2010 World Championship, Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington turned on more champagne sailing today for the Invitation Race of the OK Dinghy World Championships. The day dawned with glorious sunshine and unusually mill-pond-flat water, which was a perfect backdrop for the thousands of Rugby Sevens spectators making their way along the waterfront to the Westpac Stadium.

The most creative costumes past the Yacht Club were the young guys and gals dressed as 101 dalmatians, complete with leather dog collars and doggie identity discs – inspirational. Our own Yacht Club girls, dressed as pilots, entertained the sponsors boat (BMW and Eye Talent Management) before the former left for the rugby and the latter headed out on the water.

46 sailors left the shore in an 8 knot breeze, which built to 15 knots during the course of the race – perfect sailing conditions.

Reigning World Champion, Thomas Hansson-Mild from Sweden, led the race from the start, with Paul Rhodes (NZL) in second. When most of the fleet split, Hansson-Mild went up the middle, and led round every mark. With the breeze building Karl Purdie, who had crept up from fifth to third around the marks, hit the left hand side very hard and finished second just behind Hansson-Mild.

The competitors then gathered in full team uniform for the official welcoming ceremony and powhiri at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The Tangata Whenua were impressed by 150 sailors and their whanau from around the world booming out the waiata Te Aroha!

Paul Rhodes Off To Good Start On Day One – Sat. 6th February

The first day of the 2010 OK Dinghy championships started with a cloudless sky and variable five knot northerly on the harbour. 70 sailors left the boat park and then ‘hung around’ for a few hours as they waited for the wind to settle in.

After shifting to course 2 the first race of the OK Dinghy World Championship was under away in around 12kts of breeze. The fleet was well spread on either side of the track. Ben Morrison from NZ led at the first mark of the first race. Michael Williams from Australia rounded in second place followed by Jono Fish from Great Britain. New Zealanders Russell Page Wood and Daniel Bush rounded out the top five.

Second time around Ben Morrison was still in the lead at the top mark with reigning World Champ, Thomas Hansson-Mild moving into second place. Russell Page Wood followed in third with Steven McDowell and Michael Williams rounding out the top five.

Ben Morrison ended up winning race 1 of the 2010 World OK Dinghy championship. Russell Page-Wood sailed through to take second overall with Paul Rhodes taking out third. Champion Thomas Hansson-Mild came in fourth with Steve McDowell in fifth.

The race committee then reconfigured the track for Race 2 with the wind settling in around 15 knots from the north. First round the top mark for Race 2 was Paul Rhodes from club mate Karl Purdie with Australian, Michael Williams in third. Russell Page Wood was in fourth while Brad Douglas was in fifth. Paul Rhodes ended up winning race 2 from Michael Williams of Australia. Young Wellington sailor Matthew Steven took out third place followed by Karl Purdie and Russell Page Wood..

At the end of the day Dragon Boat racing, with 14-18 on each boat, provided the evening’s entertainment with the Europeans winning the first and Australians winning the second.

Rhodes Cements Lead On Day Two – Sun. 7th February

Day two began with a good steady breeze from the North, 15-18knts, and beautiful sailing conditions. There were 67 finishers in race 3. One of the two female competitors, GER724 – Marina Dellas retired due to a broken mast.

Race Management were keen to get Race 4 underway before the forecasted Southerly arrived. Thankfully it never did. The wind steadily dropped off and, as a consequence, Race Management shortened the last leg before the wind died completely, which it did by the time the competitors were back to the Boat Park. There were 65 finishers.

When the sailors came ashore Paul Rhodes lodged a protest against Karl Purdie. As a result of the protest, which related to Race 3, Karl Purdie was disqualified. This has dropped him from 2nd overall to 16th after 4 races. Karl has lodged an appeal against the protest which should be held before racing begins again.

2010 OK World Championship results after the protest hearing and two days of racing, with four races completed

Thomas Hansson-Mild is currently 23rd as he is carrying maximum points from race 2 for being on course side at the start.

