Nick Craig Lifts Yachtsman of the Year Award 2011
Date Posted: 11/01/2012
Endeavour champion and Gill Race Team member Nick Craig has been named as the YJA Yachtsman of the Year for 2011.
The announcement was made at an awards ceremony held at Trinity House, London. Nick not only won the highly competitive OK World Championship in 2011 but in doing so also became the only person ever, to hold the World, UK National and Inland championship titles. He also won the RS400 National championship. To conclude an outstanding year, Nick's fifth Endeavour Trophy victory drew him level with Mike Holmes and Gill Race Team member Geoff Carveth as the most successful sailor in the event's 50 year-history and, by extension, the most successful British amateur dinghy sailor of all time.
The Endeavour Championship is an annual invitation only event, held at Burnham-on-Crouch, to determine the overall dinghy champion of champions from the UK's most popular dinghy racing classes. Winning the Endeavour Trophy is and always has been recognised as an ultimate dinghy racing achievement. So to win five times, representing different classes throughout the years, puts Nick amongst the most versatile and talented dinghy sailors in the world.
Also nominated for the Yachting Journalists' Association's award were Ben Ainslie for his successes in the Finn class, which last year included victory in the Olympic test event Sail for Gold at Weymouth, and Dee Caffari, who became the first triple, female and non-stop circumnavigator when placing sixth in the Barcelona World Race.
The trophy was presented to Nick by Geoff Holt MBE, the 2010 YJA Pantaenius Yachtsman of the Year winner.
Nick Craig and Toby Lewis win the Endeavour Trophy
Date Posted: 01/11/2011
Craig, who has now won the event a total of five times, and Lewis who’s won it three times, didn’t have it all their own way however, and racing went down to the wire in the last of the eight-race series. Their biggest threat in the final three races was the young, talented RS200 national champions – James Peters and Alan Roberts – who were leading the championship at the start of the last day.
With two impressive race wins for Craig, two second places for Peters in the first two races of the last day, and just two points between them, the scene was set for a spectacular showdown, and what a showdown it was.
Craig and Lewis did what came naturally in their vulnerable position by switching into match racing mode to ensure they were in control of Peters and Roberts’ destiny. They did a particularly good job initially, which put them both at the tail end of the fleet but the canny youngsters were fully focussed which meant they were ready to pounce when Team Craig slipped up during a tack during the closing stages of the second beat. A coming together resulted in Craig and Lewis having to carry out penalty turns, which meant Peters and Roberts were able to slip ahead and maintain their controlling position to the finish. Unfortunately for them, however, it was too late to make any effect on the results, which meant Craig and Lewis had done enough to secure the championship.
Nick Craig wins 2011 OK Dinghy World Championship
Date Posted: 01/08/2011
On the final day of racing the position at the top of the leader board was tight with only ten points separating the top five.
Craig had done just enough to win the International OK Dinghy World Championship for the fourth time, only achieved before by Bo Stephan Andersson (SWE) and Leith Armit (AUS). Martin Von Zimmerman, a former European Champion came second, just two points behind Craig. In third and fourth positions were two ex- World Champions Thomas Hansson-Mild and Greg Wilcox (NZL) respectively.
For a full review of the event visit http://www.okdia.org/results/w11.php
Craig gains International OK Dinghy British Champion title
Date Posted: 25/07/2011
The results from Tuesday’s excellent day on the water had resulted in Nick Craig once again becoming OK National Champion. Second place and first veteran went to Kiwi Greg Wilcox who was actually born in the UK and third Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE). These three are all past OK World Champions and will surely be in the mix for this weeks World title. We're hoping for another win for Nick.
Nick Craig Retakes OK Dinghy World Number One Spot
Date Posted: 22/12/2010
The final release of the OK Dinghy World Rankings for 2010 brings a familiar face back to the top. Former world champion, long time World Number 1 and Gill Race Team member Nick Craig (GBR) has retaken the number 1 spot with a scant half a point lead over current world champion Karl Purdie (NZL). The 2002 World Champion Greg Wilcox (NZL) rounds out the top three after a very successful season.
This feature includes results from the Europeans in Medembik, as well as the Danish, British, Polish, German, Swedish, Belgian and French national championships.
By some incredibly involved arithmetic Purdie finds himself just half a point off retaining his number 1 spot. This is purely due to Craig sailing more events in the current season. Craig's lead will only last until Easter though, unless he intends to compete in the Interdoms in Melbourne. Terry Curtis (GBR) climbs to his highest ranking of fourth while the 2009 World Champion Thomas Hansson-Mild drops to fifth after taking the summer off.
Interest in the class is certainly on a high, with subsequent world championships set for Denmark, Thailand and then Australia in coming years.
OK Dinghy World Rankings - December 2010
Pos, Name, Nation, Sail no., Points, Events
1. Nick Craig, GBR, 2134, 966.10, 7
2. Karl Purdie, NZL, 531, 965.58, 7
3. Greg Wilcox, NZL, 522, 946.94, 12
4. Terry Curtis, GBR, 2118, 909.85, 10
5. Thomas Hanson-Mild, SWE, 100, 822.45, 7
6. Paul Rhodes, NZL, 517, 797.91, 5
7. Sonke Behrens, GER, 690, 765.19, 9
8. Jorgen Svendsen, DEN, 1385, 743.57, 8
9. Russell Wood, NZL, 526, 733.12, 5
10. Ben Morrison, NZL, 530, 729.33, 5
