors about the battles of the day…

The Organizing Authority of the Championship is proud to announce its partnership with the renowned whiskey brand Glenfiddich that will provide all the participants of the European Championship 2016 with a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the taste of Glenfiddich whiskey every day after the races at their whiskey bar Glenfiddich… The brand of the noble drink that carries the image of a deer is well known to yachtsmen around the world. That is not surprising, as Glenfiddich for several years owns the title of the most awarded single-malt Scotch whiskey in the world. The history of its creation deserves a special story.

In 1886 Scotsman William Grant decided to create his own selection of whiskey – the best in Glen category. In just one year, supported just his family, he built his own distillery. The hard work was rewarded on the merit, and on the eve of Christmas 1887 the first drop of alcohol appeared in his stills. William named his distillery Glenfiddich, that in Gaelic means “Valley of the deer”. Over the last 128 years the distillery belonged to the family that founded it, which is rare these days. The international recognition, that heirs of William Grant are proud of, best reflects love and dedication as well as commitment to discoveries of distillery masters, carefully passed the tradition down from generation to generation of whiskey production.

Treat yourself with a portion of Glenfiddich in our bar; do not deny yourself the pleasure!

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Boat Insurance

Marine Services Group offers an option to all Dragonists, participating in the Dragon regattas in St.Petersburg in July 2016 to provide cover for their yachts, both hull insurance and third party liability.

Hull insurance limit- total loss only – 50 000 EUR
Third party liability – 1500 000 EUR
Deductible i.r.o. third-party liability – 500 EUR per accident

Insurance policy premium:
Silver Cup (2-3 July) – 150 EUR
Russian Dragon Open (11-14 July) – 250 EUR
European Championship (15-22 July) – 350 EUR

Documents to be submitted:
1) Skipper’s licence
2) Measurement Certificate or Boat ownership certificate
3) Owner’s passport

Procedure:
1. Submit scans of required documents to yuliya@marineservices.ru, egor@marineservices.ru
2. Receive invoice
3. Settle invoice
4. Receive insurance policy scan

Please be aware that policy scan will be provided within 7 days upon invoice settlement.

Please also be aware that no insurance policy can be obtained during regatta check-in.

Only boats with valid insurance policies will be allowed to compete.

Should you already possess a yacht insurance, please check its validity for the Russian waters.

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Additional Cultural Programme

Dear participants, we are announcing the optional cultural program of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016.

We need to know well in advance which excursions you are planning to visit, so we can pre-book guides, buses and entrance tickets to the museums in advance.

The payment could be done at the day of check-in to the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016 on the venue. The payment can be done in Euros.

Should you wish to plan your individual program apart from what is proposed in this form please feel free to contact me.

We have also included the playbill of ballets and operas of our two main theaters in this programme.

We recommend you to book tickets in advance because summer is high season in St.Petersburg and tickets are sold out in 1-3 weeks before the show. Tickets are to be booked at web-sites of theaters:

Mariinsky Theater https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/
Mikhailovsky Theater http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en/afisha/pe ... es/2016/7/

Please let us also know if your will need extra tickets to the Gala Dinner on 17th of July for your family members or additional crew members. Tickets cost 50 EUR/person. To be purchased at the check-in at the venue.

On behalf of the Organizing Authority of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016 I will be delighted to host you and to guide you around our marvelous city of St.Petersburg.

If you have any questions, don’t hestitate to contact to Anna Dudina (+7 911 749 13 20), Head of Hospitality Service – travel@dragoneuro2016.ru

Additional Cultural Programme

Sunday, July 17
13:00–16:00.
City tour around St.Petersburg (you will see main attractions of the city: Spit of Basil island, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Nevsky prospect, Church Our Savior on Spilled Blood. Visit to Peter and Paul Fortress)

English-guided excursion: 25 EUR \ person
* min. pax in a group is 5.
** price includes: English-speaking guide, bus, entrance ticket to Peter and Paul Cathedral.
To be booked with ORG Committee

Available in the evening:
19:00, Mariinsky Theater: Eugene Onegin (lyric opera in three acts, seven scenes)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

Monday, July 18.
18:00–19:00. Visit to full-scale replica of the Poltava sailing ship.
The construction shed of Poltava ship is located next to the regatta venue. The Poltava was the first ship of the line in the regular Russian Baltic Fleet. She embodied the glorious victories of Peter the Great’s times. In 2012 there was a decision to reconstruct the ship in a full-scale. Now the construction shed and workshops are open for guests.

English-guided excursion: 15 EUR \ person
To be booked with ORG Committee

Available in the evening:
19:30, Mikhailovskiy Theater: Giselle, ou Les Wilis fantasy ballet in two acts
TO BE BOOKED ON THEATER WEBSITE

Tuesday, July 19.
20:00–00:00. Boat tour along Neva river, Fontanka river and the channels.

You will enjoy the evening view of St. Petersburg sailing along the Neva River and canals, passing Imperial palace and Grand cathedrals. The boat will also take you to the park area located on the islands where citizens of St. Petersburg like to spend their leisure time. The tour starts and finishes in the city center.

