Toshiba 2006 OK Dinghy Worlds Day 4

by Robert Deaves on 16 Feb 2006 In a day of two halves at the Toshiba 2006 OK Dinghy World Championship in Belmont, Australia, defending world champion Nick Craig (GBR) took over the lead with a second place in race seven and consolidated his lead by leading race eight from start to finish. He goes into the final day with just a two point margin over Jorgen Lindhardtsen (DEN), who has a 10 point margin over third placed Karl Purdie (NZL).

After a 30 minute postponement, race seven started in a 5-6 knot northerly. The left side proved to be the way to go as everyone on the right side ran out of pressure. Mike Williams (AUS) led round the first mark after starting midline and going hard left before coming back in more pressure. He led all the way round the course to win the race. At the top mark, a number of new faces were to be seen. Following Williams was Peter Horne (AUS), Dave Hoogenboom (NZL), Richard Furneaux (AUS) and Bill Tyler (AUS).

Nick Craig (GBR) had taken the right side of the beat and rounded about 16th. He moved up to 10th by the leeward mark and gradually moved through the fleet until the final leeward mark when he rounded in third just behind Alistair Deaves (NZL).

Deaves had started the committee boat end totally buried and had played the left in an attempt to recover. Finding the pressure and the shift he rounded the first mark about eighth and took a few more places downwind to move up to second.

The wind increased slightly for the final beat and able to stretch his legs, Craig reeled in Deaves to take second place. Craig said later, “He should have eaten more breakfast like I did!”

The wind was up to 10 to 15 knots for race eight. Both Craig and Jorgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) started near the pin end and while Craig opted to consolidate and take the first shift across the fleet, Lindhardtsen carried on left and made just one tack to the windward mark, where he arrived just behind Craig.

Peter Horne continued his good form rounding in third. Craig was clearly in his element and stretched away to win his first race of the event. Behind him, Andre Blasse (AUS) had two great reaches to move up to second, but lost them on the final beat when he overstood the finish in a large left hand shift.

Lindhardtsen played the shifts better to move to second while Russell Wood (NZL) moved up to third.

So the final day comes down to a showdown between Craig and the veteran Lindhardtsen, both of whom have the greatest respect for each other although a generation apart.

Craig said with tongue firmly in cheek, 'Obviously tomorrow I will be keeping an eye on Jorgen, but there are several others still in the game. However Jorgen is undoubtedly the main danger and is very canny in spite of his lack of experience!' (Lindhardesten was sailing in Finn Gold Cups against John Bertrand as earrly as 1980. SW Ed.)

Part of the attraction of sailing an OK Dinghy is the ease of entry into the class and that a competitive boat can be obtained for relatively little outlay compared with similar boats. The introduction of carbon masts into the class in 2003, led to a spurt of development of rigs and the class is currently looking at evaluating modern sailcloth to take development a stage further.

In recent years the class has attracted a lot of talented younger sailors, attracted not only by competitive international fleets but also by the fun social side of the class. The class has traditionally attracted junior sailors, especially in Scandinavia and Australasia and developed a reputation as a trainer for the larger more expensive Finn.

Here in Belmont, the top Junior is Tom Burton (AUS) who is currently lying in 37th place. After scoring a 21st and 8th in the light wind races of Tuesday, he struggled in the breeze yesterday to place 47th and 54th. However in the recent Sail Melbourne event, he showed real potential finishing second overall to the Interdominion Champion Roger Blasse (AUS) after three race wins. If the winds here on Lake Macquarie had been lighter throughout it could have been a different story.

On Friday the final two races of the world championship will be sailed and a new world champion will be crowned.

Results after 8 races (1 drop)

