OK Dinghy World Rankings for December 2013

by Robert Deaves on 9 Dec 2013 OK Dinghy World Ranking - Greg Wilcox (NZL) returns to the top of the final release for 2013 after another solid season. He climbs two places to retake the world number one position he last held in 2011. Nick Craig (GBR) remains in second while previous world No 1, Jørgen Svendsen (DEN), drops to third.

It has a been a busy season following the early world championships in Thailand. World Champion Roger Blasse (AUS) moves up just one place to seventh, while Bo Petersen (DEN), who won the Europeans in Carnac in July, moves up three places to sixth. The European season started in May with the prestigious Spring Cup in Medemblik, which was won by Thomasz Gaj (POL) from the ever improving Richard Burton (GBR) and Andreas Pich (GER).

Thoughts soon turned to the upcoming Europeans in Carnac, France, but first there were three major regattas to complete. First up was the Nordic Championship at Herslev Strand Sejlklub. It was narrowly won by Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) from Wilcox and Christian Olesen (DEN). Kiel Week was next with former World Champion André Budzien (GER) winning from Petersen, with Wilcox again getting onto the podium in third. Wilcox then won Warnemünder Woche from Stefan Myralf (DEN) and Hansson-Mild.

The fleet then moved onto France. Just before the Europeans the French Champinship in Quiberon was used as a warm up regatta and Wilcox took his second straight regatta win. Myralf was again second, with Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) third. The Europeans turned out to be a very light affair, but Petersen pulled out all the stops to win his first title in the class, from Myralf and Hansson-Mild, in what turned out to be a very tight and tactical week.

The season concluded with several national championships. First Svendsen took out the Danish Championships, leaving Myralf as runner-up yet again, while Lindhardtsen placed third. Poland's rising star, 16 years old Dawid Kania, won the Polish Championships from Gaj and Pawe? Pawlaczyk (POL).

Then at the beginning of July, Hansson-Mild won the Swedish Championship from Wilcox and Myralf. In September Robert Deaves took his second British title, from defending champion Terry Curtis and Dave Bourne. Rüdiger Prinz (GER) won the Belgian Championship on Galgenweel in Antwerp from Yannick Laumans (BEL) and Ralf Mackmann (GER). Finally at the German Championship, on Lake Zwischenahn, Svendsen won from Budzien, who took the German title, and Martin von Zimmermann (GER) in a wide range of wind conditions.

As this goes to press, the next ranking event Sail Melbourne has just concluded and this will be included in the next release after the New Zealand Championships in April. A large fleet of OK Dinghies are currently sailing in Melbourne ahead of the Interdominion Championships after Christmas and also looking ahead to the next World Championships there at the end of 2014.

All this points to a class is in a pretty healthy state with 455 sailors from 14 nations counting at least one ranking regatta on the current release, with sailors ranging from 16 to 53 years old winning major regattas.

OK Dinghy World Rankings – December 2013
Place, Name, Sail No, points, events
1 Greg Wilcox NZL 544 1024.32 13
2 Nick Craig GBR 2150 974.30 10
3 Jørgen Svendsen DEN 1427 946.59 11
4 Stefan Myralf DEN 1408 929.39 15
5 Jørgen Lindhartdsen DEN 1364 917.33 15
6 Bo Petersen DEN 1421 849.22 9
7 Roger Blassé AUS 749 822.86 6
8 Andre Budzien GER 782 810.59 6
9 Martin von Zimmermann GER 693 807.52 11
10 Sonke Behrens GER 778 802.44 8
11 Thomas Hanson-Mild SWE 100 778.54 10
12 Paul Rhodes NZL 517 777.80 6
13 Mogens Johansen DEN 1335 770.19 13
14 Alistair Deaves NZL 542 766.79 6
15 Mark Jackson AUS 735 748.57 6
16 Mike Williams AUS 730 730.81 5
17 Jorg Rademacher GER 775 704.57 9
18 Rene Johannsen DEN 1393 703.49 10
19 Terry Curtis GBR 2118 673.19 5
20 Luke O'Connell NZL 546 671.40 Full Rankings Class website