How to Tame
a Dragon
Documentary
Dragons are not boats, Dragons are people
Original author: Boris Latkin, the President of RDA
Author and director: Nikita Litvinov
Film company: Potential
With support of Saint Petersburg Sailing Union and Saint Petersburg Yacht Club
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Russian Dragon Association, the Interregional Sports Public Organization of Dragon Class Sailors
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Against the background of

Each of them is unique, but their stories convey a similar idea: to contribute to the revival of the Dragon class and the whole sailing, the hero is forced to sacrifice something personal.

Dragon class sailing races, the stories of yachtsmen participants are revealed.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Boris Khabarov

Two-time champion of the USSR, Master of Sports of the USSR (1961), participated in the 1972 Olympics (the last where the Dragon class was presented). At 85, he continues to compete and win sailing races.

Boris is a legendary figure for the Dragon class both in Russia and abroad. He started his sailing career in 1948 and already in 1954 (at the age of 18) became the bronze medalist of the city championship.

When the Dragon class was excluded from the Olympic program, Boris had just entered the international arena and was considered a promising athlete...

other sailing classes. Of course, when the Dragon class recovery began in Russia, he returned to the Dragon.
In his free time, Boris lives the life of an ordinary pensioner – he strolls slowly through the spring park, feeds ducks, and reads books. But again and again, the "inner young boy" is calling him to struggle with the elements.
The yachtsman had to compete in

Boris is a legendary figure for the Dragon class both in Russia and abroad. He started his sailing career in 1948 and already in 1954 (at the age of 18) became the bronze medalist of the city championship.

When the Dragon class was excluded from the Olympic program, Boris had just entered the international arena and was considered a promising athlete...

Tamara Kudryavtseva

For half a century, she has been sailing a yacht called Yakhont. It was built in 1964 and believed to be one of the oldest extant boats of this class.

She seems to have been competing on this sailboat her entire life. The time is coming to retire… What is going to happen to the magnificent yacht, which has been in need of repair for a long time?

A legendary Soviet sailor athlete. She is a spry and cheerful woman who prepares for a sailing regatta as if it were a holiday.

Sergey Biryukov

As a child, Sergei attended a yacht club and sailed on a dinghy. Once, as a boy, he saw the classic wooden Yakhont of Tamara Kudryavtseva and fell in love with the boat from the first sight. Time passed, and Sergey grew up, became an architect, set up a marble decor workshop, got married. However, the dream of racing on his own Dragon boat has been haunting him all this time.

Sergey Yazikov

Sergey fell in love with sailing from an early age, but with age, the passion passed, and he went into a promising and profitable computer business.

After years of neglect of the Dragon, Sergey decides to revive the class: he orders old drawings of wooden Dragon boats in England and starts building new yachts and restoring old ones. The number of yachtsmen is growing, and Sergey has to leave his business to give life to as many Dragons as possible.

Сергей с раннего детства полюбил парусный спорт, но с возрастом увлечение прошло – и он занялся перспективным и прибыльным компьютерным бизнесом.

New generation
The Dragon class is becoming more and more popular and attracts young teams to Become a part of sailing.

Young athletes join the class because they fall for incredible boats, just like more experienced characters of our film.

yacht from a half-rotted piece of wood, guys actually spent five years in a boat hangar.

Reconstructing the racing

During this time, they were supported by other yachtsmen who trained them and took on their boats to sail. The repair work was completed, and the classic wooden yacht Zador has joined the Dragons fleet. Today, Sergey Rychkov and his young team are fighting against the elements on it. With the advent of such yachtsmen, the Dragon class is getting prospects and hope for a better future.

Sergey Rychkov became a Dragonist thanks to his friend, who did a major overhaul of an old Soviet yacht.

OUR FILM
INTERESTING FACTS

From 1,500 classic wooden boats built in the 1960s in the USSR, only a few dozen have survived to our time. In the 2000s, enthusiasts from Moscow and St. Petersburg found and restored the remaining boats, giving a new life in sports and passing them down the generations.

The Dragon class is 90 years old (2020 is the anniversary).

The Dragon class originated in Norway, it quickly gained worldwide popularity and recognition, and, after the end of World War II, was included in the Olympic program.

The first Dragons appeared
in the USSR in the early 1950 s.
Film Festivals
TV Film Forum “Native Paths”
International Film Festival "Northern Character"
The Golden Eagle Award (founded by the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia), a nominee
International Documentary Film Festival "Meetings in Siberia"
Sailing Competitions in the Documentary
The Golden Autumn Race
Marblehead Trophy
Russian Dragon Open
The Silver Cup, classic yacht regatta
DIRECTOR ABOUT THE PROJECT

“My motivation to implement the project is straightforward:
people who are willing to make a personal sacrifice for something great and significant command respect. We live in an age where we don't create but consume, the private is over the public, and, seeking for glory and success, one can't see beyond their nose.

Each of these stories teaches us a lot. Above all, the ability to sacrifice, prioritize, and most importantly, keep your dream alive.”

Film director Nikita Litvinov
How to Tame a Dragon
St. Petersburg, Pirogov Lane, 18, the Palma Mansion, 2nd floor, office 203.
hello@potentialfilm.ru
8 (995) 997-38-24
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