2016 European Championship, Medemblik, Netherlands

22-24 April

Reports by Robert Deaves

Day 1: Not cold enough for Vikings as Thomas Hansson-Mild leads OK Dinghy Europeans

The 2009 OK Dinghy World Champion Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) leads the 2016 OK Dinghy Europeans Championships in Medemblik after winning two of the three races held on Friday. Bo Petersen (DEN) is in second and Richard Burton (GBR) is third. The other race win went to defending Spring Cup holder Charlie Cumbley (GBR).

The combined OK Dinghy Europeans and 25th Spring Cup began in very unlike Spring conditions with a bitterly cold northerly keeping the sailors cool during the day. The overnight strong winds dissipated at the start of the first race to 5-7 knots, but returned during the day to bring a spectacular final race with winds up to 15-18 knots, great sailing conditions and temperatures feeling like mid-winter.

Combining the events has attracted 64 boats from across Europe with a number of sailors pulling out at the last minute due to the forecast of cold weather.

Burton was first away in Race 1 leading round the first mark after a tricky light wind first beat. Hansson-Mild was not far behind though and gradually reeled in Burton and the two exchanged places for a while before the Swede passed him on the final beat by splitting tacks the other side of the Solo fleet coming downwind. Bo Petersen (DEN) moved up to third while Burton had to settle for third.

The wind increased slightly for the second race with the pin end again favoured. Stefan Myralf (DEN) made the best of the start to cross the fleet and round ahead, but unfortunately he picked up a UFD penalty for starting early. Cumbley then took the lead to win from Greg Wilcox (NZL) who recovered well from a really bad start, and Rene Sarabia Johannsen (DEN).

A greatly reduced fleet started the final race as the wintry conditions started to take their toll, and with the wind increasing it was a very tough end to the day on the grey IJsselmeer. However, never phased by near Arctic weather, the classes very own Viking, Hansson-Mild stamped his authority on the race. Starting near the committee boat he rounded the top mark in third, passed the leaders on the reaches and extended for a comfortable victory. Myralf, who had again led at the first mark, took second with Petersen crossing in third.

Hansson-Mild said, “It is great to see so many OK Dinghies here and so many new faces in the class. The class is just growing and growing. Making the Spring Cup also the Europeans has certainly attracted a lot more boats than usual.”

He says he is happy with his new boat, at its first real test. “The new boat is great, very solid. It is the same shape I am used to but I am very happy how I went today.”

“The first and third race went well and to plan. In the second I got stuck in traffic and could only get up to sixth. So it was a good day for me. It’s not always you get a day like that. Still, it was a lot of fun, if a bit cold.”

The championship continues Saturday with three more races scheduled and concludes on Sunday with two races scheduled.

Results after 3 races:

1. SWE 100 Thomas Hansson-Mild 8
2. DEN 21 Bo Petersen 9
3. GBR 2183 Richard Burton 12
4. GBR 1 Charlie Cumbley 16
5. NZL 544 Greg Wilcox 19
6. GER 772 Oliver Gronholz 26
7. DEN 1393 Rene Sarabia Johannsen 27
8. GBR 2151 Jon Fish 38
9. POL 14 Pawel Pawlaczyk 42
10. DEN 1468 Jørgen Holm Nielsen 45

Day 2: Charlie Cumbley takes narrow lead at OK Europeans after cold day in Medemblik

Charlie Cumbley (GBR) made the best of the second day at the combined OK Dinghy European Championships and Spring Cup in Medemblik with two race wins to move into a narrow lead over Bo Petersen (DEN) and Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) with just two races to sail. Petersen won the third race of the day.

If the fleet thought Friday was cold, then Saturday in Medembik was colder still with a brief hail shower welcoming the fleet afloat before racing got underway. After an initial lull as a cloud bank went through the wind built during the day to well over 20 knots before dropping for the final race. The extreme cold and biting winds, combined with the steep Medemblik chop, led to massive attrition through the fleet as tired and cold sailors sought shelter back in the harbour.

Cumbley led race 4 from start to finish. Starting just down from the boat he took a long starboard tack towards a left shift to round ahead of Jørgen Lindhardtsen (DEN). The breeze dropped right off to 5-6 knots at times with huge swings in the latter half of the upwind, only returning on the second lap and strengthening further on the third upwind to set up an epic second race. Rene Sarabia Johannsen (DEN) moved up to second at the finish with Lindhardtsen crossing in third.