Monday 8th February, is a Reserve Day. There will not be any sailing. The competitors will have a well-earned rest and are off to the Wairarapa with their friends and family for a day of wine-tasting and a long lazy lunch.

“Game On” On Day Three Of OK Dinghy World Championships – Tue. 9th February

The start of Day 3’s racing emulated the America ‘s Cup – with flat water and sailors just hanging around. Unlike Valencia , the wind came in and Race 5 of the 2010 OK Dinghy World Championships was able to get away.

Following his disqualification from Race 4, Karl Purdie (NZL531) was ready and loaded for Race 5. All guns blazing, Purdie came out on top – first round every mark and first over the finish line. Michael Williams (AUS730) chased Purdie from mark 2 and finished second, with junior Matt Steven (NZL519) in third.

This left Purdie in a great position – with 6 races nearly in the bag he would be able to drop his worst result to date, being the disqualification from Race 4. Unfortunately, Purdie misfired at the start of Race 6 and was OCS (On Course Side). Now, with two ‘dud’ races in his lap Purdie was faced with a possibly insurmountable challenge.

However, divine intervention played a hand and a dark cloud developed over the course, sucking away the wind. Race Officer, John Parrish, had no option but to abandon Race 6. A reprieve for Purdie.

When the flukey wind finally settled down the Race Committee was able to lay a new course and, at 1700hrs, get Race 6 underway for the second time.

Purdie’s gun was out of bullets this time, finishing in 18th. However, he was not alone in being down the fleet … local adversary and current leader Paul Rhodes (NZL517) was 29th, current World Champion Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE100) 20th and Nick Craig (GBR2134) 16th.

OK Dinghy International Association President Andre Blasse (AUS729) was first in Race 6, with Wellingtonians Steve McDowell (NZL525) second and Luke O’Connell (NZL511) third. The leader board now looks very tight going to the penultimate day of racing.

Duel At The Ok Worlds – Wed. 10th February

Local guns Karl Purdie (NZL531) and Paul Rhodes (NZL517) fought it out today. After a volatile couple of days Purdie worked hard enough *to reclaim the top of the leader board at the end of Race 8.

With only one day of racing (two races) left it will be every man for himself out there in Wellington harbour tomorrow. Provisionally there are four New Zealanders and one Australian in the top five after eight races.

In Race 7, Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE100) was steaming-it during the first race and led round every mark. He was chased by Brad Douglas (NZL539) in second and Karl Purdie (NZL531) in third until the finish, when Purdie came in ahead of Douglas, reversing their positions. It was a cosmopolitan top five with Soenke Behrens (GER690) fourth and Andre Blasse (AUS729) fifth.

Race 8 was consistent with Paul Rhodes (NZL517) leading round every mark to the finish, with Terry Curtis (GBR2118) right behind him the whole way and Russell Page-Wood (NZL526), Mike Wilde (NZL535) and Karl Purdie (NZL531) fighting it out for third, with Purdie finishing in third place. In the end Hansson-Mild was fourth and Wilde fifth.

With a delayed start, a general recall in the first race, change of course and the wind shifting between 4 and 12 knots, it has been an eventful (if not dramatic) day.

Full results can be found on the homepage of the OK Worlds website, where regular updates will be posted during the course of racing.

It All Comes Down To The Final Day – Thu. 11th February

66 sailors headed out to the course area for race 9 which started at the second attempt under a black flag. The majority of the fleet held their starboard tack for much of the first half of the beat. As the wind dropped from 8 to 5 knots, they migrated to the corners looking for more pressure. A clear leader at the windward mark was three times World Champion, Nick Craig (GBR) with the junior Matt Steven (NZL) leading the pack, and Kagan Weeks (NZL) 3rd and Brad Douglas (NZL) 4th. At this point World Championship contenders Karl Purdie (NZL) and Paul Rhodes (NZL) were lying 9th and 31st respectively. At the wing mark Craig had increased his lead which he held to the leeward mark. The second beat was shortened, but the first 4 positions remained unchanged. Craig had a 40 second lead on the next two and they had a 40 seconds lead on the rest. Greg Wilcox (NZL) pulled up to 5th from 10th place with Purdie in 6th. Alistair Deaves (NZL) was also having a good race – this his second result in the top ten in consecutive races. As the sailors worked their way up the final beat the wind increased to 8 knots and more as tired legs hiked to maximise boat speed and safeguard positions. At the finish Craig had a comfortable lead over Steven and Weeks who celebrated his first top ten result. Five different nations were represented in the top ten in race 9.

