Nick Craig secures record fifth OK Dinghy world crown in Barbados

by Robert Deaves on 1 Jun 2017

Final day - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships Alistair Deaves

The Barbados wind beats to the same rhythm of the boom-box buses that rumble past the Barbados Yacht Club each day. It starts, it stops, it turns around, all the time going in no particular direction. You pick it up and take it one way only to find it is taking you in the wrong direction. It pulsates like the booming bass beat. It is hot and humid.

For the majority of sailors at the 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships in Barbados, it has been hard to make sense of the wind, but one person has shown an uncanny ability to be in the right place every time, and sail his boat faster than anyone else.

Discarding a third place in the 79-boat fleet Nick Craig, from Britain, dominated the series for perhaps his most convincing win ever. This is his fifth OK Dinghy world crown and perhaps the sweetest yet as he becomes the first person in the 60 year history of the class to win five world titles.

The defending champion, Jim Hunt, sailed an impressive series as well, never below fifth, and put together a scoreline that in most years would have easily won him the title. Third place Luke O’Connell, from New Zealand, led a strong Kiwi challenge with five boats inside the top ten.

Final day - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

Only one race was possible on the final day in perhaps the most capricious wind of the week. Jørgen Svendsen, of Denmark, led the race all the way until the final beat when Hunt and Craig sneaked past as the wind started to go even more patchy and shifty. Hunt took his second victory of the week, while O’Connell took third as Svendsen was an early starter.

The race team tried to start the final race, but the conditions and the time were against them. Eventually they admitted defeat and at 14.50, the end of the regatta was signalled and the start of the race to the beach to get the first boat into the containers.

Final day - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

O’Connell said, “It’s been a tough week, I am pleased to come away with third. The middle of the week was pretty bad for me. I don’t know what happened there really. But it was great sailing here. Nick and Jim sailed super well and nick definitely deserved to win.”

Paying tribute to Craig, Hunt said “It’s fantastic isn’t it. He just outsailed every one all week. He’s just been a bit more on it all week, starting better, being in the right place at the right time. He hasn’t really missed anything. He was quick downwind, there were not really any holes in his game, which is a bit of a shame, as if he hadn’t been here I would have looked quite good.”

“But it was great fun, I’ve had a great time.”

Final day - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

New World Champion, Craig, said, “Fantastic day, absolutely delighted. It was always a little tense as I needed a 12th which is just the kind of thing where you could be too conservative and end up having a 20th, so I got an average start which was just good enough, got a lane, and went up to about fifth at the windward mark and then just sailed really conservatively and just sailed near Jim as well partly because he always goes the right way and because if he was deep or going well then I would be matching him. So it worked out really nicely.”

“I think it was a tricky week because it was very shifty and we had weed challenges, but overall it’s just a fantastic place so sail. It’s so warm, the water is warm, beer is cold; it’s fantastic. I really enjoyed myself.”

Next year the class heads to Warnemunde in Germany, for the 2018 World Championship, one of the classes favourite venues.

Final day - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

Even as the OK Dinghies were packed away in their containers to begin their long journeys home, their spaces on the beach were slowly being filled with Finns for the start of the Finn World Masters on Friday.

Final day - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

Nadine Tietje fighting for the new Ladies prize - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

