Dave Ridley (Wakatere Boating Club) claimed the 2026 OK Dinghy Counties Champs at Waiuku Yacht Club on 15–16 August, edging out Waiuku local Mark Perrow with John Cutler (Wakatere) rounding out the podium after a tight six-race series in a 14-boat fleet.

[Top 3 podium at Waiuku Yacht Club: Ridley, Perrow, Cutler]

Day 1 — Saturday 15 August

The fleet was greeted by a southwesterly 10–16 knots, described by Tiki Knud Olsen as “a little shifty,” and four races were sailed. Race 1 set the tone straight away with a dead-heat battle for second between John Cutler and Dave Ridley — see the video on Tiki’s Facebook page. Eric “Wolf” Rone took the honours in Race 1, Mark Perrow followed up with back-to-back bullets in Races 2 and 3, and Ridley closed the day with a win in Race 4 to head overnight on 7.5 points.

[Dave Ridley applying his Tiki sticker to the hull after winning Race 4]

By Tiki tradition, the winner of the day’s final race gets to adorn their boat with a Tiki sticker — a fitting reward for Ridley to cap off day one on his new boat.

Day 2 — Sunday 16 August

Two more races on Sunday completed the six-race series. Eric “Wolf” Rone claimed the day’s Tiki sticker by winning the final race of the regatta, capping what Tiki called a great family weekend at Waiuku.

[Eric “Wolf” Rone with his kids after taking day 2 Tiki honours]

At the front of the fleet, Ridley held on to take the title on 9.5 points, with Perrow just 2.5 points back on 12.0 and Cutler securing third on 15.5. Rone had a superb regatta to finish fourth overall on 16.0.

Final results

Six races sailed, one discard. Photos and video: Tiki Knud Olsen.