Race 10 started swiftly after completion of race 9 in 11 knots of breeze. The contest was by no means decided as the competitors lined up on the start line. After a clear start, the competitors were evenly distributed over the course, the main contenders choosing a central route. As the fleet neared the windward mark, the competitors on the right of the course had the edge over those on the left. Leading the fleet was World Championship contender Paul Rhodes (NZL) with Nigel Mannering (NZL) lying in second place. A past World Champion Nick Craig (GBR) was 3rd and current World Champion Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) 4th, with Greg Wilcox (NZL) another past Champion lying in 5th place. As the fleet headed down to the gybe mark, lighter airs caused the fleet to bunch up but Rhodes was still in the lead, with Douglas hot on his heels. Wilcox caught a good wave and surfed past both to take the lead. Craig and Hansson-Mild remained ahead of the chasing pack. As the fleet headed up the second beat, Wilcox increased his lead as he a l d i t l a i . e rounded at 14:19 with Douglas still second and Rhodes had dropped to 3r`. The &l`et ha` completed the rounding in 6 minutes, as they headed down to the leeward mark on their final run of the Championship. Wilcox held the lead on the final beat, but was being chased hard by Craig who had risen to 2nd place. Michael Williams (AUS) had worked his way through the fleet to climb to 4th position behind Hansson-Mild. Both Mannering and Rhodes dropped places, but Luke O’Connell (NZL) climbed to 7th from an early 12th. Despite finishing 10th in the final race, this was good enough for Karl Purdie (NZL) to take the World Championship in 2010 at his home town with 49 points, clear ahead of 2nd place Williams who finished on 62 points. Junior Matt Steven had a disappointing race, but a fantastic regatta, finishing in 3rd place on 68 points.

1st Veteran: Karl Purdie NZL
1st Junior: Matt Steven NZL
1st in host country: Karl Purdie NZL

The Practice Race was won by Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE 100)

