Cover library photograph: Dragons HKG 59 and HKG 50. Photo: Takumi Images / championship media centre.
Hong Kong will host the Dragon World Championship from 21 to 29 November 2026, the first time the event has been held in Asia. The organiser’s figures as at 7 November list 95 boats entered from 21 nations, with the defending world champion, an Olympic gold medallist and local Hong Kong crews among the fleet. Source: championship fact sheet.
The event is organised by the Sailing Federation of Hong Kong, China, with the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, International Dragon Association and Hong Kong Dragon Association as co-organisers. It follows the Asia Pacific Dragon Championship, which runs in Hong Kong from 17 to 21 November. Source: organisation and event details.
World champion and Olympic gold medallist join the home fleet
The organiser’s contender briefing lists British sailor Andy Beadsworth returning with Simon Fry and Enes Çaylak aboard Provezza Dragon. The same crew won the Dragon world title at Vilamoura, Portugal, in 2025.
Xu Lijia, an Olympic sailing gold medallist at London 2012, is entered aboard Water Lily. Fellow entrant Graham Bailey leads the 2026 Dragon Ranking List cited by the organiser and campaigns Bluebottle, a wooden boat built in 1948. Source: contender briefing, with information verified on 31 October.
The organiser lists 14 boats racing under the Hong Kong flag. They include Tam Nguyen’s Zephyr (HKG 55), K.K. Lee’s Movement (HKG 54), Joseph Chu’s Mei Fei (HKG 51) and Abraham van Olphen’s Dragonfly (HKG 59). The home fleet will meet international opponents in familiar Hong Kong waters. Source: Hong Kong fleet briefing.
A 1929 design with a continuing racing life
The Dragon is a fixed-keel sailing boat approximately 8.9 metres long, designed by Norwegian yacht designer Johan Anker in 1929. Its one-design rules govern construction and equipment within shared specifications. Wooden and glass-fibre hulls both continue to race. Source: class introduction.
Photo: Takumi Images / championship media centre
Photo: Takumi Images / championship media centre
Boats of the class were already racing in Hong Kong in the 1932/33 season, with local competition continuing over the following decades. Hosting the Worlds brings the class’s world title contest to Asia for the first time, in a city with longstanding Dragon sailing roots. Source: Hong Kong class history.
Photo: Bunny Browne / Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Archive / championship media centre
Clearwater Bay base, racing off the Ninepins
The fleet will be based at the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club marina, which provides measurement and launching facilities. Racing takes place offshore at the Ninepins. The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Kellett Island clubhouse hosts the opening ceremony and principal shore programme. Source: venue information.
| Date | Programme |
|---|---|
| 17–21 November | Asia Pacific Dragon Championship; racing on 19–21 November |
| 21–29 November | Dragon World Championship; opening ceremony on 22 November, racing on 23–25 and 27–29 November |
| 26 November | Scheduled Worlds lay day; racing may be held if required and notified by the Race Committee |
Source: official championship calendar, checked 7 November 2026. Calendar and updates
There is no shore viewing of the race area. Spectator boats are planned for 23 and 27 November, alongside online race-position tracking. Viewing and booking details are on the official visitor page.
The official title is the “2027 Hong Kong Dragon World Championship”. The organiser says this follows the convention of naming the event for the 2027 season it opens; the actual dates are in November 2026. Checked 7 November 2026. See the official notice boards for notices and results.
