Masters events across the world

uk masters

uk masters and open Championship

A healthy entry of 36 boats from over 13 UK clubs travelled to Mengeham Rythe SC on 26-27 June for the 2021 Masters Championship and open, including several new recruits to the growing British Finn fleet. Expat David Kitchen even flew in from South Africa and spent two weeks in a quarantine hotel to be there.

Saturdays forecast of a south-easterly breeze of 7 knots proved accurate with Rodney Cobb the early leader in the first race. However, Open entry, Jim Downer rounded first, with Kristian Sjöberg close behind. The downwind legs proved a tactical challenge. Downer won from John Greenwood and Sjöberg.

Race two offered more of the same with Downer again showing the way, from Simon Percival and Lawrence Crispin. With the light south-westerly beginning to falter, the final race of the day was quickly started, with both Downer and Sjöberg caught out by the one-minute rule. The breeze was now very patchy and it was Greenwood who crept over the line first, ahead of two Legends, Cobb and Richard Hart. Ever the gentleman, Richard commented, ‘I was up and down in the race, but just lucky to be in third when it was stopped.’

The forecast for Sunday put a couple of legends off, but once out over the bumpy bar, the seas flattened off and wind dropped to a more comfortable 12-15 knots. Beating against the tide, Greenwood took the left hand side off the pin end and taking the gun from Crispin followed by Allen Burrell.

With the wind gradually reducing through the cloudy afternoon, race 5 was swiftly begun as the wind flicked left. On the second upwind, Martin Hughes struck out boldly into the full tide out to sea, and was rewarded with a 15° shift, that took him from around sixth to first around the windward mark, a position he held from Al Burrell and Sjöberg.

The final race brought heavy rain showers that suppressed the breeze further at times and created frustrating holes around the finish line. Downer again took the gun from Hughes and Sjöberg, but Greenwood had done enough to take the title.

1 GBR 5 John Greenwood (GGM) 12 2 FIN 201 Kristian Sjoberg (GM) 23 3 GBR 74 Lawrence Crispin (GM) 24 4 GBR 49 James Downer (O) 28 5 GBR 33 Kieron Holt (M) 30 6 GBR 2 Allen Burrell (GM) 37 7 GBR 90 Richard Sharp (GM) 39 8 GBR 13 Roman Khodykin (M) 42 9 GBR 635 Simon Percival (M) 46 10 GBR 567 Martin Hughes (GGM) 47

polish masters

The 2021 Polish Masters Championships took place on the Zegrze lake from 13-15 August. There were 13 entries.

Marek Jarocki won a very close regatta ahead of Piotr Pajor and Jacek Binkowski. Jarocki won three races in the nine race series, while Pajor didn’t win any and Binkowski just two. Other race wins went to Artur Siwik, Juliusz Reichelt (2) and Błażej Wyszkowski.

1 POL 100 Marek Jarocki 20 2 POL 23 Piotr Pajor 24 3 POL 21 Jacek Bińkowski 26 4 POL 70 Artur Siwik 26 5 POL 38 Juliusz Reichelt 30 6 POL 83 Błażej Wyszkowski 37 7 POL 27 Piotr Rosiński 49 8 POL 85 Wojciech Nadolski 65 9 POL 115 Lucjan Bladowski 71 10 POL 127 Jan Kominek 71

swedish masters

swedish masters

The Swedish Masters Championship took place in Karlstad on 18-19 September, as part of the Sola Cup, the final Swedish Cup event of the year. It had fewer participants than usual, with 12 sailors at the start, including three non-Masters. Race wins went to Daniel Miles (3), Stefan Nordström (1), Erik Åberg (S) and Pär Friberg.

1 SWE 15 Daniel Miles GGM 12 2 SWE 14 Stefan Nordström GM 14 3 SWE 91 Pär Friberg GGM 24 4 SWE 2 Svante Colvin GGM 25 5 SWE 21 Mats R Karlsson GGM 27 6 SWE 16 Henrik Rydell GM 33 7 SWE 99 David Berg M 40 8 SWE 688 Håkan Stööd GGM 52 9 SWE 111 Torsten Jarnstam L 54

dutch masters

dutch onk/masters

Combined with the Dutch Nationals the 2021 Dutch Masters was sailed at KNZ&RV Muiden instead of the usual Medemblik. With 60 participants it was the biggest fleet in years, and although the wind forecast for Saturday was poor three good races were sailed. After day 1 only Eric Bakker and Peter Peet were leading with Bas de Waal in third place. After some nice beers and excellent food at the club Sunday brought Prosecco conditions, with average 8 to 14 knots and partly clouded skies with very close racing. Ten metres difference on the finish

na masters italian masters

north american masters

The 2021 North American Masters Championship was sailed on the Coronado Roads in San Diego from 1012 September. Greg Morton pulled into a solid lead as early as the first day of racing and never let up. Winning races 5 and 6 on Saturday and finishing second in race 7, Morton’s victory was confirmed. Morton earned the North American Masters title with a mere 11 points, finishing four out of eight races in first.

