OK Dinghy National Championships at Brixham Yacht Club - Preview

Racing on day four of the 2013 OK Europeans © Norbert Petrausch

On Thursday this week OK sailors from far and wide will arrive in Brixham, Devon for the start of the 2013 International OK Dinghy National Championships.

Brixham is one of the best sailing venues in the country situated on the beautiful English Riviera, with racing taking place in Torbay. Brixham YC is a very welcoming and well organised club, very experienced in running national and international championships. The weekend also sees Brixham hosting 'Fishstock', the English Riviera's renowned urban music and seafood festival, so the town promises to be buzzing.

Racing starts on Thursday afternoon with eight races to count over the four days. From the entries so far there are three ex National Champions competing, Robert Deaves, Terry Curtis and Nick Craig. Last year's surprise Champion Lee Child will not be defending his title due to his wife giving birth very recently. This is a shame as Child has showed great form again this year finishing in eighth place at the OK European Championships in Carnac, France in July, one place behind Craig.

Others in the running will be Jon Fish who has been knocking on the door for a number of years, with bad luck probably being the reason why he has not won the title yet, but he will be one to watch. Young Ed Bradburn could produce the goods having posted some great results over the last couple of years, but will his lack of Championship experience be a factor? Richard "Burt" Burton is another young guy capable of winning races and having a good week, but will the free beer be his downfall?

Sponsors

We have a number of sponsors supporting the event and these include Hook Norton Brewery. Competitors will enjoy free beer when coming ashore after a hard days racing and will each receive a Hook Norton pint glass and Championship polo shirt.

Other sponsors include HD Sails who have been working with Nick Craig over a number of years to develop an OK championship winning design. HD has generously supported the class with an excellent prize. Jim Hunt of HD sails is an ex OK World Champion and has stepped back into an OK at this year's European Championships where he finished in a credible eleventh place. Not bad considering he was in a borrowed boat and had very little time in the boat beforehand. Jim has a new OK on order and will be sharing it with Andy Davis the other half of HD Sails. Jim and Andy are unable to compete this week however, but it will be interesting to see how they get on over the next couple of years.

The third sponsor is P&B who have helped the class out with prizes. P&B make championship winning OK sails for Terry Curtis and have provided sponsorship for the OK Class on a number of occasions.

The Boat

The International OK Dinghy is a 4 metre single-handed racing dinghy, which has enjoyed strong international competition for more than 50 years.

The OK allows the skipper to have a mast and sail designed and built to their weight and sailing style; this gives almost anyone the opportunity, no matter their size, to be at the front of the fleet. This has led to very close racing over a wide wind range. Most of the boats in the fleet will be all fibreglass, though wooden and composite boats are widely used. Boats are built worldwide with strong fleets in many countries and the class is lucky to have a number of quality professional boat builders at present.

Future World and European Championships will be held in:

• 2014 - Steinhude, Germany (European Championships)
• 2014 – Melbourne, Australia

• 2013 - Carnac, France (European Championships)
• 2013 - Pattaya, Thailand
• 2012 – Vallenbaek, Denmark
• 2011 – Largs, Scotland
• 2010 – Medemblik, Netherlands (European Championships)
• 2010 - Wellington, New Zealand
• 2009 - Kalmar, Sweden

The History

Starting life in 1956, the OK Dinghy design was created by two Danes, Knud Olsen and Axel Damgaard. One was a sailor seeking an exciting new concept in sailing and the other was an experienced designer and boatbuilder who knew how to put a concept onto paper. By their simple design, they have created a lasting family of sailors right across the world...