2009 World Championship, Kalmar, Sweden

Kalmar, Sweden

July 23rd-31st

To Practice Race Results

To Results
both further down this page

Reports by Mary Reddyhoff

Saturday 25th July 2009 – Practice Race

With measurement completed with smooth effectiveness, there was an air of optimism in the dinghy park. Just centimetres away from the channel accessing the race area, sailors were able to complete their final preparations in sunshine with a moderate breeze blowing. Andre Blasse (AUS) said “I will be happy to finish 7th behind the six previous World Champions this year. Achieving a top ten place will be very difficult with so many of the top OK sailors present at this event”.

Keen to get the Championship underway, many were premature starters at the start of the Practice race and a general recall resulted. The AP was raised seconds before the second start as a major wind shift occurred under thunderous clouds. Once passed, the wind settled back to the SW and the race began in 20 knots of breeze, with a short steep wave pattern well established in the breezy conditions. Nick Craig (GBR) led the fleet to the pin end, tacking onto port as the gun fired. Another wind shift saw the port side of the course paying, with the leaders fetching into the windward mark, well ahead of the committee boat end starters.

At the gybe mark Karl Purdie (NZL), the current World Champion, had established a several boat length lead on Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN), with Craig, Christian Olesen (DEN) and Oliver Gronholz (GER) in hot pursuit. The second and third beats were good, favouring the big breeze sailors. Craig capsized on the gybe at the leeward mark “I did not let off the kicker” he said “as I have only done one event this year!” The majority of the fleet peeled off home in the choppy conditions, leaving thirty three to finish, the last Mathieu Chenuil (FRA). He was not the least discouraged “I am determined to finish every race and learn as much as I can at my first Worlds”.

It is common for the leader not to finish the Practice race on the suspicion it will mar his performance later in the week; however Purdie sailed to take the gun with the comment “I am out for what I can get this week!”. Gronholz was 2nd, although slow upwind, he was pleased with his tactics on the shifts, saying “I was happy with my speed on the reach and the run”.

Lindhardtsen surprised the leaders with his speed upwind, shrugging his shoulders he said “my back is still a bit sore”. Greg Wilcox (NZL) President of the OK Dinghy International Association, passed Craig, finishing 5th.

Sunday 26th July 2009

After two general recalls, the race officer, Patrik Schander, used the black flag to get the clear start for the first race of the OK World Championships in Kalmar, Sweden. Sailing in sunshine and a moderate breeze, the 71 OKs set off up the 20 minute beat.  The majority of the fleet remained on the starboard side of the course with Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) and Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) leading at the windward mark. They created a big lead on the following pack, led by Terry Curtis (GBR) and defending champion Karl Purdie (NZL).  The order remained unchanged to the finish.

Hansson-Mild was delighted to continue his winning ways.  He won the last race of the World Championship in Warnemunde in 2008 and now starts the 2009 Championship with a win.

After a general recall at the start of race 2 there was a short delay while the wind backed to a more southerly direction.   

As it settled back to the original direction, the race officer lost no time in starting the race with a black flag, claiming three premature starters.  The moderate breeze persisted, creating a short chop that was difficult to sail over when the wind pressure dropped. Nick Craig (GBR) rounded the windward mark first, with Purdie close behind.  Having been penalised by the jury in race 1 Craig sailed a conservative reach, Purdie however, managed to surf past and steadily increased his lead for the remainder of the race.  Andre Blasse (AUS) managed to pass Craig, as did Lindhardtsen on the line!

Day 1 reflections
Purdie, who leads the fleet, reflected on the day’s racing.  “The first race was OK, but I did not get a good start, spending most of the time on Curtis’ transom. The shifts are predictable, and with everyone travelling at very similar speeds, it is difficult to get past your opponents. In the second race I had a better start and was able to be more aggressive than Craig in my sailing of the reaches as he had received the yellow flag in the first race. I am pleased with my results – though they are not as good as last year’s.”  He won both races last year.

Ex-Olympian, Lindhardtsen continues to show the rest of the fleet how to sail an OK Dinghy. He is currently in second place, on equal points with Purdie. Now 64 years of age, more than 20 years Purdie’s senior, he commented that it could have been so much worse as, whilst trying to break out from Curtis’ cover, he did a bad tack, just saving a capsize by pirouetting back onto his original tack.