English-guided excursion: 40 EUR \ person
* min. pax in a group is 25.
** price includes: English-speaking guide, private boat, snacks.
To be booked with ORG Committee

Available in the evening:
18:00, Mariinsky Theater: Les Troyens (grand opera in five acts)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

19:00 Mariinsky Theater, Concert Hall: Le nozze di Figaro (opera buffa in four acts)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

19:30б Mikhailovskiy Theater: Giselle, ou Les Wilis (fantasy ballet in two acts)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

Wednesday, July 20.
15:00-18:00. Visit to Faberge Museum.
The museum’s collection contains the world’s largest collection of works by Carl Fabergé, including nine of the famous Imperial Easter Eggs, regarded not only as the finest jeweled works of art, but also as unique historical artifacts. The museum’s collection also includes decorative and applied works made by the Russian masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum is located in the Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka River – one of the most beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg.

English-guided excursion: 25 EUR \ person
* min. pax in a group is 5.
** price includes: English-speaking guide, bus, entrance ticket to the museum.
To be booked with ORG Committee

18:00-21:00. Visit to Hermitage Museum.
The State Hermitage museum is one of the largest museums in the world. You will admire the richest collection of European art, ancient and early medieval items, works of art from Ancient Greece and Rome, fabulous treasures of oriental culture. Excursion to The State Hermitage museum starts from Palace square and leads to staterooms of Winter Palace.

English-guided excursion: 35 EUR \ person
* min. pax in a group is 5.
** price includes: English-speaking guide, bus, entrance ticket to the museuml.
To be booked with ORG Committee

Available in the evening:
19:30, Mikhailovskiy Theater: Giselle, ou Les Wilis (fantasy ballet in two acts)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

Thursday, July 21.
Visit to Pushkin (Tsar’s village)
Pushkin is one of the most beautiful suburbs of St.Petersburg located 24 km south of city. Untill 1918 the main summer residence of the imperial family was called the Tsar’s village (Tsarskoye Selo), then it was renamed in honor to great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The Catherine Palace is the main building of the former imperial summer residence that yor are going to visit. Inside the Palace you will enjoy suite of gala rooms and world-famous Amber chamber.

English-guided excursion: 40 EUR \ person
* min. pax in a group is 5.
** price includes: English-speaking guide, bus, entrance ticket to Catherine Palace and Park.
To be booked with ORG Committee

Visit to Peterhof park.
Peterhof is situated on the southern shore of the Finnish Gulf, 30 km away from St. Petersburg. It became a magnificent royal residence and a monument of successful completion of Russia over the Baltic Sea as it was conceived by Peter the Great. Peterhof is known worldwide for its park ensembles and amazing fountains. Today Peterhof has more than 140 fountains. The main ones you will see during the tour.

English-guided excursion: 40 EUR \ person
* min. pax in a group is 5.
** price includes: English-speaking guide, bus, entrance ticket to the Park.
To be booked with ORG Committee

Available in the evening:
19:00, Mariinsky Theater: Prince Igor (opera in two acts with a prologue)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

Saturday, July 23.
Available in the evening:
19:30, Mariinsky Theater: Orff. Carmina Burana (Stage cantata)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

19:30, Mikhailovskiy Theater: Laurencia (ballet in two acts)
TO BE BOOKED ON THE THEATER WEBSITE

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Attention Gazprom Dragon Europeans and Open Russian competitors, please know your volunteer

The Russian Dragon Open and the Gazprom Dragon European Championships 2016 are going to start in a few days. Considering that sailing ought to bring pleasure, not problems we introduce you volunteers who will solve any problem of either competitors or judges on arrival and stay in Russia.

This year, in general 14 people decided to volunteer for the regatta. Five of them will deal with any questions of the participants, from registration to taxi calls and restaurant booking. Each participating team is assigned with particular volunteer.

Please find yours below!

Tatyana Larenkova (+79216547698) is responsible for crews of:

Oleg Evdokimenko (RUS 47),
Igor Goikhberg (RUS 98),
Vasiliy Senatorov (RUS 34),
Mikhail Senatorov (RUS 31),
Gleb Suloev (RUS 11),
Sergey Borodinov (RUS 1),
Alexandr Kulikov (RUS 48),
Anatoly Loginov (RUS 27).

Tatiana Bersenyeva (+79818966310) answers any questions of:

Leonid Klepikov (RUS 81),
Victor Fogelson (RUS 35),
Dmitry Samokhin (RUS 76),
Marcus Brennecke (GER 11),
Stephan Link (GER 1162),
Michael Schmidt (GER 1157),
Tanja Jacobsohn (GER 1113),
Wieland Christof (GER 69).

Daria Golubichnaya (+79112155088) carries about:

Jose Sotto Mayor Matoso (POR 66),
Klaus Diederichs (GBR 758),
Hugo Strenbeck (SUI 311),
Karl-Gustaf Löhr (SWE 389),
Berg Hvalsoe (DEN 408),
Jens Christensen (DEN 410),
Denis Pilipenko (LTU 1).

