International OK Dinghy christening in Thailand - Boat bailer blocked by Ice???
by Morten Jakobsen 4 Feb 2024 20:48 NZDT
Admiring the elegant OK dinghy © Stefaan de Vos
After having been the only International OK dinghy in Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand for many years, the sailor of THA444 decided it was time for a change. So he naturally bought a container full of almost new OK dinghies after the 2023 Worlds sailed in Lyme Regis in the UK and brought them all to Thailand.
To help re-introduce the class in RVYC, an OK Dinghy open day was arrange on 3 February. The day saw 10 sailors mostly new to the class on the water, where they received tips from Varuna head coach K. Lim, who is an olympian and formed medal winner in OK dinghy in the Asian games. Judging from the participants huge smiles, the day was an unqualified success.
The onwater activites were followed up with a boat christening in full accondance with the class traditions. K. Dao Schoeniche held a traditional speech and ensured the boat was wetted with a splash of champagne. Her wishes of luck should ensure that Hanuman XXXXI should have a successful racing career.
The christening was attended by 30-40 members and guests, and all knew afterwards what the "New" class was, the history in Thailand, and why the class is growing at an almost unprecedented rate worldwide. The key attributes are of course the ability to handle crew from 73-110 kg and compete on equal terms with careful selection of mast and sails. It also does no harm that all test pilots found it more comfortable to sail than the dinghy most had grown up with, and knowing they could continue to race with their old mates, as the OK is equal speed to an ILCA7.
The main problem on the day was that one OK's were struggling with having the bailers blocked by ice. This is perhaps also a club first, but with help of the members this problem was also sorted out.