Blasse commented, “It was a good day”, as he made the most of the breezy conditions, while seasoned campaigner Curtis said, “this is my best ever first day at a World Championship.”

Day two – Monday 27th July 2009

In sunshine and a light breeze race 3 of the OK Dinghy World Championship in Kalmar, Sweden started promptly at 11:05.However dark clouds soon appeared, with the wind increasing andbacking, necessitating the windward mark to be moved 30 degreesto port forthe second beat.The short choppy waves also became more pronounced.Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE), Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) and Karl Purdie(NZL) chose the pin end to start.

Those that hit the left corner came out well ahead of those on the starboard side of the course, forexample Gavin Waldron (GBR) tacked round the windward mark in 15thplace, well ahead of many of the front runners. Purdie built animpressive lead on the two reaches, with Hansson-Mild and Lindhardtsenclose behind. These three held their positions up the next beat, but Hansson-Mild was impressive on the downwind leg and overtook Purdie, with a boat length separating each at the leeward mark.

Hansson-Mild and Lindhardtsen remained on the port side of the course,with Purdie tacking to the starboard side. At the finish, it wasPurdie who got the gun.

The breeze had freshened for the start of the fourth race, with someroguish one metre waves appearing to catch the unwary OK Dinghysailor. Once again the fleet got away at the first attempt, withindividual recalls for a couple of sailors. Whereas port paid on thefirst beat of race 3, it was the sailors on the starboard side whobenefitted in race 4. Hansson-Mild was first to thewindward mark, with Lindhardtsen, Purdie andNick Craig (GBR) close behind. There was little place changing to thefinish, by which time Hansson-Mild had built a substantial lead on hiscompetitors. The fresh breeze and waves provided optimal conditionsfor superb surfing conditions for all the competitors who came off thewater exhilarated by the day’s racing.

Day 2 reflections
Thomas Hansson-Mild commented that he grew up in an OK Dinghy, so he ispleased with his performance to date (two firsts and currently lyingsecond overall) – but there are still six races to go. Living in Umeå,1,100 km and a two day drive north of Kalmar, Thomas explained how heis able to train when so far from the other OK Dinghies. “I do a lotof cross-country skiing in winter as I have to wait for the icebreakers to clear the sea before I can start sailing again, probably amonth after most have started to sail. There are plenty of icebergs tododge, but I just get used to it! I am very fortunate that there is avery narrow stretch of water between Sweden and Finland at Umeå. Herethere are always big waves created by wind or current so I canpractise my reaching and downwind techniques. I am able to increasemy lead on Purdie on these legs. Fortunately Anders Widding has beenan excellent training partner this year so I can also practisebeating, though Purdie slowly reels me in on the beat. I havecopied Peter Milne who used a four purchase mainsheet in 1999, toovercome my tennis elbow, it still, however gives me enough controlfor downwind sailing. We are fortunate to have a coach and a supportboat this year, which has improved the confidence of the Swedishsailors, knowing there is spare equipment available should we need it.”

Day three – Tuesday 28th July 2009

The flatter water and lighter breeze on day three at the OK Dinghy World Championship in Kalmar, Sweden was a welcome change to the previous two days of racing.

The OK Dinghy races to the triangle, sausage, final beat format which suits this 52 year old design.There was a general recall for the first start, but the second, still under blue peter, was successfully away with three individual recalls. The majority of the fleet started at the committee boat end, but some of the leaders opted for clearer air further along the line. At the windward mark Nick Craig (GBR) and Greg Wilcox (NZL) were clear ahead of Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE), Jan-Erik Engholm (SWE), Terry Curtis
(GBR) and Martin Zimmerman (GER).

At the wing mark Craig had to give water to Wilcox who pulled away from the chasing pack. With a rising breeze, the fleet closed on the leading group up the beat, but Wilcox continued to increase his lead down the run. On the final beat Wilcox was chased by Hansson-Mild on the right side of the course, but the lead remained unchanged, with Wilcox winning his first race in this championship, with Hansson-Mild second and Antoni Pawlowski (POL) third.

