DRAGON 90TH ANNIVERSARY REGATTA
DRAGON 90TH ANNIVERSARY REGATTA
North Sails Expert Jens Christensen Wins Championship
What does North Sails contribute to the Dragon class? “Our class experts go above and beyond for client support,” says North Expert Jens Christensen, who was the overall winner at the 90th Anniversary Regatta in San Remo, Italy. “Theis Palm and Ruairidh Scott do an outstanding job supporting the class and clients with their knowledge and expertise. We all compete regularly at events, and really do everything we can to help keep the class special yet competitive.”
Jens is already looking forward to the 2020 racing season—even as he credits his team, new boat, and new sails for their most recent victory. To win the 90th Anniversary Regatta, he used the North Sails all-purpose A-14 mainsail, which is a crosscut sail with a radial head that allows the sail to twist open and de-power when needed. The design evolved out of the 2015 main used by 2017 and 2019 World Champions Provezza Sailing Team.
“The new mainsail sets up easy and is simple to trim,” Jens explains. “It is smooth and a little flatter than our A-7+. This sail is a strong choice in light to medium wind conditions.” For tuning, “We follow the North Sails tuning guide, which helps put us right where we want to be.” They also used the V-6M Genoa and BR-9 Spinnaker. “Having a good team and a new boat may have something to do with it too!”
Two qualifying races over the first two days divided the 163-boat fleet into Silver and Gold divisions, which each sailed three more races to determine a champion. Jens’ team won the first gold series race but posted a 24th in race two. Trusting both his team and their boatspeed, Jens rounded the top mark of the final race in fourth place. “We knew all we had to do was finish without making any big mistakes.”
Jens has been involved in the Dragon Class for fourteen years, and he says the great competition is what keeps him coming back. “There were something like 22 Olympic medalists at this event, and we are all well-matched at the top. The Dragon Class always brings the best of the best in small boat one design sailing.” He also enjoys the boat itself, because “ it is technical and there are things you’d only know if you sailed one. It is a fun yet difficult boat to sail, and what makes it special is that the boat design has not changed over the years.”
Another special feature of the 90th Anniversary event was the location. “San Remo hosted a fantastic event,” Jens concludes. “It is a traditional venue and the racing was top notch—as expected.”
Interested in our Championship-winning Dragon sails? Contact your local North Sails Dragon expert today.
