Sail-World.com : OK Dinghy Australian Championships to be held at Sail Melbourne
OK Dinghy Australian Championships to be held at Sail Melbourne
'R4 Roger Blasse leads brother Andre at the 2008 OK Dinghy Nationals'
Richard Furneaux
The 48th International OK Dinghy Australian Championships will be held in conjunction with Sail Melbourne at Sandringham Yacht Club from December 16 to 19.
Spokesman Richard Furneaux said the Australian OK Dinghy Association was delighted to again be invited to compete at the regatta.
Mr Furneaux said representatives from NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania would make up a fleet of approximately forty to forty five boats.
Victoria has held the edge for many years in winning the championship but, as class stalwart Bill Tyler points out, it was a close competition last year.
'NSW OK Dinghy sailors are looking forward to our National Championship to be conducted in conjunction with the 2009 Sail Melbourne event', Mr Tyler said.
`Over many years now the top Victorian blokes have proved to be too good for us but hopefully this year will give us a different result. We came close at the last Nationals when Andre Blasse and Peter Horne finished level on points at the end of the contest, however Andre won the event on a count back. Maybe this year! '
The event will be a crucial regatta for the OK sailors who are going to compete in the World Championships to be held in Wellington, New Zealand in February 2010.
Former World Champion Roger Blasse will be competing as will Andre Blasse who finished third in the Worlds last year. There will also be fierce competition among several juniors, those under 21 years of age, who will be looking to qualify for funding from the Clive Roberts Trust which supports and encourages the development of junior sailors in the OK class.
Online registration for the 2010 ISAF Sailing World Cup – Sail Melbourne is required for both competitors and coaches, and will be available on the Sail Melbourne website, www.sailmelbourne.com.au soon.
by Jennifer Milligan
10:27 AM Thu 2 Jul 2009 GMT
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