Ekaterina Veneychuk (+79811657796) helps:

Ron James (GBR 633),
Mike Hayles (GBR 764),
Wolf Waschkuhn (SUI 318),
Xavier Vanneste (BEL 82),
Ferenc Kis-Szolgyemi (HUN 57),
Jens Rathsack (MON 2).

Elena Yarina (+79214287438) is responsible for:

Ilya Kozhevnikov (RUS 77),
Georgy Shaiduko (RUS 6),
Victor Los (RUS 22),
Andrey Nikandrov (RUS 91),
Andrey Madison (RUS 7),
Yulia Grigoryeva (RUS 18),
Sara Antila (FIN 89),
Sami Salomaa (FIN 91),
Fredrik Markelin (FIN 72),
Johan von Koskull (FIN 90),
Yevgen Braslavets (UAE 8),
Markus Wieser (UAE 7),
Hendrick Witzmann (UAE 20).

[Evgeny Golantsev]

The leading Russian language edition devoted to yachts, sailing, travel and sport has become sponsor and the main media partner of the Russian Dragon Open and Gazprom European Championship.

The publication of YACHT Russia started in 2008 under a license of the Die Yacht German magazine. Die Yacht itself is the key opinion sailing magazine in Europe. The magazine was founded in Germany in 1904 and is issued bi-weekly in over 100,000 copies.

Over the eight years of its existence not only has YACHT Russia brought the most valuable articles of the German edition to the attention of its Russian readers but also managed to develop a format satisfying the requirements of the national audience. Besides translations, The YACHT Russia magazine contains materials of Russian authors and photographers, covering sailing life in Russia.

It is worth noting that, taking an important niche in the life of Russian sailing, the Yacht Russia magazine has gone far beyond publishing. In particular, for several years YACHT Russia together with the Russian Sailing Federation holds an annual national award “Yachtsman of the Year”. The purpose of this event is the celebration of the distinguished and outstanding sportsmen, coaches, sailing veterans, as well as journalists, travelers and all those who made sailing a way of life.

Recently in Sochi the YACHT Russia sailing academy was opened. The fleet of the Academy consists of 10 Elan 210 yachts, which is the best option for developing sailing skills.

YACHT Russia magazine actively supports the development of sailing. It’s not confined to announcements and reports about regattas or analysis of Olympic sport, but also the magazine supports many major sporting events in the country. Among these a special place is taken by Russian Dragon Open and the Gazprom Dragon European Championship – the largest sailing event in Russia.

This year, the magazine has entered international stage. YACHT Russia became the exclusive partner of the Yacht Racing Forum, as well as the world’s leading sailing photo contest – Sailing Photo Awards.

http://www.yachtrussia.com/

[Evgeny Golantsev]

St. Petersburg is ready to welcome the Dragon Europeans fleet

From 11th till 22nd July St. Petersburg (Russia) will be hosting Russian Dragon Open and Gazprom Dragon European Championship.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club is all ready for the forthcoming great Dragon competitions – Russian Dragon Open and Gazprom Dragon European Championship that will be held in a row from 11th till 22nd July. Preliminary entries count for 14th countries with numerous Dragon class stars to visit the Northern Capital of Russia.

The competitor’s list reads like “Who’s who?” of the modern Dragon fleet. For the pre-Europeans – the Russian Dragon Open there are 24 crews from six nations. Seeking to learn the local tricky waters that combine both river Neva currents with the Gulf of Finland waves are the entries from the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Germany who will join an extensive Russian fleet. For the start of the Europeans the fleet cast will double.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club is happy to welcome the triple Olympic gold medalist and America’s Cup legend Jochen Schümann who will be calling the shots for Marcus Brennecke (GER11) a successful sailor himself having scored 3rd in recent Danish Open and 6th in the Italian Championship. There are several more strong crews coming 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 be again a part of the Trnasbunker Team together with the Olympic gold medalist and World champion 470 Eugen 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 (UAE20 Hendrick Witzmann) and Italian Open (UAE8 Eugen Braslavets).

Neighboring Finland fleet will be represented a mixed crew FIN89 of Sara Antila and reciprocal to St. Petersburg YC HSK club’s commodore Timo Nurmilaukas (FIN72). Danish fleet is led by former European Champion and acting national champion Jens Christensen (DEN410).

2013 World Champion Klaus Diederichs (GBR758) will be sailing both the Open Russian and continental championship. Diderich’s team is reinforced with the famous polish America’s Cup sailor, World and European match race champion Karol Jablonski. The Switzerland’s Hugo Strenbeck (SUI 311) has already scored this year’s Grand Prix Guyader in Duarnenez.

The Russian fleet has grown from strength to strength from Dragon Olympic age to the modern times. So the seasoned sailors are often competing alongside the newcomers. Helm of the 1972 Soviet Olympic Dragon team, 82 years Boris Khabarov is still an active competitor having registered for Open Russian championship.

Anatoly Loginov’s RUS27 is one of the most titled crews in the modern Russian fleet having won Gold Cup in 2010. Defending Russian champion Dmitry Samokhin was second last year on both Dragon Europeans and the Gold Cup so no doubt this time his RUS76 Strange Little Girl will be seeking for gold. Atlanta silver medalist in Soling Georgiy Shaiduco will be helming RUS6 Stasya as well.

