Finn Masters Magazine 2023

ISSUE NO. 10 • AUGUST 2023

The Finn Masters Magazine is a non-profit publication that is distributed free of charge to all active Finn masters who are IFA members through their National Finn Association, as well as other interested parties connected to the Finn World Masters around the world. Articles, race results, photographs and reports from countries are always welcome. All advertisement enquiries should also be addressed to the Editor. A media pack is available on www.finnworldmasters.com. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, neither the editor nor the contributors can assume any liability for any errors that remain.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

All those attending Finn Masters events in the two years prior to publication are eligible for a free copy. Extra copies available at events. To check subscription contact media@finnworldmaster.com with your full name and delivery address.

MAGAZINE EDITOR

Robert Deaves, 2 Exeter Road, Ipswich IP3 8JL, England. Mob: +44 (0)7936 356 663

Email: media@finnworldmaster.com

Masters President’s Message

Having just returned from Nea Iraklitsa and the Finn World Masters, I’m still overwhelmed at the welcome and enthusiasm we received. Believe it if you will that for four days after the closing ceremony we had blue skies and 16 knots of sea breeze every day. I am confident that this is not a light airs venue and we unfortunately had a blip. We had long discussions about some of the weaknesses at the venue and a letter has gone to the local authorities to suggest that these are put right before we consider returning.

During the Annual Masters Meeting we voted on some major rule changes. The decision to take the World Masters out of the commitment of the Whitsun holiday gives us increased flexibility and allows the other countries to plan their events. Under the new rules, the dates will now be in the month of June unless we are in the southern hemisphere when it is likely to be in January or February.

We have also increased the period to three years for choosing the venues; again this will assist the planning process of the national organisations.

As you can see we have a great programme ahead of us, with more new

By Andy Denison, GBR 20

venues coming to the table, and we will always do our utmost to ensure that the Masters and their partners have all the ingredients in place for a great time on and off the water.

Elsewhere in this issue there are details of next year’s World Masters in Puntala at the new dates of 7-14 June. While there is plenty of accommodation on site, early booking is recommended and from about November the resort will open exclusive early booking for us.

Another change this year is moving the Masters Magazine to the summer. In this way, we can not only report more timely on the event that has just happened, but also will have more up to date information on the coming events.

I look forward to meeting many of you again in Campione and don’t forget to get the November date in your diary to make your reservation in Puntala, prior to it being in the public domain.

Andy Denison President - Finn Masters

COVER PHOTO Peter Peet at the 2023 Masters in Nea Iraklitsa

All of the photos in this issue from the Finn World Masters and European Masters can be bought as downloads or prints here: https://robertdeaves.smugmug.com

Charters available! Follow our tour and book your charter. Our top quality academy Finns are available at many of the major events.

Filipe Silva in Kavala

CONTACTS AND CALENDAR

Finn World Masters Committee Event Calendar 2023-6

President Masters’ Fleet

Andy Denison (GBR 20)

12 Castle Street, Christchurch

BH23 1DT, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1202 484748

Mob +44 (0)7802 355 522

Email: andy@denisons.com

Henk de Jager (NED 11) Agnietenstraat 47 5301ET Zaltbommel

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 622 23 5079

Mob: +7 701 754 1813

Email: henk.dejager11@gmail.com

Phil Chadwick (AUS 75)

85 Stratton Terrace, Manly, QLD 4179 Australia

Tel: +61 400 965 917

Email: philchadwick65@icloud.com

* New dates. For National events please check local websites for latest information. Further updates also at www.finnworldmasters.com

Marc Allain des Beauvais (FRA 99)

62 Avenue Camus, 44000 Nantes, France

Tel: +33 (0)285 520 330

Mob: +33 (0)6 07 29 27 56

Email: marc@transmer.com

Andreas Bollongino (GER 19) Burgstraße 15, 78479, Reichenau Germany

Tel: +49 7534 5814901

Mob: +49 175 7998338

Email: andreas@bollongino.net

PAST PRESIDENTS

1978-1992 Georg Oser

1992-2008 Rolf Lehnert

2008-2013 Fons van Gent

2013-present Andy Denison

*Please note that there may be changes in the committee at the AMM

Chris Watts aWarded Godet trophy 2023

At the opening ceremony of the 2023 World Masters, Chris Watts was presented with the Godet Trophy for his outstanding contribution to the Finn World Masters. The 2018 winner, Vasilis Pigadis, was called to the stage to take hold of the Godet Trophy, which he had been awarded after the previous event in Kavala, but had never held. He was asked to present the trophy to Chris, who has supported the Finn World Masters since 2005 and has put in a huge amount of largely unrecognised work each year. As an International Judge, Chris Watts has been a fixture of the event for nearly 20 years as well as Chairman of the Jury during the majority of these years, and has made an outstanding contribution to the event.

