The 2026 OK Dinghy World Championship will be hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club (RDYC) or the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub (KDY) at Skovshoved, one of three facilities it operates north of Copenhagen.
Skovshoved Marina, about 9 km north of Copenhagen.
This venue offers OK Dinghy sailors from all over the world the unique chance to sail a huge regatta in the home waters of legends such as Paul Elvström and close to the home of the huge Hellerup fleet.
Established in 1866, it is the largest yacht club in Denmark with around 2,000 members. The main office is just south of Hellerup at the Tuborg harbour, behind the grandiose Tuborg brewery building, however the club has other sections to it, with sailing centres at Skovshoved and Rungsted, both a short distance further north along the beach road.
Skovhoved harbour is around 4km north of Hellerup, and is the fourth largest harbour in Denmark, with more than 600 berths. The RDYC has had facilities at the harbour since 1942, and it was hugely expanded recently. The area in which it is located is reputed to be the richest part of Denmark, together with sandy beaches, and is an area popular for outdoor activities and sports.
Location
The nearest towns are Hellerup to the south and Klampenborg to the north, with the club sitting nicely against thebackdrop of the surrounding large marina, together with some restaurants and café bars, enjoying inside and outside eating: adequate facilities for a championship. Together with the catering facilities there are a number of buildings for media, jury and a large wooden building, used in past regattas for parties and grand functions. The club has hosted many championships for a number of classes, and we certainly had confidence that they can deliver.
The club accommodated hosted the Finn World Masters in 2019 with over 200 entries, as well as 140 boats and 1200 sailors for the ORC worlds http://orcworlds2016.com/ and 450 sailors in 12mR, 8mR and 5.5m at the Wessel & Vett Cup http://wesselvettcup.dk/ which included 12mR Baltic Championship, 8mR Europeans, 5.5m Scandinavian Gold Cup and 5.5m Worlds.
2019 Finn World Masters: https://finnclass.org/masters-events/archived-events/skovshoved-2019
Facilities: There is an abundance of storage space for road trailers and boxes. The dinghies will be parked in an open area next to the club slipway (35 meters wide for launching and recovery), while the coach boats will be kept on pontoons nearby. There is easy access for trucks and large trailers with excellent loading and unloading space.
Social functions can be held in the boat yard hall which can hold up to 450-500 people
Camping
A huge paved area next to the coast and club is available, with electric hook-ups and chemical disposal available for a small fee. There is also a large grassed area beside the club, which can be used for tents and an overflow for camper vans. Those that wish for more formal camping can use the site at Charlottelund Fort which is around 2km from the club, an abandoned fortress on the sea front, now used as a campsite.
Accommodation
There is one small hotel at Skovshoved, but many others in Hellerup, 4km away, Klampenborg, 2km away, and Jægersborg, 3km away. In the past sailors have also used sourced accommodation on Airbnb for self-catering near the club at Skovhoved. Of course, the centre of Copenhagen is only 8km away, with an abundance of hotels of all types. There is plenty of camping and caravanning, including tents.
Race Area
Racing will take place directly in front of the club in the Øresund, an expanse of water stretching to Sweden 25km away. There is little current and a small rise and fall in the tide. The depth is good and with the shipping lanes on the Swedish side, there are no restrictions on where to set the courses. The hinterland is largely flat, so racing can be run quite far inshore with no problems. It’s proposed to hold the medal race just off the sea wall, which offers excellent spectating from the club area on a floating pontoon. Launching and recovery for the championship will be inside the marina.
Conditions
It is usual to expect light to medium wind conditions at the time of year for the championship, with air temperature typical of European summer. Water temperature in June is around 15–18°.
Transportation
- Road: it is advisable to avoid the centre of Copenhagen and use the ring road.
- Ferry: Rodby or Gedser from Germany, also to Malmø and Trelleborg in Sweden
- Airport – Copenhagen is a major hub, with budget airlines from most European destinations. Airport is half an hour from the club
- Train – direct services from the airport to Hellerup and Klampenborg Station
- Car hire – ample parking at the club.