Vasily Senatorov, IDA Chairman and Russian Dragon Association President:
“It is a great honor for the Russian Dragon Association and Saint Petersburg Yacht Club as well as whole Russian sailing community to be the host for Dragon European Championship 2016. For many years our sailors have been an integral part of the worldwide Dragon family so it’s the right time to introduce our country.
Needless to say that we take this chance very seriously and we’ll do our best to exceed our guests’ expectations. St.Petersburg Yacht Club has all the amenities and means to guarantee the best sailing and quality boat-handling. Besides great sailing on Finnish gulf having 2016 Europeans in St.Petersburg is a chance to discover one of the most picturesque cities in the world”.

The competition schedule sets Russian Dragon Open official practice race on 11th July and racing on 12-14th July. Gazprom Dragon European Championships will open on 15th July and racing on 17-22nd July.

http://dragoneuro2016.ru/
http://www.facebook.com/RussianDragon/
http://Twitter.com/RussianDragons
Russian Dragon Open and Gazprom Dragon European Championship press office
Ivan Bidzilya: bidzilya@yacht-club-spb.ru for HI-res images and video pls contact +79633269113

[Evgeny Golantsev]

24 crews are ready for the Russian Dragon Open

July, 11 in the “Hercules” yacht-club the application filling for the Russian Dragon Open 2016 has finished. There are 24 teams to start – 19 from Russia and 5 from other countries.

Dmitry Samokhin leads the crew of the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg and he is going to protect the title of the champion of Russia. The vice-champions of the world, despite the successes of the previous year, come up to the upcoming competitions more than seriously. Samokhin’s RUS76 was one of the first who came to train well before the start of the competition.

One of the main contenders for the title – the Moscow crew of Anatoly Loginov. In 2015, the fight for the title of the Russian Champion went to the last meter of the distance. Then Loginov was not lucky, but this year RUS27 is ready to regain the title that this team had many times before. Especially that Loginov has serious plans for the European Championship – in 2015 the Muscovites won the continental bronze.

More than serious competitors for the Russian fleet in the overall standings will be by titled guests from abroad. Among them, the German crew of Marcus Brennecke with the three-time Olympic champion Jochen Schümann as a tactic. From the UK came the 2013 World Champion, Klaus Diederichs, which brings as a tactics an America's Cup participant, World and European champion in the match race, the Pole Karol Jablonski, a familiar for Russian fans as a steering of the TR52 “Synergy”.

Klaus Diederichs:

– Russian Open is a good way to warm up, to get ready, to find out about the area and to have fun. We hope we’ll have a very high-level regatta, looking very much forward; there are more than 40 boats. We know our opponents quite well, because we were sailing against each other for the whole year already and I think there are ten boats, who can win. Russia 27, Russia 76, Sophie from Switzerland, Jose Matoso from Portugal can win, Michael Schmidt from Germany can win. It’s a very competitive fleet, and it depends in the end on a lot of facts: who’s in the best form, the best of luck, as well. I think, in of big regattas consistency pays. You’re at the top-ten in every race you can win the championship. And if to speak about weather, I hope, we have regatta with decent wind, enough to sail, and not too much to sink.

The large “classic” fleet has arrived for the competition from the St. Petersburg river Yacht-club of labor unions. Here Yulia Grigorieva’s boat “Secret”, Andrey Madison’s “Yachont”, Kirill Smirnov’s “Prometey” and Anrey Sevostyanov’s “Viking”. This old-school fleet will be enlarged by “Phoenix” of the vice-commander of the St. Petersburg Yacht-club Victor Los and Sergey Baharev’s “Lun” that was recently launched after restoration. Gleb Suloev traditionally arrived from Nizhny Novgorod with his “Tango” beauty. Traditionally, there will be a special contest for those boats.

The special attention deserves the involvement of Boris Khabarov, the 82-years old participant of the 1972 Olympics. Permanently cheerful veteran remains an active sportsman and applied this competitions as the RUS23 steering.

According to the competition program, the Russian Dragon Open will be inaugurated on July 12. On the same day will be held the first race (start at 12:00). Champion of the country will be determined on Thursday, July 14th.

The Dragon European Championship will be July 15-22.

Tomorrow, the first start is planned for 12 p.m.

[Evgeny Golantsev]

The first racing day has begun

Russian Dragon Open has started at the Yacht-club “Hercules”.

10 a.m. there was a skipper’ meeting and the opening ceremony. Before it, another crew applied – the Suisse yacht Pumper Nickel II. So, there are 25 teams participating in the Russian Dragon Open: 19 from Russia, 2 – from Switzerland, and one team from Great Britain, Germany, Finland and Monaco. You can find more information about the list of participants here: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/2016/07/11/24- ... agon-open/

At the opening ceremony the regatta director, Tatiana Kurbatova, according to the tradition – in two languages, welcomed all the guests and introduced the judges, umpires and the protest committee. After talking and receiving radio, the athletes went out to prepare their boats and gradually enter the Gulf of Finland.

