Vaikobi OK Dinghy Travellers Series and Sprints event 2026 at Burghfield Sailing Club

Light airs and that special brand of inland unpredictability greeted a fleet of 13 OK sailors at Burghfield Sailing Club for the opening round of the 2026 Vaikobi OK Travellers Series - five home boats joined by eight enthusiastic visitors.

With eight short, sharp sprint races scheduled around the trapezoid course, and the Finn fleet sharing the lake, the racing programme ran with impressive efficiency. The excellent race team, led by Richard Willets, somehow managed to keep both fleets alert, honest, and almost exactly where they were supposed to be from the very first starting signal.

The morning began with cool, shifty easterly (F1-F2) before brightening into a more cheerful F2 in the afternoon. Naturally, the breeze eased again for the final race, just to prevent anyone feeling too settled. With eight races and two discards, the recipe for success was clear: start well, read the shifts, avoid the holes, and try not to lose ten boats in a single leg. Vintage inland glamour.

Vaikobi OK Travellers Series and Burghfield Sprints - photo © Nigel Milligan

From the outset, Nick "The Colonel" Craig delivered a calm and clinical masterclass — seven wins from eight gave him a commanding victory on home waters. Crisp starts, clean lanes, and enviable boat speed left much of the fleet enjoying the familiar view of Nick's transom receding into the distance.

It was brilliant to see so many familiar faces back in their OKs, none more so than Roger Tushingham. Having recently tripped over his OK in the garage, Roger sensibly decided to do something with it. After pulling the trigger slightly early in Race 1, he recovered superbly and sailed consistently fast all day to secure second overall. His highlight was Race 8, where he led from the front, keeping Nick safely behind him and extending away for a memorable win—followed by a drive home up north with a grin expected to last until at least Wednesday. Newly energised, he is already talking up the 2026 Denmark Worlds and has even been overheard whispering about the TT Thailand Worlds in 2027.

Vaikobi OK Travellers Series and Burghfield Sprints - photo © Nigel Milligan

Harvey Leigh from the North and North Sails put in an excellent morning session, staying sharp in the lighter breeze to secure a well deserved third overall. Just behind him came Nigel King, making a very welcome return to the class and proving that competitive instincts never really fade.

The rest of the fleet enjoyed a classic Burghfield experience: bursts of glory, stretches of mystery, and the occasional "how on earth did I end up here?" score on the board. Ideal early season practice for boat handling, starting, and keeping one's sense of humour.

Vaikobi OK Travellers Series and Burghfield Sprints - photo © Nigel Milligan

The Burghfield Home Guard were out in force (except for Private Godfrey), luffing each other with great enthusiasm from one side of the lake to the other. Andy "Sergeant Bilko" Dalby led the home team charge, finishing as the first non world champion club boat in an excellent 6th place. And then there is the legendary Alan "I was Kaiser Bill's Batman" Atkin - 86 years young and still causing mischief at the front. In Race 6, halfway down the third leg, Alan was lying in second and at one point looked entirely capable of giving Nick a fright. Inspirational stuff.

The day concluded with a friendly prize-giving by Deryck Lovegrove, with prizes generously provided by our event sponsor Vaikobi, followed by tea and an outstanding spread of cakes kindly supplied by the wonderful Alice Pyke - almost enough to soothe those who had swept up the fleet by a lucky lift one moment only to fall into a hole the next.

The fleet now look forward to meeting up again at the Ovington Inlands at Grafham Water on 21-23 March, where everyone will be hoping for more breeze and further chance to see how their early season form is shaping up.

OVerall winner, Nick Craig - Vaikobi OK Travellers Series and Burghfield Sprints - photo © Nigel Milligan

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