OK Dinghy European Championship on Lake Garda Day 1
by Robert Deaves 11 Sep 19:13 BST
9-14 September 2023
Four races and four winners
The 2023 OK Dinghy European Championship at Circolo Vela Arco began Monday with four races in 10-15 knots of hot southerly breeze that gave everyone a challenge. The race wins went to Jens Eckardt of Denmark and Britain's Matt Howard in the yellow group, while Britain's Charlie Cumbley and Germany's Jan Kurfeld won the blue fleet group races.
After a short delay on the water the Ora filled in slowly and built to provide an awesome day of sailing. Germany's Andre Budzien led yellow fleet for both races for a while but was scored UFD in the opening race and was then passed by Howard in the second.
In the blue fleet, it was a battle between Kurfeld, Cumbley and Denmark's Bo Petersen and France's Valerian Lebrun. While Cumbley got the better off them in the opening race, Kurfeld slipped past in the second to take the win.
Three races are scheduled for Tuesday before the fleet splits in gold and silver groups for the final two days.
It was a momentous day for the class with more than 100 OK Dinghies sailing on Lake Garda for the first ever - it was a sight to behold.