At 12:00 a.m., as planned, the first race started. Although the meteorologists’ warnings, it all started in ideal conditions: the wind – 6-8 knots, the sun. But as soon as the boats went to the start, as the wind increased to 12 knots, and the rain began.

The most timely information on the progress of the race on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons

[Evgeny Golantsev]

The first day of Russian Dragon Open is over. Everyone is alive

July, 12 two races were held at the St. Petersburg yacht-club “Hercules”.

These races were held in difficult weather conditions: all day the Ministry of Emergency Situations urged to avoid water (“high waves”, “life-threatening”), open spaces (“strong wind gusts”) and be careful. Sailors shrugged their shoulders when they heard about this before starting.

The first race started exactly on time – at noon. But the first attempt to start failed: Finnish crew of Fredrik Markelin (FIN 72) made a false start and was disqualified. The entire fleet was recalled to the starting area, and with the second attempt all the yachts have started. And accurately with the siren the thunder started, as if it waited for it. The official promises came true: there began a powerful thunderstorm with gusty wind, as the EMERCOM predicted.

After the first mark Victor Fogelson (RUS 35) was the first, closely followed by Vasiliy Senatorov (RUS 34), Ilya Kozhevnikov (RUS 77), Klaus Diederichs (GBR 758), Wolf Waschkuhn (SUI 318) and Anatoly Loginov (RUS 27). Behind them – clearance. And further weather played its part: sudden gust of wind didn’t let half of the fleet raise its speed. But there were sailor, who could take that moment: Loginov, Brennecke and Diederichs did their best. Therefore, they took the first three places in the first race, though soaked through.

The second start was calmer: the storm has finished, the wind has stabilized. Here the experienced Vasiliy Senatorov left no chance to the opponents, and finished first by a wide margin. Mikhail Senatorov’s yacht “Integrity” came second, “Annapurna” of Anatoly Loginov – third.

Thus, after the first racing day, Loginov takes the first place in the overall standings (4 points), second – Brennecke (7 points). At the third position – Dmitry Samokhin (8 points), both times he took fourth place.

In the “Classic” category both times the best place was taken by Victor Los at his boat “Phoenix”: 11th and 16th place.

Vasiliy Senatorov comments the sailing tuesday:
– The first day came out very volatile, like everything that is happens in the world now. During the day we had rain, hail, calm – all the possible options have been collected together. That’s how Petersburg showed all what he can do. Hopefully in the next few days the weather will be more stable, more predictable. In the second race we just caught the wind, turned in time – for that we love sailing – it is impossible to foresee everything. At the upwind you meet approximately ten thousand waves, and each wave should be processed! And about the wind – there are no beginners in the “Dragon”, here are people who understand the danger, know how to deal with it. If it's too much wind – we would lower the sails. We are accustomed to the very different racing conditions. Yes, today was a special day, but days like this happen.

The detailed results of the first racing day can be found here: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/wp-content/upl ... usopen.pdf.

Tomorrow, 13 July, the start of the first race is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
The most timely information on the progress of the races in our Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Russian Dragon Open: Light weather – hot fight. The top three are divided by 2 points

July, 13 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club continued the Russian Dragon Open. As expected, the fight for the title of national champion broke out between the favorites of the championship – the current champion local Dmitry Samokhin and the crew of the Moscow yacht club “Pirogovo” of Anatoly Loginov. During the day, each of them scored a win.

At the end of the day, in the standings, Dmitry Samokhin (RUS 76) shortened its deficit to Anatoly Loginov (RUS 27): 13 points against the 11, and Marcus Brennecke (GER 11) is on tie with the leader. Vasiliy Senatorov (RUS 34) and Mikhail Semerkhanov (RUS 31) swapped their places (5th and 6th), Leonid Klepikov (RUS 81) lost two positions (from the 9th dropped to 11th). The most spectacular breakthrough in the standings was made a crew of Petersburger Michael Chaykin (RUS 91): 18th place after yesterday's race was changed to the current 10th.

The second racing day started on schedule. But two boats were immediately disqualified: Leonid Klepikov (RUS 81) and Hugo Steinbeck (SUI 311) were OCS. Anatoly Loginov (RUS 27) decided to immediately strengthen the status of the leader of the standings, and broke away. Only Marcus Brennecke (GER 11) was able to keep up.

On the second leg the wind began to drop, and there were no more bitter struggle in this race: Loginov finished first, Brenneke, with a slight delay – came second. Third place was taken by Vasiliy Senatorov (RUS 34).

As it turned out, in the second race at the very beginning the best decision was turn right – as future winners did. Marcus Brennecke’s crew (GER 11) pursued Dmitry Samokhin (RUS76) to the finish. The second race ended before the deadline: wind changed direction, and the judges decided to shjrtened the race at one of the marks. At the end, Dmitry Samokhin came first, Marcus Brennecke – the second. Unexpectedly, SUI 311 Hugo Steinbeck, who was 16-th in the first race and OCS and DNF later, came third. Perhaps the Swiss, who won the prestigious Grand Prix de Douarnenez this year, finally managed to find “their game”.

