Britain’s Nick Craig has triumphed at the 2026 OK Dinghy European Championship in Bruinisse, The Netherlands, following a tightly contested battle with Pim van Vugt from The Netherlands. World No.1, Thomas Hansson-Mild from Sweden, finished third.
As the final day began, Craig and van Vugt were tied on points, making the competition intense right from the start. In race 7, Craig secured a win while van Vugt placed third, positioning Craig ahead with 11 points compared to van Vugt’s 13 points, setting the stage for a nail-biting final race.
Ultimately, Britain’s Andy Davis clinched victory in the final race but fell short of a podium finish, ending just three points behind Hansson-Mild.
The second race of the day was abandoned due to insufficient wind. After waiting for approximately half an hour for conditions to improve, racing resumed in 7-8 knots. Van Vugt needed a top-two finish to secure the title, leading Craig to employ some strategic match racing tactics. However, the committee start complicated matters, and both sailors found themselves struggling. Eventually, van Vugt opted to retire from the race.
In his acceptance speech, Craig praised the event’s Principal Race Officer for daring to abandon races when necessary, a practice not commonly seen, and expressed gratitude for the friendly atmosphere throughout the event.
Despite having won six OK Dinghy world championships, this marked Craig’s first official European title in the class, having previously only secured a Euro Cup.
Thanks were extended to Aquavitesse and Jachthaven Bruinisse for their role in hosting the event, as well as to Thomas Wilkes and his capable team for their organisation.
Final results after 8 races:
1 GBR 2295 Nick CRAIG 15.0
2 NED 7 Pim van VUGT 18.0
3 SWE 100 Thomas HANSSON-MILD 27.0
4 GBR 11 Andy DAVIS 30.0
5 CAN 26 Baabii’O FLOWER 53.0
6 GER 19 Ulli KURFELD 53.0
7 NZL 24 Sean CLEARY 59.0
8 GER 886 Stefan HOFFMANN 64.0
9 GBR 49 James DOWNER 69.0
10 SWE 72 Benjamin HAMMERÖ 82.0
For full results, visit: https://www.manage2sail.com/en-US/event/c4ba93db-f3d5-46bd-b686-cf1c238b6822#!/
#NickCraig #OKDinghy #SailingChampionship #Bruinisse
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