2010 World Championship Results
Plc	Bow	Sailno	Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Tot
1	93	NZL 531	Karl Purdie	6	4	dsq	1	1	18	2	3	4	10	49
2	22	AUS 730	Michael Williams	7	2	4	5	2	13	13	32	12	4	62
3	84	NZL 519	Matt Steven	13	3	8	3	3	6	11	28	2	19	68
4	82	NZL 517	Paul Rhodes	3	1	5	2	8	29	23	1	22	6	71
5	35	GBR 2134	Nick Craig	9	11	2	4	11	16	24	17	1	2	73
6	66	NZL 539	Brad Douglas	17	7	7	13	18	7	3	11	6	8	79
7	45	SWE 100	Tomas Hansson-Mild	4	ocs	14	18	10	20	1	4	7	3	81
8	89	NZL 525	Steve McDowell	5	18	10	7	5	2	9	18	30	9	83
9	21	AUS 729	Andre Blasse	26	10	1	11	16	1	5	13	17	11	85
10	92	NZL 530	Ben Morrison	1	9	17	6	7	11	16	9	20	18	94
11	12	AUS 678	Roger Blasse	8	8	3	24	4	31	7	19	10	13	96
12	86	NZL 522	Greg Wilcox	23	19	20	17	9	8	8	10	5	1	97
13	90	NZL 526	Russell Page-Wood	2	5	6	8	6	27	20	6	35	17	97
14	80	NZL 511	Luke O’Connell	10	13	13	19	12	3	14	20	15	7	106
15	91	NZL 528	Andrew Pardington	15	6	9	10	19	19	6	21	16	22	121
16	62	NZL 538	Alistair Deaves	18	16	11	9	14	26	30	8	8	14	124
17	32	GBR 2118	Terry Curtis	14	25	15	15	25	4	32	2	24	23	147
18	63	NZL 536	Nigel Mannering	41	37	18	12	22	12	12	16	21	5	155
19	58	GER 690	Sönke Behrens	22	23	25	23	26	50	4	23	9	15	170
20	78	NZL 504	Adrian Mannering	16	22	26	25	23	5	18	15	bfd	20	170
21	74	NZL 478	Daniel Bush	11	15	27	14	17	43	27	31	23	12	177
22	47	DEN 3	Joergen Svendsen	29	20	16	20	13	ocs	15	7	41	24	185
23	95	NZL 535	Mike Wilde	33	17	12	dnf	20	44	25	5	18	25	199
24	65	NZL 470	Ben Lutz	28	32	22	43	37	10	10	26	50	27	235
25	73	NZL 475	Greg Wright	36	39	23	37	40	25	19	14	11	31	235
26	85	NZL 521	David Hoogenboon	19	44	28	16	34	30	29	34	14	41	245
27	75	NZL 479	Kagan Weeks	47	33	40	27	48	47	28	12	3	16	253
28	54	GER 718	Peter Scheuerl	40	12	24	39	35	15	46	43	13	39	260
29	71	NZL 469	Owen Anderson	27	31	33	38	15	49	21	27	44	30	266
30	37	GBR 2136	Jono Fish	20	36	21	22	29	dnf	51	22	29	45	275
31	41	POL 1	Tomasz Gaj	25	27	19	ocs	31	21	34	41	39	40	277
32	76	NZL 498	Jono Clough	54	30	42	32	33	9	37	42	19	34	278
33	31	GBR 2084	Keith Byers	52	21	32	63	27	35	17	36	40	26	286
34	13	AUS 719	Glenn Williams	24	43	31	21	21	24	44	52	42	46	296
35	79	NZL 509	Marty Weeks	21	26	37	28	24	56	40	44	38	43	301
36	69	NZL 474	Darren Hunt	30	41	36	41	46	22	35	49	37	21	309
37	33	GBR 2121	Anthony Rich	39	48	43	48	53	40	41	24	31	37	351
38	94	NZL 533	Rob Hengst	50	34	44	44	39	46	42	38	34	32	353
39	20	AUS 726	Peter Lynch	51	35	29	33	43	17	49	57	43	56	356
40	57	GER 765	Rainer Pospiech	55	64	55	57	38	41	26	33	26	28	359
41	50	GER 666	Jan Hartmann	60	dnc	51	31	44	32	36	45	25	36	360
42	44	POL 44	Radoslav Drozdzik	57	52	62	34	49	23	31	35	32	49	362
43	83	NZL 502	Chris Devine	32	24	46	36	51	33	57	55	48	44	369
44	42	POL 5	Kras Darek	42	38	47	30	52	38	38	54	52	35	372
45	25	AUS 738	Brent Williams	31	46	35	51	28	53	47	ocs	46	38	375
46	24	AUS 736	Peter Robinson	53	56	30	45	36	14	63	47	36	59	376
47	49	DEN 1375	Christian Hedlund	43	40	41	35	30	36	22	dnf	dnc	dnc	391
48	27	AUS 741	Gary Lokum	34	28	39	49	32	52	53	46	63	62	395
49	34	GBR 2124	Tony Woods	49	57	56	47	42	48	33	58	28	51	411
50	36	GBR 2135	Alex Scoles	62	60	63	29	54	37	48	48	27	53	418
51	18	AUS 716	Peter Wallace	46	50	49	46	67	28	60	37	54	50	420
52	23	AUS 734	Edward O’Donnell	37	29	34	26	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	51	29	422
53	26	AUS 739	Mark Roberts	44	42	54	53	41	58	58	29	61	dnf	440
54	19	AUS 721	Justin Barr	35	51	dnc	dnc	55	51	52	30	53	47	446
55	16	AUS 695	David O’Donnell	48	45	45	40	63	dnc	50	39	60	60	450
56	56	GER 735	Dirk Gericke	38	63	53	62	50	55	56	53	45	52	464
57	72	NZL 472	Adrian Coulthard	65	55	48	60	64	60	45	56	33	54	475
58	15	AUS 694	Richard Furneaux	64	59	52	50	57	57	39	40	64	63	481
59	52	GER 767	Juliane Hofmann	45	58	60	42	60	45	54	ocs	55	64	483
60	14	AUS 692	Bill Tyler	61	53	65	59	45	34	65	62	47	58	484
61	10	AUS 668	Don Williams	58	49	58	52	47	61	dnf	dnc	58	33	488
62	11	AUS 673	Daen Dorazio	56	62	61	58	61	42	55	50	56	55	494
63	51	GER 680	Jan-Dietmar Dellas	66	47	38	55	dnc	dnc	59	51	65	57	510
64	17	AUS 747	Andrew Baker	63	dnf	50	dnf	56	54	62	25	57	dnf	511
65	81	NZL 516	Julian Bishop	59	54	59	61	59	59	61	59	59	48	517
66	48	DEN 1265	Erik Malte Pedersen	dnf	61	64	54	58	39	43	60	dnc	dnc	523
67	88	NZL 524	Matt Stechmann	12	14	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	530
68	61	NZL 508	Max Schlink	69	65	57	56	66	62	64	61	62	61	554
69	53	GER 695	Erik Bork	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	62	dnc	dnc	dnc	49	42	585
70	40	POL 40	Robert Swiecki	68	dnf	66	64	65	63	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	614
71	55	GER 724	Marina Dellas	67	dnc	dnf	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	dnc	643