With a dying wind, race six looked threatened for some time. However, with five already completed, there were sufficient races held for the World Championship series to be assured. As the countdown to the start began the wind increased to ensure a good race would be held, albeit in a shifting wind.

The black flag caught eight sailors from six countries on the second start. Bunched at the pin end in light airs, it took a long time for the competitors to sail into free air. Bo-Staffan Andersson (SWE), the most successful OK Dinghy World Champion ever, led the fleet on the first triangle, but as the wind picked up and veered for the second beat the heavier sailors slowly overhauled him as they sailed to the newly laid windward mark.

With the increasing wind, a wave pattern built up that enabled Karl Purdie (NZL) and Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) to surf into the lead at the leeward mark. Andre Blasse (AUS), the newly elected President of the OK Dinghy International Association, lying 7th at the leeward mark, sailed into third at the finish. Martin Zimmermann (GER), who needed three stitches in his index finger after a washing up accident on Sunday, was able to sail to his potential today, finishing 4th.

On completion of the sixth race, the discard could now take effect. Three of the top ten sailors are carrying an OCS, so the series is still wide open.

Overall positions after 6 races:

1. Karl Purdie NZL
2. Thomas Hansson-Mild SWE
3. Jørgen Lindhardtsen DEN
4. Andre Blasse AUS
5. Nick Craig GBR
6. Greg Wilcox NZL
7. Terry Curtis GBR
8. Antoni Pawlowski POL
9. Martin Zimmermann GER
10. Bo-Staffan Andersson SWE

A President retires
Greg Wilcox retired as President of the OK Dinghy International Association last night, handing over to Andre Blasse, who will be in post for four years. He finished in fitting style by winning race 5.

Wilcox reflected upon his success today. “I had a good start and sailed up the middle of the course with Craig. We were equally matched for speed on the first reach, but as inside boat, I had the advantage and managed to sail away from him. On the second beat we again were playing the shifts in the middle of the course, with Craig gaining on me initially. I felt I was faster on the run and pulled away from Craig. I opted to turn on the starboard leeward gate mark and covered Hansson-Mild up the beat. This side paid as Craig, who tacked on the port buoy could only manage 4th at the finish”.

“It has been a privilege to be President of OKDIA. During my four year term we have introduced the ‘Hall of Fame’, which recognises the input of those who developed the class in its early days and celebrates the successes of all the great sailors who have and are still sailing the OK Dinghy today”.

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of new boats being built in the last four years, which has stimulated the second hand boat market and encouraged many new faces to experience the joys of sailing an OK Dinghy”.

Current World Champion, Karl Purdie, said “It was the reason I moved into OKs, as Wilcox, World Champion in 2002, was the role model I was looking for to improve my sailing.”

Wilcox added “The Committee has also undertaken a thorough review of the rules to make sure the OK Dinghy keeps up with modern trends. I am now handing over the Presidency to Andre Blasse, who, I know, will make an excellent President as he is as keen as me to see the continuing success of the OK Dinghy worldwide.”

The OK Dinghy World Championship continues to Thursday, with four more races scheduled to complete the series.

Day four – Wednesday 29th July 2009

The penultimate day at the OK Dinghy World Championship in Kalmar, Sweden has set up a fascinating final day for Thursday. The top two sailors Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) and defending champion Karl Purdie (NZL) are now level on points with two races to sail and both are carrying an OCS from earlier in the week.

The sailors launched in blue skies and light winds, but all this was soon to change. By the time they had sailed across Kalmar Sound to the Oland shore, where the racing has taken place all week, dark clouds were gathering from the south. Open to the south, the waves in the Sound soon began to build.

Race seven started promptly as usual in a light breeze. Today’s start was clean away at the first attempt under the blue peter. Although there is always fierce competition on the favoured part of the line, there is sufficient space for all to get a good start. As usual, Bartosz Rakocy (POL) guarded his position at the pin end of the line with good boat handling skills. The majority of the 68 starters sailed the middle part of the course, though there were a few who banged both the left and right corners.