Dmitry Samokhin:
– We realized what we wanted. We took the start near the vessel, and wanted to go just right. Immediately after the start we made a turn as we wanted, and got us to "punch" the entire fleet, with one turn right at the mark, so rounded first with a good margin, and then on a downwind course we managed to hold the advantage. At the end of the downwind the course changed – there was a big dark cloud. Judges have decided, in my opinion – the right way, to shorten the distance and took the finish line after the gate. So, it turned out just upwind and downwind, that’s all.

In the “Classic scoring” category struggle continues between the teams of the vice-commander of the St. Petersburg Yacht club Victor Los and Sergey Bakharev from the river Yacht Club of labor unions. For the recently restored "Lun" (Bakharev’s yacht) the Russian Open is the first competition. Not surprising, the crew is gradually picking up speed. According to the results of the second day Bakharev slightly reduced the gap from the leader.

Full results are available here: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/results/

Tomorrow, July, 14 everyone will know the champion. Two races are planned, first one starts at 12 p.m.

The easiest way to follow races online is this tracking site: http://dragon.regatav6.ru
Also, you can find at it the archives of the races completed.

The most accurate information from the water is on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons

[Evgeny Golantsev]

45 crews will define the European Champion

The registration for the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016 had to be finished July, 17 in the St. Petersburg Yacht club. 45 teams from 12 countries are going to fight for the title – at least, that’s the number of boats that started their registration. But some of them haven’t finished the procedure yet, so the time limit was shifted until 10 a.m., Monday, July, 18.

Among the participants one can find some top sailors, first numbers from the IDA-rating list. For example, Anatoly Loginov, recent Russian Dragon Open winner, is going to confirm his first position in the IDA-rating. Obviously, it’s not an easy task. All the participants of the Russian Open and the sailors that joined the fleet especially for the Gazprom Dragon European Championship want to win too. And they have the same chances.

For example, Hugo Stenbeck hasn’t showed his best in the previous regatta, but he is ready to repeat his Grand Prix Guyader trophy. Experienced Michael Schmidt joined the German team that was large anyway. This year, GER 1157 has won Dragon Grand Prix Germany. Btw, Marcus Brennecke (2nd place in the Russian Dragon Open) has taken the third place there. Brennecke’s advantage is knowledge of the route – he was 2nd with pretty good chances to win, but, as he told, “It is Russian crew who deserved to win Russian Championship”.

British Klaus Diederichs has fully discovered the route here: in the Friday race he has won confidently, though it hasn’t changed the general standings.

Portuguese Jose Matoso’s crew plans to be in the “top-8, or top-6, or, if they would be lucky – top-3”. But the tactician Gustavo Lima, who shared these plans, seems like a rather modest person. So POR 66 is one of the contenders.

It’s rather obvious, there’s no participant without chances to win the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016: all of them are high-level sportsmen. International Jury Chairman Frenchman Ives Leglise shared his views on the following Championship:

“I think, if weather will be permissive like today it will be a great regatta: sun, some wind, good amount if boats – 45, pretty good sailors – we’ve got here the top world sailors in Dragon class, so it’s going to be pretty interesting. The weather might be tricky, but when you follow the Dragons, you realize that the best sailors are always in lead – it’s normal. But there can be some unexpected winners, yes, you never can tell until the event is finished. As the Chairman of the Jury I cannot have favorites. And I don’t want to: you know, when we are judging, we are just referring to numbers of boats, we have sail numbers, and we don’t make the connection between who is the helmsman, who is in crew and which boat it is. We only meet people when they come to the jury room. And then, even it is your best friend, no difference: if he’s wrong – he’s wrong, and he will be penalized.
We try to avoid expectations because it never comes. You try to imagine the problems before they occur – you don’t always succeed in it. As the jury we can’t expect anything. There were a little of protests on the previous event because, probably, the Race Officer was good, so competitors didn’t have to complain about his job and they sailed properly, honestly – because, maybe, the course was well laid and there was no reason to interfere with each other.
I wish everybody enjoy themselves: all in all, sailing is leisure. I know, we’ve got professionals in this class, I’m not here to judge that, but I hope even the professional do like what they do. So, let’s enjoy the place, let’s enjoy the weather and let’s enjoy Russia!”

The first start is scheduled for 12 p.m., July 18

Here is the detailed schedule: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/schedule/
You can find the archives of the races completed at this site: http://dragon.regatav6.ru
The most accurate information from the water is on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/RussianDragon/photos

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Markus Wieser is the Gazprom Dragon Europeans early leader

The Gazprom Dragon European Championship started today, 18th July in St. Petersburg YC with one race held in perfect 12-18 knots westerly wind. The race went to the crew of UAE7 Markus Wieser.

Originally, the day didn’t promise any racing due to dead calm. But the Committee took the bold decision to send the 45-strong fleet afloat immediately after the noon and the move paid off.

With only first sings of the coming breeze the docks were emptied and the race course was set.

After two general recalls the race finally started under the black flag that ended the day for Leonid Klepikov (RUS 81), 2015 Russian Champion Dmitry Samokhin (RUS 76,) Igor Goikhberg (RUS 98) and Karl-Gustaf Lohr (SWE 389).

