Cowes Port Handbook 2014-2015 April 2014 | Page 79

COWES PORT HANDBOOK 2014 - 2015

Darings

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Based on the
Olympic 5.5s of
the late 1950s,
the Daring was launched in
1961 built in cutting edge
GRP. They are still the most
popular one design yachts
enjoying excellent racing out
Peter Mumford - Beken
of Cowes. The Daring is a
robust yacht and gear failures
or breakages are rare. However, Lallow’s of Cowes hold spares and a
damaged Daring on Saturday will be seen racing in the fleet the next day
having been repaired overnight if necessary!
The Daring’s special one design rules allow the Class to continuously
improve the sail and rigging plan by adopting the latest designs and high
quality materials.
This attractive yacht offers competitive yet affordable racing in a
unique and challenging environment. For those who want to know that
every time they set sail they are pitting their wits against those of the
next crew and not their boat, the Daring provides the ideal solution.
www.daring.org.uk Daring Class Captain, David Gower.

Dragons

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Cowes is home to
a small but thriving
Dragon fleet. Originally
designed as a small
cruiser-racer by Norwegian
Johan Anker in 1929, the
Dragon was an Olympic Class
from 1948 to 1972, and is a
fast, rewarding, and exciting
boat for her three/four person
crew. The Dragon is the largest
one design keelboat fleet in
Jonathon Hoare
the world with fleets in 26
countries worldwide, and has a comprehensive international regatta
circuit which allows year-round racing.
The Duke of Edinburgh famously owned a Dragon called Bluebottle
(presented by the Island Sailing Club) in which he was a regular
participant in Cowes Week. The design has always attracted a passionate,
illustrious audience. Although an historic class, the governing body has
overseen a gradual modernisation and Dragons are now being built
using modern materials and methods. www.solent-dragons.org Class
Captain, Owen Pay.
COWES.co.uk

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