By the windward mark Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) had built a good lead and, once again he demonstrated an excellent reaching technique down the building waves. However, Karl Purdie (NZL), who has been overtaken by Hansson-Mild in the leader table today, said “I was catching Hansson-Mild on the reaches today and I am going faster downwind, but he has increased his upwind speed, so everything is equal now!” Lying second in the race as well, Purdie was being chased by Andre Blasse (AUS), Pawel Pawlaczyk (POL) and Greg Wilcox (NZL). Wilcox pulled up to fourth at the finish, otherwise the order remained unchanged.

For race eight, a moderate breeze had set in and the waves were quite pronounced, sufficient for the French competitors to say, “We do not get wind and waves like this on the Seine in Paris!” A line-shy fleet had a clean start at the first attempt, the majority choosing the port side of the course. At the windward mark, the leaders had again broken free of the chasing pack, building a substantial lead on the many participating club sailors whose legs were beginning to tire in these demanding conditions.

At the end of the triangle, Hansson-Mild was in the lead again, though Purdie had taken back some of the lead he had at the windward mark. Blasse was again third, with Nick Craig (GBR) in fourth in front of Wilcox. Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) had moved up to fourth place by the time the fleet rounded the leeward mark again. Once again there were no place changes in the top four on the final beat.

With two first places today Hansson-Mild has moved to the top of the leader board, with just a greater number of race wins the difference between him and Purdie. While the sailors at the front are not making many mistakes, virtually all have a high score on the board, so any mistakes in Thursday’s final races could be very expensive.

Overall positions after 8 races:

1. Thomas Hansson-Mild SWE
2. Karl Purdie NZL
3. Jørgen Lindhardtsen DEN
4. Andre Blasse AUS
5. Greg Wilcox NZL
6. Nick Craig GBR
7. Terry Curtis GBR
8. Pawel Pawlaczyk POL
9. Martin Zimmermann GER
10. Antoni Pawlowski POL

The future of the OK Dinghy is in the hands of the youth sailors

Andre Blasse, the new President of the OK Dinghy International Association, is a firm believer in the development of a rig which is suitable for the sailor who weighs less than the 80+kg. His country, Australia, is actively developing a Junior rig, comprising a reduced sail area, whose configuration does not alter the dynamics of the boat or its handling skills. Progress is such that he feels he will be in a position to present final measurements for approval at the next AGM in February 2010. The Junior fleet is already expanding as siblings and friends join in OK Dinghy sailing, preferring the individualism that can be injected into an OK Dinghy rather than the Laser style of sailing.

My first World Championship
Richard Burton (GBR), at 18 years old, is experiencing his first World Championship, competing for the Junior trophy. “I have been dreaming about going to the Worlds for so long, it was nearly an anticlimax when I started sailing,” he said. “I sail on a reservoir near Oxford in the UK, so I needed to learn how to sail in waves; Terry Curtis took me training at Weymouth so I could get in some practice. Since I have been here, I feel my boat tuning and my boat handling have improved, the next step is to improve my equipment – a carbon mast would be nice. I feel I am coping well racing in this big fleet, I look where the leaders are starting and try to find a place near them, it has worked on most occasions.

“I was 20th round the windward mark today, so I have got faster and faster upwind, but there are still a lot of boats in front of me when I finish. At the beginning I was very inconsistent, but now I am finishing in around 40th place, which means I am 46th overall at the moment. It is an amazing experience to go and talk to current and ex-world champions as they are all so helpful at offering tips on how I can improve my speed. I would love to go to New Zealand in 2010, but I may have to wait till 2011 for my next World Championship experience which will be in Largs in Scotland”.

Hall of Fame

Two more names were added to the OK Dinghy Hall of Fame last night at the BBQ supper. Hans Elkjaer, the President of the Swedish national association, hosted the event at which Swedish sailor Bo-Staffan Andersson received his trophy in recognition of being the most successful OK Dinghy sailor ever – he won four World Championship titles in the late 80s and early 90s, as well as one European title and three Swedish titles.

