OKs at the Dinghy Show - Join Team 2022 now!
by Karen Robertson 28 Feb 04:47 PST
2-3 March 2019
2019 Symonite OK World Championship © Robert Deaves
Fresh from the hugely successful World Championship in New Zealand, the resurgent OK Dinghy class will be exhibiting at this weekend's RYA Dinghy Show and invites all sailors to drop by for a chat to find out why the OK is the perfect boat for both the aspiring international sailor and the domestic club sailor.
Join Team 2022
With all the major championships in recent years regularly attracting over 100 boats from multiple countries and continents and an influx of ex-Olympians and champions from other classes, the OK Dinghy can rightfully claim to be one of the premier international non-Olympic adult classes. With the World Championship coming to the UK in 2022, now is the perfect time to join the class and show the world what you can do on home waters against the best in the World. As the Kiwi's have shown with their domination of the results at the 2019 Worlds in NZ, when a nation comes together and builds towards a major event, the results can be astounding and the GBR Team 2022 campaign to put on the best event ever and be the best team in 2022 starts now!
If you think this could be for you, you could be looking forward to enjoying world class competition at the World Championships in Marstrand in 2020, Garda in 2021, or even further ahead at Brisbane in 2023, along with the annual European Championships at venues such as Kiel this year along with other regular European international events from Scandinavia down to the Mediterranean. And if the prospect of truly world class competition isn't enough for you, the amazing camaraderie and social energy of the class worldwide at all events is legendary. So, if this sounds appealing perhaps now is the time to expand your horizons from your domestic class or move across from your Olympic class into something a bit less serious but still as competitive and join the British OK fleet and be part of Team 2022.
Sail Club Class In comfort and in style
While the OK is attracting top sailors worldwide it is also one of the most underrated boats in the UK dinghy scene and perfect for many club sailors. While many will remember the OK as it was 'back in the day' with wooden or metal masts, the advent of the modern OK rig with carbon mast and radial sail has transformed the boat into an absolute dream to sail. Despite the apparently low boom, the deep cockpit, almost completely free of obstructions gives plenty of room for tacks and gybes and that cockpit depth means kneeling on the downwind legs will be a thing of the past. The centreboard makes launching and recovery easy and should you capsize it is in easy reach from the water, making recovery straight forward. Along with these excellent characteristics is the exceptionally long competitive life of the equipment.
The third place boat at the recent World Championship was a 35 year old GRP hull fitted with an up-to-date rig and sailed by a talented sailor. If that wasn't shocking enough, two boats in the top ten were home built wood hulls from CNC kit sets. Furthermore the class has consciously avoided the fashion for laminate sails and stayed with Dacron to avoid the short competitive life and sometimes severe shrinkage found in laminate sails in similar classes. Putting these characteristics together, an OK with a modern rig offers phenomenal long-term value and a classy, comfortable ride for the club sailor.
Broadening the Appeal
The UK class association is also leading the way in diversifying the fleet by developing, with the aid of a leading OK sail manufacturer, a smaller 80% sail for ladies and smaller youths and have a growing group of 'young guns' who have realised the OK offers them the high level of world class competition they crave, without following the full Olympic pathway in the hope of glory. The OK Dinghy gives these 'young guns' the chance to both rub competitive shoulders with legends like Freddy Loof and Rod Davis and have a beer on the beach with them afterwards. There are not many classes that can offer that for the reasonable cost and easy access of the OK Dinghy.
So, whether you are interested in expanding your racing horizons, are just looking for a boat to give a rewarding, comfortable and long-lasting boat or just want to see an amazingly well finished OK in the flesh, do drop past our stand at the Dinghy Show. We're sure you'll find the chat intriguing, we can set you up with a trial sail or loan of our demo boat and if you time it right, 5 time OK World Champion, Nick Craig will be on hand to tell you how to do it in 2022 (if you ask nicely!).
If you can't make the Dinghy Show, do come to one of our Open events and we'll do what the OK fleet is famous for worldwide and buy you a beer.