“We were seeking for the first row start at the pin with full speed, unfortunately, seems that we pushed too hard – says Dmitry Samokhin, – all in all this is the first day of the Championship and we have to relax and move on”.

Meanwhile the future winners appeared quickly. First on the rounding was four time European champion Markus Wieser (UAE7), followed by Jens Christensen (DEN410) and Anatoliy Loginov (RUS27) – fresh from winning Russian Dragon Open/Pre Europeans last week. The top three never looked back on the course and finished with comfortable lead, followed closely only by POR66 2013 European Champion Jose Matoso with four time Olympian Gustavo Lima as tactitian.

Markus Wieser: “We were all surprised to start in that good breeze when a light wind day was forecasted, but when we went out the wind started to fill and reached 15 knots eventually. We played middle-right, caught some nice shift first upwind from the left and went ahead. It is easier to stay ahead than to follow. We were quite fast – our new boat is going very well. Boats behind were struggling a bit and we just managed to stretch away – it made our life easier.

All in all, it’s a long week ahead, there’re lot of races to go, a lot of things will happen, and it’s a difficult venue – it will not be a very steady breeze next days – tomorrow breeze from the east is forecasted, it will be very shifty, and everything can happen. Good thing that we’ve won today and we’ll have less pressure than other”.

In the Corinthian division almost all female crew of Sami Salomaa (FIN 91) was first with top-20 overall standing. 2011 Worlds bronze medalist Frank Berg (DEN 408) was second and the third was taken by Mike Hayles (GBR 764).

Tomorrow, the first race is scheduled for 12:00 pm

Full results: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/results/
Here is the detailed schedule: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/schedule
You can track this race following the link: http://regatav6.ru/flash/player.php?raceId=1057
The most accurate information from the water is on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Dragon Europeans: “comebacks” day

The second day of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship 2016 begins July, 19 in the St. Petersburg YC. Rather steady 8-10 kn NW promises good conditions.

Today we are going to see a lot of “comebacks”. Jens Christensen (DEN 410) and Anatoly Loginov (RUS 27) missed their chances to win the yesterday race – Marcus Wieser (UAE 7) ran away from them and they could do nothing with it. Jose Matoso (POR 66) is hardly content with his 4th place yesterday, so do the other top-racers, who haven’t won: the results of the first race are here.

One of the favorites, ex- Russian Champion Dmitry Samokhin (RUS 76) received BFD yesterday. Today he looks concentrated:
“It’s not a desire to thing about discards just after the first race. We just want to enjoy the racing. And that’s what we’re going to do. Today our plan is not to cross the starting line too early (laughs). We will race smart, we will try to take good starts and fighting for the top places”, – said Dmitry.

The Race Officials have done their conclusions about the first race yesterday therefore the starting line would be a little longer today. IDA sailing coordinator Martin Payne:
“We’re hoping to get in two races, and the first one would be on course 1 – two laps and finish near the Committee boat, so they will be able to start second race quickly. The second race, will be course 2 – that means they’ll go up and finish on a third lap upwind – so, it would be a little bit longer. The weather looks good, so there definitely will be two races today and we hope to start on time.
Yesterday we did well to get one race in, the course could have been improved slightly, but I don’t mind. I’d like to see all the racers on course, without BFD. But there is a possibility of two discards for the series if we get more then 8 races in, so everyone still have the chance to come back and win – that’s very important”.

Full results: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/results/
Here is the detailed schedule: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/schedule
You can find the race archives following the link: http://regatav6.ru/?type=event&id=95
The most accurate information from the water is on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons

[Evgeny Golantsev]

Gazprom Dragon Europeans 2016: the game is wide open



Another day and two more races the Gazprom Dragon European Championship were sailed in St.Petersburg YC of on 21st July. Again the Germans dominated the day both in overall and Corinthian divisions but RUS27 Anatoliy Loginov maintains the lead before the final day of racing. But this time only with 1 point margin..

The 5 point lead that Anatoliy Loginov enjoyed before the start of the day over UAE7 Markus Wieser has shrunk into single point after the acting Russian champion scored double seventh and the German master managed 3 and 8 finishes.

Today the wind at the Gulf of Finland was lighter and more stable than the day before with less shifts only 10-15 knots. Again, with conditions change two new race winners emerged: GER11 of Marcus Brennecke and GER1157 Michael Schmidt.

“Yesterday streams of cold air were dropping from the clouds and while hitting the water created unpredictable shifts – says Jochen Schumann, tactician of GER11, – today the conditions were more straightforward. We were leading the first race from the start but tacked to early and missed an important shift thus finished only 12. Then in the second race we learned the lesson and finally won our first race of the Championship”.

But real winner of the day was Stephan Link’s crew GER 1162 with Frank Butzmann calling the shots who managed to finish second twice. With this result the German crew got into third position from yesterday’s fourth with only 2 points adrift of Wieser.

“There’s no special tactics – good wind, good speed and as long as we can get in to the right shifts, – says Link – We had a god start in front of the fleet. Fleet is very close, so, especially if you find the right track. Especially at the top mark, you will be in top-6 and you can continue this for a race. Otherwise, you lose.”

