No stopping Craig on day 2 of the 2017 OK Dinghy Worlds... except for weed

by Robert Deaves, OKDIA 29 May 2017 08:30 BST 24-31 May 2017

Barbados is full of surprises. While overall leader Nick Craig, from Great Britain, has surprised everyone with his consistent form in extremely challenging conditions, on the second day of the OK Dinghy World Championships, the Caribbean had another surprise in store, a carpet of weed for the sailors. After two more races, Luke O'Connell remains in second and Jim Hunt remains in third.

2017 OK Dinghy Worlds day 2 - photo © Alastair Deaves

A long day on the water and two very tough races for everyone means the championship is still on track, but not only did the sailors have the wind shifts and current to deal with today, but also the rafts of sargassum, or Sargasso weed, that entered the race area during the morning from the open ocean. Sailors spent the day checking foils for weed and sometimes boats would stop dead in the water if the sailor steered into one of the large drifting masses. Of course, the largest raft of week almost encircled the windward mark causing a lot of consternation among the sailors.

But on the plus side, there was 15-20 knots of hot wind, 30 degrees air temperature, sunshine, flying fish, turtles, and the beer was cold after racing.

After commenting to those around him that he was 'dog tucker' half way up the first beat, Roger Blasse, from Australia, rounded the top mark of Race 3 in the lead from fellow Australians Peter Robinson and Mark Jackson. O'Connell took the lead on the second beat, but Craig put the throttle down on the final upwind to take his third race win in a row. The left side of the course was heavily favoured as the fleet got out of the main current and were lifted on port tack up to the top mark under Needham's Point.

Mark Jackson checking for weed on day 2 of the 2017 OK Dinghy Worlds - photo © Alastair Deaves

Race 4 started under black flag and reset line after a number of false starts with an extreme pin end bias. The defending world champion, Hunt, led at the top mark from O'Connell and Craig, after most of the fleet smacked the left corner again. O'Connell was in the lead by the second upwind mark, but Jørgen Svendsen from Denmark, finally recovering from his jet lag after arriving at the last minute, took the lead on the downwind and led to the left side of the final beat to take the winner's gun by seconds from Craig and Mark Perrow of New Zealand, after a few more gargantuan wind shifts up the final beat.

2017 OK Dinghy Worlds day 2 - photo © Alastair Deaves

Svendsen explained his day, "The last race went perfect. I was a bit unlucky in the first race as I lost my mainsheet, so that was quite expensive. In the last race I really got the perfect shift twice on the left side and I was faster than the others downwind, though they were faster than me upwind, but I was more lucky on the left on the last upwind so I made up some good distance against Nick, just keep on holding him back the best I could."

Two more races are scheduled on Monday from 12.30. The 2017 OK Dinghy World Championship consists of 10 races and concludes on Wednesday 31 May.

Follow the action on:

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Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxRW4POh1vghfqFhFIP2Bqw

The event website is 2017.okworlds.org

Results after Day 2: (four races)

