Toshiba 2006 OK Dinghy - 2nd world title for Craig

by Robert Deaves on 17 Feb 2006 The brilliant Australian sunshine returned for the final day of the Toshiba 2006 OK Dinghy World Championship in Belmont, Lake Macquarie but the wind was a bit late turning up. When it finally arrived two hours late, things started to get interesting. Jorgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) won the first race to bring him to within one point of Nick Craig (GBR) for the title. The final race showdown between Lindhardtsen and Craig didn’t materialise as an uncharacteristic error from Lindhardtsen left him chasing the fleet.

The fleet went afloat at 10.00 for a scheduled 11.00 start, drifted around for an hour in no wind and came ashore again. At 13.00 out they went again and this race nine was started in about 10 knots.

Lindhardtsen started at the pin and hit the left hand corner before leading into the first mark followed by Jon Fish (GBR), Roger Blasse (AUS) and Craig, who had had a bad started and bailed out to the right side of the course. Lindhardtsen led all the way to win the race. Craig pulled through Fish and Blasse on the final beat to secure second.

After a general recall, race ten got underway in similar conditions. Again Lindhardtsen started at the pin and headed left while Craig started at the committee boat and also headed left. At the top mark Craig had a narrow lead over Fish and Robert Deaves (GBR). Lindhardtsen had trouble finding the windward mark overstood and rounded about 12th.

The ever cool Craig led all the way to win the race and the championship with Greg Wilcox (NZL) moving up to second and Karl Purdie (NZL) to third. This was the first time since the race format was changed to 10 races that the final race had been sailed – and with 40 minutes to spare.

Lindhardtsen credited Craig saying, “Nick sailed fantastically this week. Early on I thought he was having problems with his speed but the last three days he has sailed exceptionally well.”

Craig also spoke of Lindhardtsen. “Jorgen is a legend. It’s like racing against a 25 year old sometimes. He’s so fit and focused and really hard to beat. I think what is really awesome is that he went for it 100 per cent every race, sailing extremely hard and was obviously here to win. I really hope he will be back next year in Poland, as I will be.”

For the second year running the bronze medal goes this year to New Zealander Greg Wilcox, who is also President of the OK Dinghy International Association.

His second place in the last race was enough to pull ahead of team mate Karl Purdie who had started the day in third place.

Next year’s OK World Championship will be sailed in the sunny Baltic resort of Leba in Poland.


Final results:


1 GBR2116 N Craig 27.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 6.0 3.0 7.0 [9.0]
2 DEN1348 J Lindhardtsen 35.0 [10.0] 1.0 2.0 8.0 3.0 2.0 8.0 7.0 3.0 1.0
3 NZL522 G Wilcox 51.0 2.0 8.0 9.0 6.0 6.0 12.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 [13.0]
4 AUS678 R Blasse 54.0 6.0 4.0 7.0 [25.0] 9.0 1.0 5.0 12.0 4.0 6.0
5 NZL502 K Purdie 58.0 3.0 19.0 [21.0] 7.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 9.0 7.0
6 AUS720 M Williams 62.0 4.0 10.0 10.0 1.0 5.0 5.0 15.0 [28.0] 2.0 10.0
7 AUS716 P Horne 84.0 12.0 6.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 8.0 14.0 [17.0] 13.0 15.0
8 AUS719 A Blasse 114.0 14.0 25.0 5.0 37.0 12.0 7.0 10.0 [39.0] 1.0 3.0
9 NZL504 A Mannering 116.0 18.0 33.0 8.0 [39.0] 16.0 6.0 16.0 4.0 11.0 4.0
10 NZL525 S McDowell 122.0 16.0 20.0 14.0 [24.0] 10.0 17.0 11.0 15.0 8.0 11.0
11 NZL526 R Wood 123.0 28.0 32.0 3.0 [51.0] 1.0 11.0 4.0 22.0 14.0 8.0
12 NZL472 A Deaves 125.0 11.0 18.0 16.0 3.0 [38.0] 13.0 18.0 19.0 10.0 17.0
13 GBR2081 R Deaves 126.0 7.0 [22.0] 18.0 11.0 13.0 14.0 17.0 14.0 16.0 16.0
14 NZL521 M Perrow 127.0 20.0 12.0 11.0 [53.0] 11.0 10.0 2.0 36.0 20.0 5.0
15 DEN1340 J Petersen 130.0 8.0 17.0 17.0 18.0 14.0 23.0 13.0 [51.0] 18.0 2.0
16 GBR2110 J Fish 133.0 15.0 3.0 13.0 9.0 [36.0] 26.0 7.0 5.0 32.0 23.0
17 AUS718 P Burton 157.0 5.0 5.0 [78.0G] 21.0G 32.0 29.0 12.0 6.0 23.0 24.0
18 GBR2118 T Curtis 158.0 9.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 24.0 24.0 29.0 [46.0] 22.0 14.0
19 AUS724 R Howard 162.0 27.0 [43.0] 30.0 15.0 18.0 15.0 9.0 21.0 5.0 22.0
20 NZL491 M Bismark 172.0 13.0 7.0 15.0 [46.0] 17.0 9.0 39.0 34.0 17.0 21.0
21 NZL523 J Porebski 176.0 31.0 26.0 6.0 [57.0] 7.0 27.0 20.0 26.0 15.0 18.0
22 AUS722 P Foster 187.0 [46.0] 16.0 22.0 19.0 25.0 19.0 30.0 11.0 25.0 20.0
23 NZL497 T Pryce 219.0 24.0 29.0 24.0 16.0 31.0 21.0 [40.0] 31.0 24.0 19.0
24 AUS703 M McQueen 222.0 25.0 9.0 31.0 [59.0] 22.0 16.0 35.0 18.0 34.0 32.0
25 GBR2084 J Meadowcroft 231.0 23.0 13.0 29.0 12.0 39.0 25.0 27.0 [58.0] 30.0 33.0
26 NZL500 P Rzepecky 240.0 38.0 27.0 33.0 14.0 23.0 20.0 25.0 [41.0] 29.0 31.0
27 NZL518 G Pedersen 241.0 34.0 24.0 28.0 22.0 27.0 34.0 33.0 10.0 [40.0] 29.0
28 AUS676 T Davies 241.0 19.0 47.0 26.0 32.0 15.0 22.0 37.0 16.0 [70.5] 27.0
29 AUS681 M Gleeson 253.0 43.0 14.0 43.0 27.0 19.0 28.0 [56.0] 23.0 26.0 30.0
30 GER680 J Dellas 258.0 55.0 40.0 23.0 42.0 21.0 33.0 23.0 9.0 12.0 [80.0F]
31 GER718 P Scheuerl 262.0 22.0 [50.0] 19.0 30.0 33.0 30.0 32.0 42.0 19.0 35.0
32 NZL481 D Hoogenboom 270.0 45.0 30.0 40.0 5.0 29.0 43.0 [45.0] 24.0 28.0 26.0
33 AUS711 N Gray 275.0 30.0 21.0 27.0 35.0 20.0 32.0 [49.0] 30.0 42.0 38.0
34 AUS713 P Lynch 280.0 41.0 52.0 25.0 21.0 28.0 [52.0] 19.0 25.0 35.0 34.0
35 AUS610 T Burton 287.0 26.0 28.0 35.0 28.0 [54.0] 47.0 21.0 8.0 49.0 45.0
36 GBR2117 A Scoles 304.0 17.0 31.0 32.0 29.0 45.0 44.0 46.0 20.0 [56.0] 40.0
37 SWE99 H Elkjaer 304.0 37.0 34.0 20.0 [54.0] 40.0 31.0 47.0 49.0 21.0 25.0
38 AUS672 D Ketteridge 331.0 29.0 44.0 41.0 10.0 48.0 [55.0] 36.0 35.0 36.0 52.0
39 SWE2756 P Jaensson 347.0 32.0 48.0 36.0 17.0 41.0 46.0 41.0 40.0 46.0 [80.0C]
40 SWE2759 P Olssen 348.0 21.0 23.0 46.0 45.0 44.0 49.0 53.0 [78.0O] 39.0 28.0
41 AUS704 B Chapman 348.0 47.0 41.0 51.0 26.0 37.0 50.0 24.0 [65.0] 33.0 39.0
42 GBR2100 D Ager 350.0 35.0 15.0 45.0 47.0 [66.0] 35.0 61.0 33.0 43.0 36.0
43 AUS694 R Furneaux 367.0 33.0 [62.0] 49.0 20.0 35.0 40.0 51.0 43.0 48.0 48.0
44 AUS693 E O'Donnell 374.0 [51.0] 35.0 39.0 50.0 30.0 38.0 44.0 48.0 47.0 43.0
45 AUS696 J McAllister 386.0 78.0C 78.0F 34.0 33.0 26.0 18.0 26.0 13.0 80.0C [80.0C]
46 NZL498 D Hunt 387.0 39.0 51.0 37.0 38.0 34.0 48.0 48.0 47.0 45.0 [51.0]
47 GBR2108 N Goodhead 390.0 44.0 37.0 53.0 43.0 [60.0] 54.0 22.0 37.0 53.0 47.0
48 AUS721 J Barr 391.0 49.0 42.0 50.0 41.0 52.0 36.0 31.0 [64.0] 44.0 46.0
49 AUS628 B Ashton 394.0 52.0 [63.0] 57.0 44.0 42.0 51.0 28.0 29.0 41.0 50.0
50 AUS708 C Visick 396.0 53.0 39.0 [55.0] 40.0 46.0 41.0 43.0 38.0 52.0 44.0
51 AUS668 P Wallace 397.0 54.0 38.0 38.0 49.0 55.0 39.0 [58.0] 45.0 37.0 42.0
52 AUS641 B Holly 411.0 57.0 46.0 42.0 52.0 50.0 37.0 59.0 [68.0] 31.0 37.0
53 GER632 F Gronholz 426.0 40.0 49.0 47.0 [64.0] 53.0 45.0 55.0 27.0 57.0 53.0
54 AUS692 B Tyler 442.0 42.0 61.0 52.0 23.0 58.0 56.0 42.0 [62.0] 54.0 54.0
55 AUS709 P Yates 446.0 61.0 57.0 44.0 55.0 43.0 42.0 38.0 [61.0] 51.0 55.0
56 GER695 D Gericke 468.0 59.0 45.0 48.0 60.0 56.0 57.0 34.0 53.0 [63.0] 56.0
57 AUS689 G Yates 469.0 66.0 [66.0] 54.0 31.0 49.0 53.0 60.0 57.0 50.0 49.0
58 GBR2007 A Rich 474.0 36.0 36.0 78.0C 61.0 59.0 [78.0F] 57.0 32.0 55.0 60.0
59 POL189 D Kras 494.0 50.0 55.0 59.0 [66.0] 47.0 59.0 65.0 44.0 58.0 57.0
60 AUS695 J Hogan 529.0 65.0 56.0 56.0 36.0 57.0 66.0 68.0 67.0 [68.0] 58.0
61 SWE2757 T Svenesson 531.0 78.0C 78.