In addition Basil Crosby was awarded a posthumous position in the Hall of Fame for his work for the class. Crosby’s role in the establishment and ultimate success of the OK Dinghy as an international class cannot be overstated. He was one of the founders of OKDIA in 1962 and was also secretary of the British OK Dinghy Class Association at the same time

Crosby took on the role of British secretary when the job became too large for Richard Creagh-Osborne, who up to that point had done almost everything in the UK. Crosby was also later elected as the first secretary of the newly formed OK Dinghy International Association and he held this post until his untimely death in an air crash 11 years later in November 1973. Sadly, he died before all his work to secure international status had been realised. The class didn’t finally receive international status until 1975.

Without the enthusiasm and dedication of Basil Crosby the OK Dinghy would not be success story it is today. His selfless contribution to the OK story is unquantifiable.

The two final races of the 2009 OK Dinghy World Championship are scheduled to take place Thursday.

Final day – Thursday 30th July 2009

The final day at the OK Dinghy World Championship in Kalmar, Sweden started with two sailors, current World Champion Karl Purdie (NZL) and Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE), on 13 points, each in a great position to win the World Championship. A tense final day produced some very close racing in testing conditions and the first Swedish OK Dinghy world champion for 12 years. Sweden has produced more OK Dinghy World Champions than any other nation.

With a fresh breeze forecast, there was much speculation on who would win today’s races and with them the Championship. Hansson-Mild was looking the favourite, having won four races to Puride’s three. With the wind holding steady at 8 m/s, with gusts of 10m/s, some sailors had decided to call it a day, choosing to pack up their boats instead.

With so much resting on these two races, the 59 competitors jumped the gun on the first start and a general recall was called. The black flag immediately instilled discipline for the second start at which there were no premature starters. An 18 minute beat to the windward mark saw boats bang both corners but the majority sailed the middle course. One of the leading pack capsized on the first reach, costing him valuable points, but the rest were soon gibing at the leeward mark, to sail the port side of the course. In the lead was Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN), closely followed by Oliver Gronholz (GER) and Hannsson-Mild, with Purdie on his transom.

Lindhardtsen increased his lead up the next beat and held it on the run to the leeward gate. Hansson-Mild climbed to second place, with Purdie and Andre Blasse (AUS) a short distance behind. They all continued on starboard tack for much of the beat to the finish, short tacking as the line approached. Lindhardtsen was first to finish, closely followed by Hansson-Mild, but Blasse forced Purdie into fourth place.

With Hansson-Mild on 15 points and Purdie on 17 points, the Championship was very much in the balance. Once again the first attempt to start race 10 resulted in a general recall, but the second start was quickly underway under the black flag, again with no premature starters.

With the wind still oscillating between 8 and 10 m/s and the waves becoming quite pronounced, the leaders chose the committee boat end to start. It is fair to say they were line-shy, but with so much counting on the last race for many of the top ten places, no-one was taking any chances. Blasse was first to the windward mark, holding his lead on the two reaches, with Martin Zimmermann (GER), Pawel Pawlaczyk (POL) and Gunter Arndt (GER) close behind.

Again Purdie and Hansson-Mild were inseparable in fifth and sixth places. Again the port side of the course was favourite, with Blasse still leading the race. Blasse still led the fleet at the leeward mark, with Arndt second Purdie third and Hansson-Mild in fourth. A nail-biting final beat ensued with Blasse, the new President of the OK Dinghy International Association, taking his first gun of the series. Purdie was second and Hansson-Mild crossed third.

With a full series of ten races completed, all that remained was the assembly of the overall results. A clearly delighted Thomas Hansson-Mild became World Champion for the first time, beating the current World Champion Karl Purdie by just 1 point. Hansson-Mild has competed in 14 World Championships and this is his seventh appearance in the top ten. His highest position before this year was third in 2001. Third place went to Jørgen Lindhardtsen, sailing his best regatta for several years. In fact the scoreline of any the top four boats would normally be sufficient to take the series, but this week the racing has been extremely close. It has been one of the tightest championships of recent years and has ended with a very popular winner.

In 2010 the class travels down under to New Zealand in February where the world championship will be sailed on Purdie’s home patch in Wellington. Who would bet against him reclaiming the title there? Watch this space.

1st Veteran: Karl Purdie NZL
1st Junior: Bartosz Rakocy POL
1st in host country: Thomas Hansson-Mild SWE