The Dutch have been Contender enthusiasts from the earliest days of the class, and now for the first time, the Netherlands has a Contender World Champion, and it happened in Medemblik.
Pim Van Vugt is the 2026 Contender World Champion, posting a consistent; 1, 2, 2, 1, 1 with a 4 discard to win by 6 pts from Mark Bulka of Australia with Graeme Willcox of Britain third – both former class world champions.
Danish/German sailor Olga Henneberg handily repeated as the Women’s World Champion, Bulka won the Masters, Remco Riesthuis was the Junior World Champion, and Stuart Jones was the Grand Master.
The 2027 Contender Worlds will take place in Adelaide, Australia in January 2027.
2026 Contender World Championship – Final after 6 races (97 entries)
