Former World Champion Roger Blasse is the new OK Dinghy World No. 1
by Robert Deaves 19 Nov 2024 22:00 GMT
Roger Blasse, AUS - Tan Lines OK Dinghy World Championship © Robert Deaves
For the first time ever the former two time OK Dinghy world champion, Roger Blasse, from Australia, is the OK Dinghy World No.1. He moves up seven places in the final World Ranking List of 2024 to take the top spot for the first time in the 19 years the list has been running. It is his highest placing since July 2015, and only his fourth time inside the top five since 2005.
Sweden's Patric Mure remains in second while Australia's Brent Williams moves up one place to third, also his highest ever position. The only change into the top ten is New Zealand's Mark Perrow, re-entering at ninth.
The November 2024 release includes six events. Michal Strumnik won the Polish Nationals from Thomaz Flisiak and Pawel Pawlaczyk; Andre Budzien won the 80 boat German Nationals from Bo Petersen and Pin van Vugt; Andy Davis won the British Inlands from Matt Howard Simon Davis; and Roger Blasse won the Belgian Nationals from Greg Wilcox and Fabian Rossbacher.
Charlie Cumbley took the first win in an October double bill, winning the Autumn Trophy in Bandol from Sweden's Thomas Hansson-Mild with Blasse third, before Luke Deegan won the European Championship in Palma a week later from Cumbley and Sweden's Niklas Edler.
The new release includes 798 sailors from 21 nations. Both those numbers set new records for the class as it continues to grow worldwide.
The class is gearing up for a bumper 2025 with the European Championship scheduled for 3-9 July in Warnemunde, Germany, one of the classes favourite venues, with 120-150 boats expected.
Then from 12-19 September the World Championship is being held in Italy for the first time ever. The class returns to Arco, on Lake Garda, and to date there are an astounding 215 pre-entries. Whatever else, it is heading towards being the largest OK Dinghy event of all time, and by quite some margin. More details at 2025.okworlds.org
The next Ranking List release will be in the new year after the main southern hemisphere events have taken place.
Full list is here: okdia.org/results/world-ranking-list-november-2024
Overall Results:
| Pos | Name | Country | Sail No | Points | Events sailed |
|---|
| 1 | Roger Blasse | AUS | 1 | 1050.21 | 8 |
| 2 | Patric Mure | SWE | 73 | 1002.22 | 15 |
| 3 | Brent Williams | AUS | 5 | 946.45 | 13 |
| 4 | Andy Davis | GBR | 11 | 938.98 | 11 |
| 5 | Steve McDowell | NZL | 11 | 926.13 | 9 |
| 6 | Greg Wilcox | NZL | 15 | 917.41 | 19 |
| 7 | Nick Craig | GBR | 2261 | 916.42 | 9 |
| 8 | Gordon Sims | NZL | 60 | 879.53 | 8 |
| 9 | Mark Perrow | NZL | 4 | 870.77 | 11 |
| 10 | Henrik Kofoed Larsen | DEN | 61 | 868.14 | 11 |