OK Dinghy National Championships - Hunt closes in on the title

by Terry Curtis on 19 Aug 2014 Jim Hunt has taken a six point lead at the OK Dinghy National Championships after three more races in a very unstable breeze at Dabchicks Sailing Club, with just two more races to go on Tuesday to complete the series.

The fleet was sent out early in more moderate conditions for three races, with three different winners.

Race 1 started in a F3 with the bulk of the fleet taking the left route towards the tide which looked good for the first half of the beat, but ultimately a 15 degree shift right meant that side paid, and Andy Couch rounded ahead of Richard Burton and Simon Cox with Robert Deaves and Jim Hunt making the most of the left hand side.

Couch led from start to finish despite the 107 kg Burton chasing him hard. Cox and Hunt overtook Burton up the second beat, but unfortunately Cox was forced to retire injured at the end of the run, allowing Hunt to move into second before a strong finishing Burton took second at the finish. Lee Child fended off Jon Fish to take fourth.

The second race had the fleet split in slightly fresher breeze, with the left initially paying, but at the windward mark melee, Neil Goodhead squeezed round first from Child and a close group. Luckily no collisions occurred and the fleet set off at pace downhill.

Child pulled out into the lead which he maintained comfortably to the finish. Hunt rolled past Fish on the second reach with Terry Curtis cruising through into third with Couch in fifth. Fish found some extra pressure and pace on the beat to get back up to second although Hunt and Curtis reversed the trick on the run to finish in that order behind Child, bringing him up the rankings to second overall.

The last race was finally started after a general recall followed by a postponement to allow a rainstorm to blow through. The boats at the pin end looked good from the start quickly tacking onto port and crossing the fleet with Hunt leading a clutch of boats in from the left. Hunt rounded first from Child and Tony Woods. The fleet headed off down the reach in dying breeze and strong tide, Woods went high and lost out to Curtis and Charlie Cumbley. Child squeezed round the leeward mark followed by Hunt and Curtis on his transom. Cumbley hacked out right and picked up a shift taking him past Curtis. By the final beat Cumbley was on a charge but couldn’t quite get the better of Hunt who took the race and a tighter grip on the championship. Child took third with Curtis coming in fourth.

The championship, which is kindly supported by Synergy Marine, Hiking Bench and English Braids, concludes on Tuesday.

Results after six races

1	GBR2162	Jim Hunt	Blithfield SC	9	2	1	3	3	2	1
2	GBR2167	Lee Child	Dabchicks SC / WMYC	15	5	2	6	4	1	3
3	GBR2151	Jonathan Fish	Waldringfield SC	20	1	6	4	5	4	19
4	GBR211	Charlie Cumbley	Teign Corinthian YC	21	6	9	1	7	5	2
5	GBR2118	Terry Curtis	Weymouth/Upper Thames	23	4	4	8	8	3	4
6	GBR2156	Robert Deaves	Waldringfield SC	25	3	3	9	6	7	6
7	GBR2150	Andy Couch	Rudyard Lake SC	30	7	11	5	1	6	25
8	GBR2169	Will Turner	Dabchicks SC	38	8	10	2	41	8	10
9	GBR2042	Richard Burton	Oxford SC	43	9	5	18	2	9	21
10	GBR2147	Tom Lonsdale	West Oxford SC	50	11	8	12	17	10	9

http://www.dabchicks.co.uk/regatta-and-open-events/international-ok-results" target="_blank">Click here for full results