International OK Dinghy at the RYA Dinghy Show 2013

Thomas Hansson-Mild at the 2011 International OK Dinghy World Championships © Alan Henderson / www.fotoboat.com

Check out the International OK Dinghy UK Class Association at this year's RYA Dinghy Show this weekend at the Alexandra Palace, London.

You can find the OK Dinghy on stand E16 in the West Hall where you can take a close look at two excellent examples of this thoroughbred international singlehanded racing dinghy and gain advice from those who sail the OK.

This year on the stand will be two current OK Dinghies built during 2012. The first boat is from Synergy Marine based in Suffolk. Synergy acquired the mold for the renowned 'Dave Rose' hull shape in 2011 and then set about improving the mold which has now produced a number of high quality OK Dinghies. In 2012 a Synergy boat in the hands of Lee Child won the National Championships as well as coming second at the Inland Championships, demonstrating that they are extremely competitive. The 'Rose' hull shape is renowned for being incredibly quick off wind, so the Synergy OK offers a real alternative to the most popular Icebreaker hull shape.

The second OK on display is a Idol Composite Icebreaker built by Alex Scoles in Norfolk. Idol Composites have now been building top quality OK's for a number of years and they now enjoy a reputation that attracts orders from around the world. The boat on display was specially commissioned and shows off Scoles talent for producing beautiful robust boats that are highly competitive at international level. Demand for new and used boats are equally strong worldwide which is no doubt why two new builders began production last year, one in Denmark and the other in Germany.

The OK continues to thrive worldwide offering great UK domestic competition as well as some of the very best amateur international competition there is. This year the OK World Championship is to be hosted by the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Pattaya, Thailand starting at the end of March. Then in July the fleet travel to Carnac in France for the European Championships. In 2014 the Europeans will be hosted by Germany, then its off to Melbourne Australia for a Christmas World Championships. Proof indeed that the OK Dinghy offers an opportunity to travel as well as make new friends.

In the UK the class continues to grow with healthy orders for new boats as well as a big demand for second hand boats. There is a healthy open meeting curcuit in the UK with a variety of venues to suit most ablilities. This years National Championships will be hosted by Brixham Yacht Club in early September.

Visit stand E16 to view the wonderful International OK Dinghy on display and learn more about this thoroughbred singlehander from the people who sail her.

For more information about the OK Dinghy Class visit the UK Class Association website at www.okdinghy.co.uk or visit the International OK Association website at www.okdia.org which also has links to some of the many International OK Class Associations across the world. You can also look up the International OK Dinghy on Facebook (click the Facebook icon at the top right of this article).