Allen OK Class UK Southern Championship at Stokes Bay Sailing Club - Preview

2024 Allen Grand Slam Champion Tom Lonsdale in action during the PRO-SET Epoxy OK class UK National Championships at Brixham © Tom Wild

Over the weekend of 28th & 29th September the eagerly anticipated OK UK Southern Championship, and the final round of the Allen Grand Slam Series, returns to Stokes Bay Sailing Club. It's been a few months since the OK class have had an event on the sea, and with a bit of everything in the current forecast, anything could happen.

The current entry list reads like a who's who of the crop of front-end OK sailors. This could lead to some great close racing, and abundance of story telling and beer drinking over the meal on Saturday night.

Recently crowned OK dinghy Inland Champion Mr HD Sails, Andy (Taxi) Davis, is venturing down south with the hope of a bit of Autumn sunshine. Looking to avenge defeat after some close match racing at the Inlands, Matt Howard will set out on his short drive down the coast from Hayling to try and knock Taxi off his perch. Matt's not the only Hayling boat currently entered. Paul Childs and Andrew Mills have managed to find a boat each among the many OKs buried in sand at the Hayling dinghy park, and will also venture down the road to add to the mix. Scottish and the newly crowned Allen Grand Slam Champion Tom Lonsdale and his P&B work mate, Ollie Davenport, reigning Ovington Inland Champion, will both be hoping to extend on their 2024 successes.

Also on the entry list are the two veterans: My knees are shot Terry Curtis and, undertaking the commendable drive down from the Lake District, Ian (Hoppy) Hopwood. Both sailors are capable of causing an upset.

Bernard Clark will be there as part of his south coast mini holiday. At the recent Inlands Bernard showed he is more than capable of ghosting the OK around if it gets light and fluky. Finally, there the two local boats who you can never discount, Gavin (cool name) Sharp, and event organiser, the local legend Hugh Myers. They'll know every tidal back eddie and local wind shifts that may result in the mixed forecast for the weekend.

With a meal and camping/van parking all available to book through the club website, it's not too late to get your entry in and join the fun in the Solent this weekend.

webcollect.org.uk/stokesbay-sc/event/rs300-ok-europe-open-28-29th-sept-2024

Good luck everyone.