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Quiberon attracts huge fleet for OK Dinghy Worlds
Six former world champions and three former European champions form part of the huge OK Dinghy fleet heading for Quiberon, France, where the 2016 OK Dinghy World Championship begins on Friday. Currently there are 113 entries, making it the largest world championship for four years.
The organising authority is La Société des Régates de Saint Pierre Quiberon (SRSP), while the actual venue is is Nationale de Voile et des Sports Nautiques (ENVSN), an FFV recognised sailing school a few km south of SRSP. The club has a long history in running events and championships and, along with the famous French hosptality, the class is looking forward to a vintage world championship.
It will be the first class world championship in France for 24 years and the fifth in total. The first ever OK Dinghy World Championship was held in France, in Maubuisson in 1963. The winner that year, Svend Jakobsen (DEN), is also sailing in Quiberon, 53 years later. Though the class started in Denmark and in the early years the Danish sailors were very successful, a Danish sailor has not won the world title for 36 years. That could change this year with a 10-strong Danish team attending, including some big names.
Bo Petersen (DEN) is the current World No. 1 and reigning European champion. He also won the European title three years ago when it was sailed on the same stretch of water, but from Carnac, just across the bay from Quiberon. Runner-up that year, Stefan Myralf (DEN) is also sailing this year along with the 2014 European Champion, and recent winner at Warnemunde Week. Jørgen Svendsen (DEN).
The defending champion is André Budzien (GER). Normally the most consistent sailor in the fleet, this year he has placed third at both Kiel and Warnemunde and will be hoping for his third world title. Also in the German team is Martin von Zimmermann (GER). He was European Champion in 2006 and will be sporting his first new boat in a generation. His best world’s placing was runner-up in 2011, but he is a regular in the top ten.
The British team is the strongest numerically with 27 boats entered including the 2004 World Champion Jim Hunt (GBR) and last year’s runner-up Charlie Cumbley (GBR). Some of the younger sailors are starting to come through to the top. Richard Burton (GBR) will be looking to capitalise on his runner-up place at this year’s Europeans.
Other former world champions include Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE), Greg Wilcox (NZL) and Mats Caap (SWE). Hansson-Mild won at Kiel this year and Wilcox finished second at Warnemunde. Both are expected to be in the running.
While the other two New Zealand entries have chartered boats, the 12 Australian entries sent their own container – or so they thought. Due to Far Eastern shipping shenanigans, their container is currently on its way back to Sydney, somewhat throwing a spanner into their otherwise brilliant planning.
It was two weeks to go and they had no boats. For most sailors this would be the end of the road for their dreams of OK Worlds domination, but this is the OK Dinghy class. A burst of emails around Europe and seven days later the Australians had secured enough charter boats, begged, borrowed and sometimes stolen, to allow all the Australian team to sail.
It is testament to the strong community and friendships built within the class, that more boats were offered than were actually needed. Double trailers were acquired or built, extra ferry crossings booked, roofracks were strengthened and extra kit was packed. Boats will be arriving for the Australian team from Sweden, Denmark, UK and France. It was a fantastic Europe wide cooperation.
The Australian team includes World No. 7 Mark Jackson (AUS), who has been top 10 for the past three years, and Mike Williams (AUS) who won bronze in 2013.
The Polish team is headed by Tomasz Gaj (POL) and Pawel Pawlaczyk (POL) both regulars at the front of the fleet. Other nations sending teams are Belgium and the Netherlands, along with the host nation France, with a fleet of 13. One of the hopes of holding the World Championship in a member nation is that it will boost local participation, and that certainly seems to have worked this year.
The event begins with measurement and registration from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 July, with the practice race Sunday afternoon. Then 10 races are scheduled from Monday 25 to Friday 29 to determine the 2016 OK Dinghy World Champion.
Event website: 2016.okworlds.org
Club website: www.srsp.fr
Venue website: www.envsn.sports.gouv.fr/
Photos from 2015 OK Dinghy World Championship in Puck, Poland
Credit: OKDIA
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