De Groene Draeck

De Groene Draeck at a sailing regatta, August 1959
History
Netherlands
Name:	De Groene Draeck
Owner:	Beatrix of the Netherlands
Port of registry:	Amsterdam
Builder:	G. de Vries Lentsch
Launched:	1957
Identification:	VA 18
Status:	in active service, as of 2016
General characteristics
Type:	Lemsteraak
Length:	15 m (49 ft 3 in) p/p
Beam:	4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Draught:	1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Sail plan:	Gaff rigged Sail area 175 m^2 (1,880 sq ft)

De Groene Draeck (English: The Green Dragon) is a royal yacht of Beatrix of the Netherlands. It was named after the flagship of Piet Hein, a famous 17th century Dutch admiral.

De Groene Draeck is a traditional Dutch round bottomed sailing ship, built in 1957 in Amsterdam. She was offered by the Dutch people to the then Princess Beatrix for her 18th birthday.^[1] Her sail number is therefore VA 18. The ship is maintained by the state.

There has been debate, even at the level of government, about the cost of maintaining the ship.^[2] As of 2016, those costs were estimates at €95,000 per year.^[3]

The ship is regularly used by the Royal Family for sailing. The ship is usually moored in Muiden.

References

1. (Dutch) Newspaper criticism of Royal expenditure
2. {German} Good but expensive: The cost of a queen
3. "Rutte geeft toe: onderhoudskosten Groene Draeck erg hoog" [Rutte admits: Green Draeck maintenance costs very high]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 1 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.