“I just seemed to have a little more wheels than I’ve had in the past. I haven’t sailed in a Finn since last February and then just jumped into this regatta...so I impressed myself too. The conditions couldn’t have been more perfect and the Race Committee did a really fine job,” said Morton.

The fight for second place between Rob Coutts and James Buley, who finished third with 24 points, really came down to the final race. Coutts was able to stay ahead of Buley, finishing third in race eight. Buley was stuck in the middle of the fleet and finished the final race in eighth, allowing Coutts to take second overall. The conditions on the water were typical champagne San Diego sailing conditions. Winds ranged from 7-15 knots.

1 USA 2 Gregg Morton (GM) 11 2 USA 9 Rob Coutts (GGM) 21 3 USA 18 James Buley (GM) 24 4 USA 47 Robert Kinney (GGM) 33 5 USA 19 Phil Ramming (GGM) 40 6 USA 59 John Reiter (GM) 49 7 USA 61 Lee Hope (GM) 50 8 USA 444 Roland Fournier (GM) 52 9 USA 49 Michael Downing (GGM) 53 10 USA 70 Michael Entwistle (GGM) 71

line could easily cost you eight places. It was hard work until the last metre. Peter Peet sailed a 1,2,3 and was crowned as “King Peter” Dutch champion and Masters Champion.

Legend: Wouter Molenaar; Grand Grand Master: Roel van Olst; Grand Master: Peter Peet; Master: Karel van Hellemond

1 NED 148 Peter Peet 11 2 NED 29 Bas de Waal 23 3 NED 703 Eric Bakker 27 4 NED 69 Jelte Baerends 34 5 NED 41 Karel van Hellemond 39 6 NED 7 Cees Scheurwater 46 7 NED 73 Ronald Ruiter 46 8 NED 98 Nanno Schuttrups 47 9 NED 1037 Jan-Willem Kok 54 10 NED 25 Gert van der Heijden 55

italian masters

Enrico Passoni won the Italian Finn Master Championship, held in Viareggio from June 18-20. The event had a record attendance of 60 boats from five countries, but the excessive heat and a bad he wind forecast, meant that several races were abandoned or shortened.

On Friday there were two races with winds between 5 and 8 knots, after which Gubi (5-1) and Passoni (1-5) led on equal points. On Saturday, after the first race was cancelled due to lack of wind it was always resailed in conditions at the limit and shortened on the first lap, with the victory of Lorenzo Tesei in front of Francesco Cinque and Bruno Catalan.

Finally, on the last day, two races took place: one shortened on the first lap which was won by Michael Gubi. In the second the wind increased up to 1011 knots, which allowed free pumping. Marco Buglielli took the win from Roberto Strappati and Enrico Passoni.

The regatta was won by Michael Gubi, with very constant in placings and winner of two races (5-1-18-1-5). Michael finished only three points ahead of Enrico Passoni (15-7-6-3), who won his fifth Italian Master’s title. The excellent Francesco Cinque (27-2-21-4) who, with the exception of the fourth race, raced flawlessly, placed third. Completing the top 10: Taras Havrysh, Roberto Strappati, Marko Kolic, Matteo Iovenitti, Vladimir Stasiuk, Ferdinando Colaninno and Andrea Lino.

The Challenge Trophy dedicated to Sergio Masserotti (former finnist and class secretary) was therefore won again by Enrico Passoni, while the category awards were assigned to Roberto Strappati for the Masters (40-49 years), Ferdinando Colaninno for the Grand Masters (50-59), Passoni in the Grand Grand Masters (6069), Legend category, Bruno Catalan.

The Masters’ assembly, met during the Championship and decided to hold the 2022 Masters Championship in Bracciano.

new Zealand masters

burnsco new Zealand masters

The Burnsco New Zealand Masters was held at Waiuku, south-west of Auckland. Karl Purdie again won but didn’t have it all his own way in the tricky conditions, only winning three of the nine races sailed. Russell Wood, Mark Perrow, Ray Hall, David Hoogenboom and Tom Dodson all took a win apiece to keep it close in the light winds.

The races were run in a variable 3-8 knot southerly to south-easterly, by the usual professional Waiuku crew.

Consistency was key with race leaders at the top mark often being swallowed by the pack by the time they reached the next bottom mark. Connecting gusts was vital on the snakes and ladders courses. It was Waiuku at its finest producing some of the most exciting and mentally challenging conditions a Finn sailor could hope to find anywhere.

1 NZL 111 Karl Purdie 17 2 NZL 1 Tom Dodson 28 3 NZL 4 Mark Perrow 31 4 NZL 10 David Hoogenboom 35 5 NZL 2 Ray Hall 40 6 NZL 12 Alistair Deaves 40 7 NZL 28 Russell Wood 41 8 NZL 22 Dirch Andersen 46 9 NZL 17 Ilia Ovsiiko 68 10 NZL 193 Gerrit Bearda 71