Juliane Hofmann - 2017 OK Dinghy World Championships © Alistair Deaves

Highlights of the final day in Barbados

Final results after nine races

No	Sailno	Name	Points	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1	GBR 2195	NICK CRAIG	10,0	1	1	1	2	(3)	1	1	1	2
2	GBR 11	JIM HUNT	22,0	2	3	4	(5)	1	4	5	2	1
3	NZL 546	LUKE O'CONNELL	42,0	3	2	2	4	(bfd)	17	3	8	3
4	NZL 545	STEVE McDOWELL	53,0	4	16	8	(17)	4	6	4	4	7
5	NZL 517	PAUL RHODES	55,0	5	9	5	6	6	3	14	7	(20)
6	AUS 749	ROGER BLASSE	56,0	10	15	3	7	5	9	(22)	3	4
7	NZL 551	MARK PERROW	64,0	20	4	7	3	2	(dsq)	2	14	12
8	GBR 2191	CHRIS TURNER	65,0	6	8	(25)	8	8	8	9	9	9
9	NZL 566	GREG WILCOX	78,0	9	10	(20)	10	11	10	6	16	6
10	DEN 3	JORGEN SVENDSEN	96,0	19	14	14	1	23	5	8	12	(bfd)
11	POL 14	PAWEL PAWLACZYK	100,0	(24)	5	17	18	10	13	10	19	8
12	POL 1	TOMASZ GAJ	115,0	8	6	28	22	7	23	11	(29)	10
13	NZL 567	CHRIS FENWICK	123,0	18	(31)	13	23	14	22	7	21	5
14	DEN 1402	BO TEGLERS NIELSEN	127,0	16	17	10	13	(26)	16	19	10	26
15	GER 778	SOENKE BEHRENS	129,0	15	13	34	15	19	(40)	15	5	13
16	AUS 768	MARK JACKSON	133,0	27	7	6	11	9	11	(dns)	32	30
17	GER 772	OLIVER GRONHOLZ	133,0	(ret)	12	26	16	22	7	21	15	14
18	NZL 498	JONO CLOUGH	138,0	17	20	12	14	12	19	20	(26)	24
19	DEN 1397	HENRIK KOFOED - LARSEN	146,0	28	34	11	9	15	15	12	22	(bfd)
20	NZL 523	JOE POREBSKI	161,0	14	24	24	(dsq)	27	27	23	6	16
21	GER 5	RALF TIETJE	162,0	21	21	(33)	12	17	31	17	25	18
22	AUS 754	BRENT WILLIAMS	167,0	11	18	21	20	33	2	16	46	(bfd)
23	GBR 10	ROBERT DEAVES	168,0	12	29	19	21	21	(37)	32	13	21
24	DEN 22	ASK ASKHOLM	169,0	25	23	23	19	(30)	26	25	11	17
25	AUS 750	PETER ROBINSON	196,0	(43)	37	9	26	20	20	13	35	36
26	GER 803	MARTIN v.ZIMMERMANN	202,0	7	11	15	33	(dnf)	12	26	17	bfd
27	GER 775	JOERG RADEMACHER	213,0	22	25	(40)	27	35	32	24	37	11
28	NZL 575	MICHAEL WILDE	213,0	33	28	(44)	29	16	18	33	28	28
29	NZL 531	ADRIAN COULTHARD	222,0	29	30	32	40	13	25	(43)	30	23
30	NZL 536	ERIC RONE	223,0	13	22	36	36	25	29	(38)	33	29
31	AUS 719	GLENN WILLIAMS	231,0	37	26	22	(43)	40	14	35	23	34
32	NZL 571	ROB HENGST	244,0	34	36	30	(45)	28	44	29	18	25
33	GER 7	ANDREAS PICH	252,0	35	(41)	35	31	31	35	39	24	22
34	NZL 565	SIMON PROBERT	277,0	39	48	31	32	39	28	(59)	27	33
35	DEN 1335	MOGENS JOHANSEN	284,0	40	39	18	34	34	(dnf)	41	51	27
36	GBR 2163	GAVIN WALDRON	288,0	52	44	16	41	18	38	36	43	(54)
37	GER 75	DIRK DAME	295,0	45	38	39	42	(51)	33	27	31	40
38	GBR 13	ALEX SCOLES	297,0	26	19	29	30	(bfd)	24	34	54	bfd
39	NZL 563	DAVID HOOGENBOOM	299,0	(50)	32	50	24	36	39	45	36	37
40	SWE 2791	LENNART HANSSON	300,0	38	43	41	(ret)	29	46	31	41	31
41	POL 19	GRZEGORGZ SALAMON	304,0	32	33	(dnf)	ret	44	21	30	48	15