1 GBR2116 N Craig 24.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 6.0 3.0 7.0 [9.0]
2 DEN1348 J Lindhardtsen 26.0 2.0 8.0 3.0 2.0 [8.0] 7.0 3.0 1.0
3 NZL502 K Purdie 36.0 [21.0] 7.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 9.0 7.0
4 NZL522 G Wilcox 41.0 9.0 6.0 6.0 12.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 [13.0]
5 AUS678 R Blasse 44.0 7.0 [25.0] 9.0 1.0 5.0 12.0 4.0 6.0
6 AUS720 M Williams 48.0 10.0 1.0 5.0 5.0 15.0 [28.0] 2.0 10.0
7 NZL526 R Wood 63.0 3.0 [51.0] 1.0 11.0 4.0 22.0 14.0 8.0
8 NZL504 A Mannering 65.0 8.0 [39.0] 16.0 6.0 16.0 4.0 11.0 4.0
9 AUS716 P Horne 66.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 8.0 14.0 [17.0] 13.0 15.0
10 AUS719 A Blasse 75.0 5.0 37.0 12.0 7.0 10.0 [39.0] 1.0 3.0
11 NZL525 S McDowell 86.0 14.0 [24.0] 10.0 17.0 11.0 15.0 8.0 11.0
12 NZL521 M Perrow 95.0 11.0 [53.0] 11.0 10.0 2.0 36.0 20.0 5.0
13 NZL472 A Deaves 96.0 16.0 3.0 [38.0] 13.0 18.0 19.0 10.0 17.0
14 GBR2081 R Deaves 101.0 [18.0] 11.0 13.0 14.0 17.0 14.0 16.0 16.0
15 DEN1340 J Petersen 105.0 17.0 18.0 14.0 23.0 13.0 [51.0] 18.0 2.0
16 AUS724 R Howard 105.0 [30.0] 15.0 18.0 15.0 9.0 21.0 5.0 22.0
17 GBR2110 J Fish 115.0 13.0 9.0 [36.0] 26.0 7.0 5.0 32.0 23.0
18 NZL523 J Porebski 119.0 6.0 [57.0] 7.0 27.0 20.0 26.0 15.0 18.0
19 AUS718 P Burton 136.0 21.0G 21.0G [32.0] 29.0 12.0 6.0 23.0 24.0
20 GBR2118 T Curtis 138.0 12.0 13.0 24.0 24.0 29.0 [46.0] 22.0 14.0
21 AUS722 P Foster 141.0 22.0 19.0 25.0 19.0 [30.0] 11.0 25.0 20.0
22 NZL491 M Bismark 152.0 15.0 [46.0] 17.0 9.0 39.0 34.0 17.0 21.0
23 GER680 J Dellas 163.0 23.0 42.0 21.0 33.0 23.0 9.0 12.0 [80.0F]
24 NZL497 T Pryce 166.0 24.0 16.0 31.0 21.0 [40.0] 31.0 24.0 19.0
25 NZL500 P Rzepecky 175.0 33.0 14.0 23.0 20.0 25.0 [41.0] 29.0 31.0
26 AUS676 T Davies 175.0 26.0 32.0 15.0 22.0 37.0 16.0 [70.5] 27.0
27 NZL518 G Pedersen 183.0 28.0 22.0 27.0 34.0 33.0 10.0 [40.0] 29.0
28 AUS713 P Lynch 187.0 25.0 21.0 28.0 [52.0] 19.0 25.0 35.0 34.0
29 AUS703 M McQueen 188.0 31.0 [59.0] 22.0 16.0 35.0 18.0 34.0 32.0
30 NZL481 D Hoogenboom 195.0 40.0 5.0 29.0 43.0 [45.0] 24.0 28.0 26.0
31 GBR2084 J Meadowcroft 195.0 29.0 12.0 39.0 25.0 27.0 [58.0] 30.0 33.0
32 AUS681 M Gleeson 196.0 43.0 27.0 19.0 28.0 [56.0] 23.0 26.0 30.0
33 GER718 P Scheuerl 198.0 19.0 30.0 33.0 30.0 32.0 [42.0] 19.0 35.0
34 AUS711 N Gray 224.0 27.0 35.0 20.0 32.0 [49.0] 30.0 42.0 38.0
35 AUS696 J McAllister 230.0 34.0 33.0 26.0 18.0 26.0 13.0 80.0C [80.0C]
36 AUS610 T Burton 233.0 35.0 28.0 [54.0] 47.0 21.0 8.0 49.0 45.0
37 SWE99 H Elkjaer 233.0 20.0 [54.0] 40.0 31.0 47.0 49.0 21.0 25.0
38 GBR2117 A Scoles 256.0 32.0 29.0 45.0 44.0 46.0 20.0 [56.0] 40.0
39 AUS672 D Ketteridge 258.0 41.0 10.0 48.0 [55.0] 36.0 35.0 36.0 52.0
40 AUS704 B Chapman 260.0 51.0 26.0 37.0 50.0 24.0 [65.0] 33.0 39.0
41 SWE2756 P Jaensson 267.0 36.0 17.0 41.0 46.0 41.0 40.0 46.0 [80.0C]
42 AUS694 R Furneaux 283.0 49.0 20.0 35.0 40.0 [51.0] 43.0 48.0 48.0
43 AUS628 B Ashton 285.0 [57.0] 44.0 42.0 51.0 28.0 29.0 41.0 50.0
44 AUS693 E O'Donnell 289.0 39.0 [50.0] 30.0 38.0 44.0 48.0 47.0 43.0
45 NZL498 D Hunt 297.0 37.0 38.0 34.0 48.0 48.0 47.0 45.0 [51.0]
46 AUS721 J Barr 300.0 50.0 41.0 52.0 36.0 31.0 [64.0] 44.0 46.0
47 GBR2100 D Ager 300.0 45.0 47.0 [66.0] 35.0 61.0 33.0 43.0 36.0
48 SWE2759 P Olssen 304.0 46.0 45.0 44.0 49.0 53.0 [78.0O] 39.0 28.0
49 AUS708 C Visick 304.0 [55.0] 40.0 46.0 41.0 43.0 38.0 52.0 44.0
50 AUS668 P Wallace 305.0 38.