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OK Dinghy European Championship at Bruinisse, Netherlands - Day 1

by Maryn Wilkes 10 Sep 22:47 PDT 10-13 September 2026
OK Dinghy Europeans at Bruinisse Day 1 © Jaco de Bat

After a wet start to the event on Wednesday, the sun finally broke through to deliver glorious sailing conditions for the opening two races of the 2026 OK Dinghy European Championship in Bruinisse.

While the fleet faced with shifting winds and challenging tactical conditions, it was Great Britain’s Andy Davis (GBR 11) who made the strongest start to the championship, getting to grips quickly to take victory in Race 1. Davis was closely followed across the line by Nick Craig (GBR 2295), with Sweden’s Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE 100) completing the leading group.

In Race 2 local Dutch sailor Pim van Vugt (NED 7) took the lead from mark 1 and held the fleet behind for the remainder of the race. However, Nick Craig was never far behind, hunting van Vugt down as the race progressed and keeping the pressure on right to the finish, with Andy Davis completing the top three.

After two races, Andy Davis sits at the top of the overall standings, with Nick Craig and Pim van Vugt completing the top three after an exciting opening day. With the championship still in its early stages and the margins in the fleet looking very close, the battle for the 2026 title promises plenty more close racing as the week continues.

The championship continues to Sunday. A total of eight races are scheduled.

Results after Day 1: (top ten, 2 races)

1 GBR 11 Andy DAVIS 4pts
2 GBR 2295 Nick CRAIG 4pts
3 NED 7 Pim van VUGT 6pts
4 SWE 100 Thomas HANSSON-MILD 9pts
5 CAN 26 Baabii'O FLOWER 18pts
6 NZL 24 Sean CLEARY 22pts
7 GER 919 Matthias LEITL 23pts
8 GBR 13 Alex SCOLES 23pts
9 GER 908 Michael NISSEN 25pts
10 ESP 42 Stephen BUTCHER 26pts

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