Strong breeze in Poland

Robert Deaves reports from the biggest ever OK World Championship

After very strong winds caused the cancellation of the practice race on Sunday, the 2007 OK Dinghy World Championships suffered a similar fate on Monday when the first two scheduled races were cancelled.

The dinghy park and campsite were lashed by gale force winds all night and although the wind moderated in the morning, it was still in excess of 30 knots and just above the maximum allowable limit for the class.

Although the bar and café were pleased with the extra business, the sailors sat around all day and talked about all things OK and found various ways to amuse themselves and pass the time in the picturesque marina under perfect blue skies. A series of postponements throughout the day diminished any hopes of getting any races in and by 16.00 the PRO called it a day and abandoned racing.

The marina here really is the perfect setting for an OK Dinghy championship. For most sailors staying on site – about 90 per cent of them – the dinghy park, the launching ramp, the camp site, the restaurant and perhaps most importantly the bar are all within a few steps of each other and is creating the friendly community atmosphere that is traditional within the class.

Sailors launch into a very sheltered marina and then have to negotiate a 200 metre long narrow canal – which can prove challenging – before being spat out to sea by the breakwater. The coastline stretches in both directions as far as the eye can see with glorious sandy beaches covered in holidaymakers. Sometimes it looks as if there is standing room only.

Tonight the International OK Dinghy Association will hold its Annual General Meeting, where the two most exciting developments will be a impressive bid from New Zealand to win the chance to host the 2010 World Championships in Wellington and a proposal from Canada to be reinstated as a national member of OKDIA. After several years of development and boat building, the Canadian Association is now at a stage where membership of OKDIA is a viable option and the sailors here in Leba look forward to welcoming Canadians to future events.

The forecast for Tuesday's racing is for less wind, so it is planned to fit in three races with an earlier start time before stronger winds are due to return towards the end of the week.