Soucis n° 6 : Will the international dragoner outlast his dragon?
Date: 06/10/2003
Auteur: Dhr. Patrick Delahaye, past president
Soucis n° 6 : Will the international dragoner outlast his dragon?
In 2004 the International Dragon will attain the venerable age of 75 years.
The graceful boat is to-day still the Best.
The enduring success of the boat throughout; The Roaring Thirties, one World War Two, innumerable years of Olympic status and its more than 30 years resistance to attacks by all sorts of scheming ship chandlers, claiming to have one-designed a better keelboat, is sure proof of its toughness and resiliance.
Ha! Let us laugh .! We all know that there is no better design.
The Dragon will always be the best and 75 years from now we will organize another super Sankt-Tropez with 500 dragons! Ja!
The frighteningly fearsome guardians of the Dragon, the I.D.A, with its world wide connections and vast information web, will see to it, that the leading position of this superb boat, a symbol of the free democratic unsponsored sailing world, will not be put to danger by mafiosi, hooligans and other evil wrongdoers who want to challenge its supremacy, its uniqueness, its untouched pristine character.
Not one shroud will be tightened, not one cockpit coaming, will be enlarged without several lengthy meetings, slamming doors, multiple choices and happy godfathering of new unauthorized adaptations.
Non, I have no fear that the dragon will be as strong in the future as it has been in the past.
Perhaps, it could be, the next 75 year regatta will be sailed on the river Ob, in Novossibirsk, Dâ!
Because with the changing weather patterns , God knows where the Sahara will be.
But it iz not for the future of the Dragon, I fear. It is for the International Dragoner, I have great soucis.
Up to now the International Dragoner has always been a well behaved sailor, who does know his starboard from his port. (Too much port may be dangerous to your health).
It iz "the" gentleman of the sailing world. A sailor with an ingrained sportsmanship where participating is more important than winning, resolutely steering his dragon but respectful of the rules.
A man, who automatically makes his 720° turn, when he deems, he has wronged another International Dragoner.
So upright are some, that they even leave the course, hoisting their flag, on such an occasion.
I have known of sailors doing their turns even before the encounter. (Usually when the helmsman falls inboard.) Nevertheless, it shows the high sportsmanship permeating the International Dragoners.
Never a word too much, never an abusive language, never a vexing remark.
The most you can hear on a starting line is "Oah, Dear", spoken with the emphasis on the D.
(D = Donnerwetter Sch.... wass machst DU dort mit Deinem verD......boot, UP UP UP!)
Mentally, the International Dragoner, is a modest person, knowing how well the forces of the sea can be overwhelming, appreciating correctly his sailing capacities, respecting his fellow competitors with all their flaws and weaknesses, patiently admitting that committees are only human beings, set-up by amateurs and apt to blunder, like he certainly would do himself, should he ever be asked to help with the organization.
Physically the International Dragoner, is a person in symbiosis with his/her dragon.
In the years 1990 there have been some attempts to tamper with station 8 and 10 of the Dragon, without success.
Similarly many International Dragoners watched the development of their midriff section, unsuccessfully.
The stiffening of the dragons has been a major topic some years ago.
Asymmetrically International Dragoners can be faced with a comparable phenomenon.
(Chondroïtin and glucosamine only help for joints. Consult your E-mail box for the other symptoms.)
This to say, that scientific observation shows that the aging process of the International Dragon makes it younger, sleeker and faster, whereas the International Dragoner allegedly shows strains and difficulties in following the movement.
Was there not a decision by the IDA, to allow for electric pumps, because crew members no longer could cope with the heavy work?
Was it not because the weight of the individual dragoner, was trespassing all healthy conditions, that strict rules on bodyweight, had to be applied?
And did we not hear of attempts to install seats for crews on the decksides?
It iz generally assumed, that the physical side of an International Dragoner, being subjected to the wear and tear of multiple up and down races, will slowly decay. Furthermore the ingrained habit to offer and accept drinks after the competition, also takes a tremendous toll.
Physically the International Dragoner could be on a sloping decline. This could have irreversible influences on his mental status, as the stress increments in proportion with the number of banana races.
Because here is the most important asset of the International Dragoner.: ze spirit motivating ze sailing!
It has to be protected by all means!
In other one-design classes one can sometimes observe how decadent characters behave.
They have, for instance, wild starts with crews yelling abuse, boats bumping against each other, Prrrotest flags waved in furor, fingers pointed skywards, recalls and black flags galore, haggard Racing committees, exhausted International Juries, sleepless Organizers and dispirited Sponsors.
Obviously, the continuing modification of the International Dragoner, is to be stopped forthwith, otherwise we could be faced with a major problem in the International Dragon Class.
Imagine we would no longer be gentlemen at sea!
Cheating with electronic watches and cell-phones, asking our best friend, following the races with his cruiser, to sail where the wind is best at the windward buoy, not doing our turns, or only one, pretending to be in our right, closing the doors and keeping all the water at the leeward buoy, changing the tension of the shrouds while racing, hicking more than a half thigh, inventing stories to the International Jury, complaining about parkings and the organization in general, spreading slanderous tales, pretending the Race Committee should learn to sail, squeezing ahead of the line at the crane...
Enfin, a behaviour difficult to visualize but potentially possible.
What could be the consequences of such a behaviour?
At first, the Committees would fight back by hiring professionals to run the races, lawyers to sit at the jury tables, observers to film at the buoys, walkie-talkies to report on unduly sailing.
The measurers would be camp-trained and inflexible and competitors, with this or that too long or too short, would be inexorably eliminated and returned homewards.
Then, the competitors would still be more inventive and find ways and means to escape getting got, hiring their own professionals to be sure to outgun the committees.
Ashore the organizers would need much more money to cover the costs of all this international professionalism; more boats, more controls, more this, more that.
Sponsors would want more visibility and advertisements on all our sails and, and ...
The End of the Friendly Amateur!
Någonsin! Nein, Nie! No passaran,! Jamais! Not over my dead body! Nooit ofte nooit!! Nikagda tovaritch!
Yes! Ladies and Gentlemen of the Dragon world, we will overcome! We will stop changing!
Our minds will remain as innocent, as they were the first time we sailed forth on an International dragon.
We will train and exercise to be fit and plucky.
We will consume our meals with only low calorie food, (so as to remain under the 285kg limit) and serve only half a bottle of wine per person per meal.
Happy hour time, in the bars patronized by International dragoners, should be reduced by half an hour and only water would be free.
During the winter time bicycling will be promoted and a daily swim recommended.
To perfect our mind, we will read the Reader's digest, revisit Disneyland and learn the IDA Regatta Rules by heart..
Mens sana in corpore sano!
ipso facto dragonistum primus inter pares est!
(Confucius, De vitam dragonibus, I,19,20. A.D.75 B.C.)
Patrick D.
Amiral de todas las Flottas,
de la Clein Playa y de los Tres Tornados
Gran aficionado deportivo de la navegacion con ambiente de placer de vida y d'alegria.