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Great Britain, OK World Qualifier at Dabchicks 2004

27/28 March 2004

The first qualifier for the 2005 OK Dinghy World Championships took place at Dabchicks Sailing Club at West Mersea over the weekend of 27/28 March. After the previous weekend's gales, 24 boat made it to the start line for two days of light southwesterlies and some interesting tidal race on the Blackwater Estuary.

With the Worlds in the UK later in the summer, most of the fleet are gearing up and proving to be competitive. After some inconsistent results in 2003, Jim Hunt, found some speed this weekend to win each and every race by a substantial margin, although he did get an OCS in race three for being over enthusiastic at the start.

Five times National Champion Nick Craig, sailing his aptly named boat "Smells r'us", had to settle to second place overall, getting his only win when Hunt scored OCS.

David Carroll scored two third places on the Saturday but an early swim and an imminent baby on Sunday saw him heading home early. Will Turner also had the misfortunate the lose his mast step on the start of race three and retired from the series.

Going into the last race, Hunt couldn't afford any mistakes and started conservatively mid line. Robert Deaves won the pin end to lead out on port with Craig playing catch up. These three arrived at the windward mark more or less together, but Hunt soon built up a lead that Craig couldn't catch. The next three - Deaves, Terry Curtis and John Ball - battled it out neck and neck for the next five laps. Curtis eventually got past Deaves on the penultimate lap to place third in the race and the meeting. After a consistent weekend, the rejuvenated John Ball finished in fourth place.