P&B OK dinghy class Eastern Championship 2026 at Harwich Town Sailing Club

P&B OK Eastern Championship at Harwich Town © Simon Davis

Six OK sailors travelled to Harwich Town Sailing Club to contest the P&B OK Eastern Championship (part of the P&B OK Dinghy Grand Slam Series) with three races scheduled in a one-day Grand Slam series event.

The forecast promised a steady 10-12 knots from the south-east, gradually backing during the day. In reality, conditions on the short sail out to Dovercourt Bay were anything but settled, with 30° shifts and winds ranging from 10 to 22 knots keeping the fleet on its toes from the outset.

Although the fleet was on the start line early, the first challenge of the day was setting a fair windward mark, with 15° shifts continuing for around 10 minutes before the breeze finally settled and Race Officer Martin got proceedings under way.

The opening race produced tight racing over the first two laps before Simon edged clear of Peter on the final downwind leg. Ady and Clive followed home in third and fourth. With the breeze touching 20 knots at times, there were gains to be made by playing the shifts upwind, while avoiding the holes downwind proved just as important in the relatively slack tide.

P&B OK Eastern Championship at Harwich Town - photo © Dave Richardson

Race 2 began just as the tide started to ebb, leading to excellent racing throughout the fleet, with places changing hands on almost every leg. Peter rounded the windward mark first, but the wind then shut off almost completely, leaving the fleet parked within 20 metres of each other before the breeze filled in again. At the leeward gate the pack remained tightly compressed, with Simon choosing the left-hand mark and Rupert following.

A further 20° shift to the east made the windward mark reachable in one. Ady and myself at this point must of thought it was a done deal but the light, shifty breeze in the final 200 metres brought the whole fleet back together at the windward mark. That set up a final downwind leg, now effectively a reach, in which Simon just managed to stay ahead of Peter and Clive in a thrilling finish.

Race 3 saw the wind swing further east and build again to 15-20 knots, with all six OKs remaining closely matched throughout. The shortened beat created a compact fleet tacking in towards Dovercourt Beach, and the light breeze in the final 100 metres, combined with the ebb tide, punished anyone who missed the lay line.

After the first lap, Simon was able to build a small advantage and then control the race upwind, covering the rest of the fleet to complete a clean sweep of the day.

Winners Peter Holbrook, Simon Davis, Adrian Pells - P&B OK Eastern Championship at Harwich Town - photo © John Bartley

It was a day of consistently close racing across a wide range of conditions, making for an excellent championship at Harwich. Special thanks go to Harwich Town Sailing Club's race officers and safety boat teams for delivering the event, and to OK class and Grand Slam series sponsor Pinnell & Bax for providing the prizes.

Overall Results: