CHRISTOPHER DRAGON sailing upwind on her way to winning the overall award at the Long Island Sound IRC Championships. Allen Clark/photoboat.com
Andrew Weiss�s J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON recently won her class and the overall trophy in the inaugural IRC Championship of Long Island Sound. This was no small feat since the 34-boat fleet was greater in size than the fleet that sailed at the IRC Nationals earlier in the summer. Dragon also won her division at the 2010 Larchmont NOOD regatta.
At the IRC championship, DRAGON sailed with an all-amateur crew beating the second place boat that was a mostly professionally crewed J/122 with a brand new wardrobe of sails from another sailmaker. �We did to PUGWASH, just what we were able to do with WINGS the week before at the NOOD. We sailed right out from under them and then moved in front of them and forced them to tack away. Our UK-Halsey sails are truly awesome.�
The Dragon program has always been a family program. Andrew crewed with his father Steve on eight CHRISTOPHER DRAGONs going back to 1973. In 1975 his friend Larry Fox joined the crew and has been sailing with Andrew ever since. Andrew did his first Newport to Bermuda race in 1976 on the third CHRISTOPHER DRAGON that was a C&C; 42 with Butch Ulmer, Howie McMichael several other prominent Larchmont Yacht Club sailors. They finished an second in class -- a huge accomplishment in one of sailing�s most prestigious races. �I remember my father and Butch trying to convey the enormity of what we had done, but I was too young to understand. Thirty years later I took my son Christopher on the Bermuda Race and we won our class. Now the tables were turned I had to explain to my son how much it meant to win the race. He may not have understood, but it sure got him hooked on sailboat racing. He had such a good time that asked me why I hadn�t made him to go to junior sailing classes in the past. Chris has been steady crew ever since.�
Andrew�s sister Gavin is also a regular and she brought a friend Byron seven years ago and he had been a steady member of the crew as well. Andrew�s good friend Linda Berkley has been sailing on three different DRAGONS going back to the Farr 43. Larry Fox now brings his son the rest of the regular crew is rounded out by friends Jonathan Asch and Drew Stetler, both who have been sailing on DRAGONs going back to 1985.
At the end of 2009, Andrew switched back to UK-Halsey sailmakers and the boat has come alive. �Our spinnakers no longer tear every time we use them and we are the fastest J/122 off the wind. I used to dread turing the windward mark since we always gave up ground with the chute up.�
Before the Long Island Sound J/122 championship, Andrew wrote to his crew, �The last two weekends have been great sailing for CHRISTOPHER DRAGON. Everyone has done a great job and it shows in the results!!! I just added it up. In 11 starts we had eight firsts and three seconds!! Hard to beat that.�
What�s better than sailing with your family? Winning with your family.
|