2016 JointADA & CDAReporton Activities
Membership
The ADAhad 34 Members and 23 Dragonsregisteredat the end of 2015. The CDA had32 Members and 23 Dragons registered at the end of 2015. Membership is at a steady state over the last 3 or 4 years. Each year we lose some Members to retirement, location changes, or forgetting to pay (yep). Each year we gain some new Members – most have some past connection to Dragons or just love the classic lines. Some of these are project boats and are new to us and some are re-sales of already registered boats. The consistent core of the Class in North America are the active racers.
Fleets
Our main concentrations of Dragons continue to be around the Great Lakes (Cleveland and Toronto), and in the Pacific North West (Vancouver), although we have seen an uptick in interest on the East Coast of Canada in Lunenburg NS. (Might be time for a trip east.) The Vancouver fleet has a core group of 6 or 7 boats that race the monthly regattas and the Wednesday evening series. Last year they hosted the Edinburgh Cup for the first time in decades. There are One Design Dragon events in Vancouver and Cleveland. And we have Handicap racers in Niagara on the Lake, Toronto, Nantucket, Chicago, and Miami.
I have attempted for three years to get a Vancouver-Seattle event on the schedule without success. We really need five or six to turn out to make a good showing. There are not enough Vancouver Dragons that are road-worthy and have the time and there are not enough Seattle Dragons to match the numbers. Possibly the only way to make this happen is to emulate the 6 Meters and find someone to buy us a fleet.
In November 2017, the Vancouver Dragon Fleet will be attending the Pacific Dragon Interport in Hong Kong, a bi-annual team racing event between four Pacific Yacht Clubs (Royal Vancouver, Royal Sydney, Royal Hong Kong and Kansai). At this moment, it looks like the Royal Van will be able to field a full team, but sometimes people must drop out at the last moment, so if any ADA or CDA Members are interested, let us know.
Communications
Our main communications channels continue to be the website, regular electronic newsletters, targeted emails on specific subjects as well as social media (FaceBook and Twitter).
Class Promotion
In 2016 we did another bulk order of baseball caps with the Dragon logo (and optional customization on the back). Wealso provideDragon logo merchandise viaCoral Reef Sailing Apparel and Make Granville Island. Both of these providers offer a broad selection of Dragon logo branded sailing gear (bags, jackets, tops) as well as handling shipping directly to the purchaser. You can personalize the merchandise and have access to a good selection of kit in a variety of sizes. Setup fees are paid for the Dragon logo and the line drawing.
IDA
I attended the IDA AGM in Cascais in October 2015. This was the fourth year the ADA and CDA have been personally represented and there is value in having a seat at the table. There was a proposal to simplify the Class Rules for building fiberglass Dragons that was rejected. In one respect, this is unfortunate for us in North America as it might have attracted a builder or two (the Dragon is complex to build and thus expensive). On the plus side, the complex specs for building a Dragon means high build quality, as evidenced by the number of 70s and 80s Dragons still racing.
I was a member of the Editorial Committee for the IDA Magazine this year and, once again, we tried to broaden the appeal to a wider audience, not just the European racing circuit. This year featured several articles on North American Dragons.
Summary
We continue to have a dedicated core group of Owners and Enthusiasts in the Class. Thanks!