42	GER 6	FABIAN GRONHOLZ	317,0	(60)	35	48	49	46	36	44	40	19
43	DEN 1442	PETER HEIDE-JORGENSEN	321,0	36	42	27	28	43	43	46	56	(bfd)
44	DEN 1481	NILS TROLAND	322,0	41	45	(59)	37	42	30	18	50	59
45	GBR 2176	KEITH BYERS	333,0	30	27	55	51	37	53	48	(57)	32
46	GER 11	RAINER POSPIECH	353,0	23	40	47	55	38	45	56	49	(bfd)
47	NZL 568	DEAN NEIL COLEMAN	353,0	(57)	53	43	25	49	41	52	47	43
48	GER 8	RONALD FOEST	363,0	47	(ret)	63	35	56	42	40	38	38
49	DEN 1399	CHRISTOPHER JOE SCHUBERT	364,0	(dsq)	46	46	44	45	34	47	67	35
50	DEN 1407	MALTE PEDERSEN	389,0	42	51	57	68	24	47	58	42	(bfd)
51	GER 22	DIRK GERICKE	391,0	48	59	45	47	50	50	53	(64)	39
52	NZL 564	SEFTON POWRIE	393,0	59	52	56	39	(dnf)	dns	37	20	49
53	GER 757	FALK HAGEMANN	409,0	51	55	42	38	54	51	(64)	60	58
54	GER 12	STEFAN RASSAU	411,0	53	(dnf)	dnf	52	41	52	28	61	41
55	AUS 736	GRANT WAKEFIELD	412,0	61	57	51	54	32	(dnf)	54	55	48
56	AUS 688	DAVID HASELDINE	419,0	55	(58)	53	46	58	55	50	58	44
57	GER 767	JULIANE HOFMANN	429,0	54	47	58	56	53	49	55	(63)	57
58	GER 731	THOMAS GLAS	430,0	44	49	37	48	(dnf)	dns	51	39	dns
59	AUS 725	DAVID KETTERIDGE	435,0	58	64	38	50	(dns)	dns	49	45	50
60	NZL 574	PHILIP RZEPECKY	439,0	46	50	(dsq)	53	dnf	dns	42	44	42
61	NZL 569	PHIL COVENY	442,0	31	63	(dnf)	59	52	57	57	70	53
62	AUS 767	GLENN YATES	449,0	49	61	(dnf)	63	47	54	60	69	46
63	GER 777	NADINE TIETJE	463,0	62	54	60	60	48	(dnf)	65	53	60
64	GER 678	HEINZ RIDDER	474,0	64	(70)	64	62	57	48	62	65	52
65	AUS 766	ROBERT BUCHANAN	486,0	66	69	60	60	(dns)	dns	70	34	45
66	FRA 1833	FABIEN CAPEILLERES	499,0	56	56	49	(dnf)	dns	dns	63	52	61
67	POL 40	ROBERT SWIECKI	499,0	69	60	52	64	(dnf)	58	66	66	64
68	DEN 1458	SOREN SIGURDSSON	512,0	72	65	(dnf)	67	55	56	67	68	62
69	SWE 55	ULF SAHLE	516,0	63	62	62	57	(dns)	dns	61	74	56
70	AUS 738	KEVIN KNOTT	532,0	68	67	65	58	(dns)	dns	69	59	65
71	AUS 706	ERIK THOMPSON	538,0	65	68	54	66	(dnf)	dnf	68	73	63
72	GER 697	JOERG POSNY	548,0	70	66	(dnf)	65	ret	dns	72	62	51
73	GBR 2116	TIM O'LEARY	567,0	75	74	(dnf)	69	59	dns	71	71	67
74	AUS 716	DAVID SWALES	586,0	67	72	(dnf)	70	ret	dns	74	72	69
75	NZL 550	TONY BIERRE	594,0	71	71	(dnf)	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	47
76	GER 539	ULRICH BORCHERS	609,0	76	76	(dnf)	71	dns	dns	75	dns	68
77	GER 788	JESSICA FINKE	609,0	73	75	(dnf)	dns	dns	dns	73	75	70
78	GBR 2058	MARY REDDYHOFF	618,0	74	73	(dnf)	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	66
79	BAR 12159	Charlie Gloomeau	622,0	(dns)	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	55
80	GBR 2159	RUSSELL WARD	648,0	(dns)	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns	dns