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Jämnheten avgjorde när EM i Drake avgjordes i Helsingfors - Frisk Bris Jämna toppstrider, en finländsk delseger och en dramatisk final präglade Europamästerskapet i Drake utanför Helsingfors. Efter en vecka med skiftande vindar och täta dueller säkrade den portugisiska besättningen på EASY guldet genom en imponerande jämn serie. Europamästerskapet i Drake i ...

THANK YOU! 🙌

No regatta organizes itself. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the Dragon Europeans happen!

From the race office, information desk, and keeping the beers cold to security, Vakaros, mark boats, and everything else behind the scenes—every contribution mattered.

Some of our volunteers are pictured here, but every single person played an important role in making the event run so smoothly.

THANK YOU! TACK! KIITOS! ❤️

Dramatisk EM-final i Helsingfors – svensk besättning tog brons Dramatisk EM-final i Helsingfors – svensk besättning tog brons

Day 5 | Champions Crowned 👑⛵

The final day of the Dragon European Championship delivered classic Finnish conditions: dark skies, fresh south-easterly breeze and one last chance to settle the title.

⛵ Race 7
Most of the fleet initially favoured the left side of the course, boats that committed to the right were rewarded on the opening beat. SWE416 Nono rounded the top mark first, holding off a British challenge to take the win ahead of GBR382 Send in the Clowns and GBR402 Meteor Racing. The victory secured Nono both the Corinthians division win and a strong overall podium finish, while 2024 European Champions GBR375 Blue Haze made an impressive charge through the fleet to finish 4th overall.

🏆 Championship battle
But all eyes were on the fight for the European title. POR90 EASY entered the day in control, while GBR192 Bluebottle needed a top-11 finish to keep their championship hopes alive. Despite winning three races during the week, Bluebottle couldn’t recover from a difficult final race, finishing 18th and slipping off the overall podium. Consistency proved decisive, with POR90 EASY sailing another composed race to secure the European crown.

Newly crowned European Champion Michael Zankel gushed over the achievement:

”I can’t believe it because it’s the first time I have such a big title. All these teams are like brothers and sisters to me—we sail against each other all over Europe. I couldn’t be happier.”

🥇 A champion’s salute
Despite the disappointment, Graham Bailey and GBR192 Bluebottle leave Helsinki as winners of the Classic Wooden Dragon division. Summing up the week with characteristic sportsmanship, Bailey said:

”The right people won. Michael Zankel and his Portuguese team were phenomenal sailors all week. If you’re going to lose to someone, lose to them.”

From Helsinki, the Dragon fleet now turns its attention to the World Championship in Hong Kong, where many of these rivalries will continue later this year.

What a week of world-class Dragon sailing in Helsinki and NJK ⛵️🌊🐲

Dragon European Champions 2026!
Overall results

🥇 🇩🇪 POR 90 EASY
Michael ZANKEL
Diogo PEREIRA
João MATOS ROSA

🥈🇬🇧 GBR 375 Blue Haze
Ivan BRADBURY
Lars HENDRIKSEN
George LEONCHUK

🥉 🇸🇪 SWE 416 Nono
Martin PÅLSSON
Christian VIDEBAEK
Viktor LANGSTRÖM



Dragon European Champions 2026!
Corinthian Division

🥇 🇸🇪 SWE 416 Nono
Martin PÅLSSON
Christian VIDEBAEK
Viktor LANGSTRÖM

🥈 🇪🇪 EST 5 Sparwen
Yevgen BRASLAVETS
Aleksei ZIGADLO
Raul GRIGORJEV

🥉 🇫🇮 FIN 92 MARGARET
Peter von KOSKULL
Ii-Min TCHENG
Niko RUOKOSUO
Pauli RUOKOSUO



Dragon European Champions 2016!
Classic Wooden Dragon Division

🥇 🇬🇧 GBR 192 Bluebottle
Graham BAILEY
Julia BAILEY
William BEDFORD
Killian BOAG

🥈🇪🇪 EST 19 Gustl XL
Rene TREIFELDT
Eero PANK
Mihkel KOSK

🥉🇳🇱 NED 309 FURIOUS
Augustinus de GROOT
Henri WINTERS
Richard Van RIJ

Day 4 | Beating the best ⛵🇫🇮

The forecast promised rain and unstable conditions, but the fleet was greeted by dry skies and light northerly breeze. After two start sequences were abandoned, the Race Committee adjusted the start line to even out the fleet and make one side less favorable, and the fleet finally got away cleanly for the day’s only race. 🩵

⛵ Race 6
As the breeze shifted left, the pin end became the place to be, and several teams—including FIN 99—timed it perfectly, tacking immediately onto port after the start. In a race where positioning and timing mattered more than outright speed, Tusse Tallberg and FIN 99 Drak Queen put together the most complete race of the day to take a deserved victory ahead of SWE 416 NONO, SUI 313 FREE, GBR 192 Bluebottle and GBR 375 Blue Haze.

After crossing the line first, Tusse summed up the spirit of Dragon sailing: ”the level of sailing is quite good in this class so I’m delighted and very thankful for my crew because now we are four I have a lot of hands and brains so I am just steering and I trying to keep quiet”

⛵ Tactical takeaway
SUI313 FREE’s third place was built by good tactical reading. When the line was reset, they immediately recognised that the pin-end bias had become stronger with the new left shift. They accelerated towards the pin, tacked onto port almost immediately and gained clear air over much of the fleet. They rounded the upwind mark 4th but managed to overtake on the second beat to take 3rd place 🥉

🏆 Corinthians watch
Another consistent performance from SWE416 NONO strengthens their lead in the Corinthians standings heading into the final day. Sitting sixth overall, the Swedish team continues to combine smart tactical decisions with consistency throughout the championship.

With just one race completed today, the stage is now set for a thrilling final day, with the European Championship still very much on the line. 🏅🐉

Overall standings before the final race :
1. POR90 EASY
2. GBR192 Bluebottle
3. GER1221 Sapphire

Corinthians standings:
1. SWE416 NONO
2. EST5 Sparwen
3. FIN92 Margaret

Classic Wooden Dragon:
1. GBR192 Bluebottle
2. EST19 Gustl XL
3. NED309 FURIOUS