Before the final day of the Gazprom Dragon European Championship in St.Petersburg the game is wide open. Top three overall are separated by only 3 points with two more races to sail and one more discard to be applied. “Given the possible scenarios we don’t have any plan before we go on the water, – says Markus Wieser, – we just have to sail smart and avoid unnecessary mistakes”.
In the Corinthian division the crew of Tanja and Bernhard Jacobsohns (GER1113) with two top ten finishes today regained the lead from Frank Berg (DEN408). Still the two crews are tied on 89 points at 16th overall and the third placed among Corinthians Jan Woortman (GER1175) not far behind at 20th overall. So here we have the same picture with at least three crews with realistic chances to win.

Full results http://dragoneuro2016.ru/results/
Here is the detailed schedule: http://dragoneuro2016.ru/schedule
You can track races following the link: http://dragon.regatav6.ru
The most accurate information from the water is on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/RussianDragons

[Evgeny Golantsev]

The Coupe Virginie Heriot went to RUS27 of Anatoliy Loginov

The “Big Dragon week” in St.Petersburg YC started in the first decade of June 2016 with the Silver cup practice regatta for dozen of early birds that arrived at the Europeans venue to train. The competition was won by Loginov and it seemed like the shape of things to come.

The Russian Open Dragon Championship/pre-Europeans saw 25 crews from 6 countries competing from 12th till 14th July in some really testing conditions. Having scored three bullets in six races RUS27 Annapurna crew have regained the national title that had been lost last year to Dmitry Samokhin’s RUS79. In turn, Samokhin handed the title over and became vice-champion and third overall. Marcus Brenneke (GER11) finished second overall.

The Gazprom Dragon European Championship on 18th July welcomed 45 crews from 13 countries with some greatest sailors from Germany, the UK, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Ukraine and of course Russia. The only day that saw one race was the first when with 5 minutes left to day’s cancellation the jury decided to send the fleet afloat and staged a perfect race in some 15 unexpected knots.

The early winner was four times European Champion Markus Wieser with Diego Negri and Sergey Pugachev (Transbunker’s UAE7). But already from the second day to the last RUS27 was leading although some days with tiny margin.

Entering the final day the game was wide open. Given 2 races left and one more discard all top-5 crews had realistic chances of winning. 5 point lead that Anatoliy Loginov enjoyed day before over UAE7 Markus Wieser has shrunk into single point after the acting Russian champion scored double seventh and the German master managed 3 and 8 finishes.

The first race on 22nd July was disappointing for both leaders. Loginov finished 10th and Wieser 9th while their leaderboard neighbors, Link (GER1162) and Brennecke (GER11) were second and first. “The first race wasn’t successful, we lost our position and probably were out of top-5,- Loginov comments, – so we decided to relax and take it as it comes”.

The start of the second race didn’t bring any relief either. “Big right shift left us somewhere at 30-ties on the first rounding and even our competitors GER1162 decided to abandon the race seeing to chances of continuing the fight for top-3, – continues Loginov, – but we decided to sail on and our decision was rewarded”.

For the second and final race of the day the Jury picked D-course that meant 3 upwind legs with upwind mark finish. So having not given up the acting Russian Champion managed to pick some shifts, climb steadily and was fifth on the finish while Brennecke was 7th and Wieser was 23rd. The final race went to worlds medalist Frank Berg (DEN408) that established his crew as the leader in the Corinthian division.

While fleet headed home all were calculating the results and it was not in any way obvious with both RUS27 and GER1162 appeared tied at the same score. Considering Loginov’s win in the second race of the Europeans and no-wins (but astonishing four second finishes) Link’s score, the Coupe Virginie Heriot went to RUS27 Annapurna.

The Bronze went to GER11 Brenneke who really performed well, given that the crew sails together less than a year. UAE7 of Markus Wieser dropped to fourth and his team mate, now ex-European champion but acting World champion Evgen Braslavets (UAE8) finished fifth.

“The championship was really close fought, – says Loginov, – you see even upon race completion we weren’t sure that we were winning. This is very important win for us and for the whole Russian Dragon community”.

[Evgeny Golantsev]

My dear Dragonists!

The European Championship is over and I would like to tell every single one of you how my team and me were happy to welcome the Dragon class in our beloved city of St.Petersburg!
We are grateful to every participant who has taken it as his personal priority and took all the paperwork burden to come to St. Petersburg!!
We prepared this event for you, we ran this event for you and it made us lucky to see you enjoyed it both on water and ashore.
Now you have seen that it's is worth taking a long distance trip, that we can run the events on a benchmark level and we count on your positive propaganda of our location for we would like to see you back very soon!!

My team is of course tired but also very sad that these tough two weeks are already over...
Give it a thought and may be we can rejoin in St.Petersburg very soon for another fantastic Grade 1 event.
Me and my team just need a bit of sleep and rest and we can start working again;)
Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear Dragon class for having come to St.Petersburg!

See you back, hopefully very soon.
We already miss you!!
Tatiana and the team;)