With the wind now up to 18-20 knots race 5 was marked by a huge left shift on the first beat leaving the group on the left reaching in with Jon Fish (GBR) making up for his impromptu swim in race 4 by leading round from Cumbley. Cumbley was in the lead by the next beat to sail away and take his second bullet of the day. Fish hung on for second while Greg Wilcox (NZL) continued his good form with a third.

In a much reduced fleet of just 29 boats Petersen led race 6 from start to finish, starting well clear of the group, rounding ahead of Lindhardtsen, Pawel Pawlacyk and Burton. The wind dropped off to 14-15 knots before returning for the sail back home. Richard Burton sailed another excellent race to cross second while Oliver Gronholtz (GER) picked up his best result so far with a third.

Tonight is the traditional OK dinner at Cafe Brakeboer and the sailors who braved the wintry IJsselmer today will have earned second helpings.

With two races left the championship is going down to to the wire with four boats within six points. Cumbley commented on the very close competition this weekend. “The competition in the class is vert tight. One little mistake and you get sucked into the pack. The breeze building all day made it really hard work and it was very cold out there. It was all about a clear lane off the start and getting around the top mark in the top 5, and then you are in reasonable shape. But to be honest I am very tired.”

On the new format Europeans he said, “I really like the idea of having a Europeans every year instead of once every four years. The class is growing at such a rate that I think it is a really positive spin on the way things are going, though perhaps running it over four days would be even better. The class is certainly getting large enough to warrant an extra championship.”

The 2016 European Championship concludes on Sunday with two races scheduled. The forecast is for more of the same.

Results after six races

1. GBR 1 Charlie Cumbley 14
2. DEN 21 Bo Petersen 15
3. SWE 100 Thomas Hansson-Mild 20
4. GBR 2183 Richard Burton 20
5. NZL 544 Greg Wilcox 25
6. GER 772 Oliver Gronholz 31
7. GBR 1393 Rene Sarabia Johannsen 34
8. DEN 6 Stefan Myralf 36
9. DEN 142 Jørgen Lindhardtsen 48
10. GBR 2151 Jon Fish 49

World No 1 Bo Petersen takes OK Europeans after eventful final day in Medemblik

Bo Petersen (DEN) has won the 2016 OK Dinghy European Championship and Spring Cup in Medemblik after an eventful final day sailed in the most extreme conditions of the week. The only race sailed went to Richard Burton (GBR), who took the silver, while Charlie Cumbley (GBR) pulled out with a broken rudder and had to settle for the bronze.

There was a lot of onshore debate about the virtue of sailing today with the temperature falling further to just three degrees, winds up to 30 knots, and hail heavy enough to make small snowballs before the fleet launched. But the clouds cleared and a much reduced fleet set out for the final races.

Race 7 started in 18-25 knots between a series of hail storms passing down the IJsselmeer. A big left shift made the pin end very favoured. Burton was first out from the pin and rounded the top mark just behind Jon Fish (GBR). Burton took the lead on the reaches and controlled the race until the finish. Fish got wet and a bit battered, but was also sailing well to maintain second until the finish. Dave Bourne (GBR) occupied third for most of the race but lost out to Oliver Gronholtz (GER) and Greg Wilcox (NZL) on the line.

The regatta favourites were deep having started at the committee boat and had a lot to do to catch up. Cumbley was ahead of both Petersen and Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE), but a broken rudder on the first reach caused him to pull out of the race. His boatbuilder Alex Scoles (GBR), showing great sportsmanship, also pulled out of the race to exchange rudders so that Cumbley could complete the final race.

However with the weather worsening and more storms coming downwind, the race officer sent the fleet ashore to wait, and shortly after abandoned for the day.

So the World No 1 Bo Petersen picks up his second European title after first winning in 2013. Richard Burton has sailed the best regatta of his life in the first of the newly shaped IdolOne boats from Idol Composites to take the silver, while Charlie Cumbley will be ordering a new rudder before the World Championship in July in France and contemplating his missed chances to take his first International OK Dinghy title.

Petersen commented, “I was a bit lucky. But I have lost so many championships on luck, that I’ll take it.”

“When I heard the forecast I thought it will be tough to win because the competitors are so strong. Of course I am happy because the series of seven races were so fair, but I am sorry for Charlie that he broke his rudder in the last race.”

“I am looking forward for the Europeans in Faarborg in 2017, and hopefully everyone will be there because that’s my home town.”