Pos	Sail No	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
1	GBR 2195	NICK CRAIG	1	1	1	2	5
2	NZL 546	LUKE O'CONNELL	3	2	2	4	11
3	GBR 11	JIM HUNT	2	3	4	5	14
4	NZL 517	PAUL RHODES	5	9	5	6	25
5	NZL 551	MARK PERROW	20	4	7	3	34
6	AUS 749	ROGER BLASSE	10	15	3	7	35
7	NZL 545	STEVE McDOWELL	4	16	8	17	45
8	GBR 2191	CHRIS TURNER	6	8	25	8	47
9	DEN 3	JORGEN SVENDSEN	19	14	14	1	48
10	NZL 566	GREG WILCOX	9	10	20	10	49
11	AUS 768	MARK JACKSON	27	7	6	11	51
12	DEN 1402	BO TEGLERS NIELSEN	16	17	10	13	56
13	NZL 498	JONO CLOUGH	17	20	12	14	63
14	POL 14	PAWEL PAWLACZYK	24	5	17	18	64
15	POL 1	TOMASZ GAJ	8	6	28	23	65
16	GER 803	MARTIN v.ZIMMERMANN	7	11	15	35	68
17	AUS 754	BRENT WILLIAMS	11	18	21	21	71
18	GER 778	SOENKE BEHRENS	15	13	34	15	77
19	DEN 1397	HENRIK KOFOED ‑ LARSEN	28	34	11	9	82
20	GBR 10	ROBERT DEAVES	12	29	19	22	82
21	NZL 523	JOE POREBSKI	14	24	24	20	82
22	NZL 567	CHRIS FENWICK	18	31	13	24	86
23	GER 5	RALF TIETJE	21	21	33	12	87
24	DEN 22	ASK ASKHOLM	25	23	23	19	90
25	GBR 13	ALEX SCOLES	26	19	29	32	106
26	NZL 536	ERIC RONE	13	22	36	38	109
27	GER 775	JOERG RADEMACHER	22	25	40	28	115
28	AUS 750	PETER ROBINSON	43	37	9	27	116
29	AUS 719	GLENN WILLIAMS	37	26	22	45	130
30	DEN 1335	MOGENS JOHANSEN	40	39	18	36	133
31	NZL 531	ADRIAN COULTHARD	29	30	32	42	133
32	GER 772	OLIVER GRONHOLZ	ret	12	26	16	134
33	DEN 1442	PETER HEIDE‑JORGENSEN	36	42	27	29	134
34	NZL 575	MICHAEL HOLDEN WILDE	33	28	44	30	135
35	GER 7	ANDREAS PICH	35	41	35	33	144
36	NZL 571	ROB HENGST	34	36	30	47	147
37	NZL 565	SIMON PROBERT	39	48	31	34	152
38	GBR 2163	GAVIN WALDRON	52	44	16	43	155
39	NZL 563	DAVID HOOGENBOOM	50	32	50	25	157
40	GBR 2176	KEITH BYERS	30	27	56	53	166
41	GER 75	DIRK DAME	45	38	39	44	166
42	GER 11	RAINER POSPIECH	23	40	47	57	167
43	POL 19	GRZEGORG SALAMON	32	33	dnf	31	176
44	NZL 568	DEAN NEIL COLEMAN	57	53	43	26	179
45	GER 731	THOMAS GLAS	44	49	37	50	180
46	DEN 1481	NILS TROLAND	41	45	60	39	185
47	GER 757	FALK HAGEMANN	51	55	42	40	188
48	GER 6	FABIAN GRONHOLZ	60	35	48	51	194
49	GER 22	DIRK GERICKE	48	59	45	49	201
50	SWE 2791	LENNART HANSSON	38	43	41	ret	202
51	NZL 574	PHILIP RZEPECKY	46	50	51	55	202
52	NZL 564	SEFTON POWRIE	59	52	57	41	209
53	AUS 725	DAVID KETTERIDGE	58	64	38	52	212
54	AUS 688	DAVID HASELDINE	55	58	54	48	215
55	DEN 1399	CHRISTOPHER JOE SCHUBERT	dsq	46	46	46	218
56	GER 767	JULIANE HOFMANN	54	47	59	58	218
57	DEN 1407	MALTE PEDERSEN	42	51	58	69	220
58	AUS 736	GRANT WAKEFIELD	61	57	52	56	226
59	GER 8	RONALD FOEST	47	ret	63	37	231
60	NZL 569	PHIL COVENY	31	63	dnf	61	235
61	FRA 1833	FABIEN CAPEILLERES	56	56	49	dnf	241
62	SWE 55	ULF SAHLE	63	62	62	59	246
63	POL 40	ROBERT SWIECKI	69	60	53	65	247
64	AUS 767	GLENN YATES	49	61	dnf	64	254
65	AUS 706	ERIK THOMPSON	65	68	55	67	255
66	AUS 766	ROBERT BUCHANAN	66	69	61	62	258
67	AUS 738	KEVIN KNOTT	68	67	65	60	260
68	GER 678	HEINZ RIDDER	64	70	64	63	261
69	GER 12	STEFAN RASSAU	53	dnf	dnf	54	269
70	GER 777	NADINE TIETJE	62	54	dnf	dns	276
71	GER 697	JOERG POSNY	70	66	dnf	66	282
72	DEN 1458	SOREN SIGURDSSON	72	65	dnf	68	285
73	AUS 716	DAVID SWALES	67	72	dnf	71	290
74	GBR 2116	TIM O'LEARY	75	74	dnf	70	299
75	NZL 550	TONY BIERRE	71	71	dnf	dns	302
76	GER 539	ULRICH BORCHERS	76	76	dnf	72	304
77	GBR 2058	MARY REDDYHOFF	74	73	dnf	dns	307
78	GER 788	JESSICA FINKE	73	75	dnf	dns	308
79	GBR 2159	RUSSELL WARD	dns	dns	dns	dns	320