2010 World Championship Equipment of top ten
Position	Helm	Sail no.	Boat shape	Builder	Mast	Sail	Board/Rudder
1	Karl Purdie	NZL 531	Icebreaker (NZ)	Icebreaker Boats	C-Tech	Quantum	Ron Bull
2	Mike Williams	AUS 730	Delf	Jason King	C-Tech	Gale and Rimington	Jason King
3	Matt Steven	NZL 519	Icebreaker (NZ)	Garry Lock	C-Tech	Linton	Homebuild/Ron Bull
4	Paul Rhodes	NZL 517	Icebreaker (NZ)	Garry Lock	C-Tech	North (NZ)	Ron Bull
5	Nick Craig	GBR 2135	Rushworth	Idol Composites (UK)	C-Tech	Hunt	Scoles
6	Brad Douglas	NZL 539	Icebreaker (NZ)	Icebreaker Boats	C-Tech	North (NZ)	Deaves/Ron Bull
7	Thomas Hanson Mild	SWE 100	Icebreaker (NZ)	Icebreaker Boats	C-Tech	Quantum	Ron Bull
8	Steve McDowell	NZL 525	Icebreaker (NZ)	Hakes Marine	C-Tech	Linton	Ron Bull
9	Andre Blasse	AUS 729	Delf	Jason King	C-Tech	Gale and Rimington	Jason King
10	Ben Morrison	NZL 530	Icebreaker (NZ)	Icebreaker Boats	C-Tech	North (NZ)	Ron Bull

Reports from the official site / organizing club

OK Dinghy World Championship Invitation Race – Fri. 5th February

Paul Rhodes Off To Good Start On Day One – Sat. 6th February

Rhodes Cements Lead On Day Two – Sun. 7th February

“Game On” On Day Three Of OK Dinghy World Championships – Tue. 9th February

Duel At The Ok Worlds – Wed. 10th February

It All Comes Down To The Final Day – Thu. 11th February

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