CominG soon Finn masters shop

Workis almost complete to create a Finn Masters shop with online ordering for shirts, bags, hats etc.

There was a lot of demand this year for Finn Masters clothing and goods, so we are working with a supplier who will handle the entire process with worldwide shipping available. Watch this space.

important ChanGes to masters rules

Several important changes to the Finn Masters Rules were passed at the Annual Masters Meeting. The Minutes can be found on page 28.

1. The traditional dates for the Finn World Masters has always been the Whitsun week, but to try to be more flexible, to secure more preferable dates, and to provide certainty for other event organisers, the decision was taken that from now on, the dates of the Finn World Masters will be in the month of June.

2. To allow bidding clubs more time to plan the window to bid for events has been increased to three years.

3. The entry fee for Super Legends has been reduced to 50%.

#FinntalKs

Don’t forget to check out the latest #finntalks on youtube on FINN TV or on the Finn Channel. There are now 10 #FINNTALKS available including Anthony Nossiter, Zsombor Berecz and Doma Nemeth. One of the latest is Phil Chadwick talking about the events coming to Brisbane, with Simon Percival and Jens Kristian Anderson to follow. If you would like to be featured please get in touch.

Watch at finnclass.org/finn-tv/finntalks or

www.youtube.com/thefinnchannel

editorial note

Believe it or not this is the 10th issue of the Masters Magazine, which means Andy has been President for 10 years. It’s also the first to be moved to the middle in the year.

As a result, the 2022 events are covered in less detail than usual, but these have already been covered in FINNFARE. A principle purpose of these issues is to document the history of the class, so for completeness we have included summaries of the main events from 2022.

FILIPE SILVA WINS SHORTENED WORLDS SERIES IN GREECE

Thesaying ‘it’s not normally like this here’ has rarely been truer than at the 2023 Finn World Masters in Nea Itaklitsa, near Kavala, in Greece.

The event attracted 145 sailors from 30 nations and was set on an idyllic beach surrounded by bars and restaurants, and against the backdrop of the beautiful Gulf of Kavala.

Just four races were managed so there was no discard, but in every race completed, the 2019 European Masters Champion, Filipe Silva, was there, and won the title with room to spare.

While the conditions leading up to the event were good, by the time the event opened, everything had changed, with storm activity and lack of wind. The opening ceremony was postponed because of a storm passing over with strong wind and rain, and between the storms there was very little wind. The practice race on Sunday was also cancelled after the wind failed to show up.

DAY 1

The 2023 Finn World Masters was finally opened on the Monday evening after another shorter storm and the first race was completed.

The fleet was held ashore until just after midday and while there was a good breeze on shore, it was still building on the race area. Eventually a southerly filled in at a quite stable 5-7 knots and Race 1 got away first time.

The leaders came from the left with World No.1 Laurent Hay rounding ahead of Filipe Silva and David Terol. Not much changed downwind but on the second beat, Nick Craig moved up to third and was right behind Silva at the top. Hay then extended for a comfortable win from Silva and Craig.

A second race was attempted but was abandoned halfway up the first beat and the fleet was towed home.

DAY 2

Silva took the lead after one further race was sailed on Tuesday. A windless and cloudy morning led to a 75-minute postponement ashore, but the fleet was sent out in a building breeze and clearing skies. However, by the time the fleet reached the course area it was already starting to die. After an hour of waiting there was nothing left but a glassy sea and increasing temperatures, so the fleet was towed back to the beach to wait.

By 15.00 there were signs a new breeze was developing and the sailors waited until 15.20 when AP ashore was removed again. Race 2 got underway after one general recall in 7-8 knots, with a lot of new faces at the front following a right-hand shift halfway up the first beat. First round the top was Zlatko Atanasov from Lucas Prescott and Marald van Reijse.

David Terol rounded next and was up to third at the next windward mark to take the lead on the final downwind to lead into the finish by just a few boatlengths from Boguslaw Nowakowski, with Atanasov in third.

A second race was attempted but the wind was dropping and becoming unstable so was abandoned soon after the start and the fleet sent back to the beach.

After two races, Terol moved up to second with Marco Buglielli in third.

DAY 3

No racing were possible on the third day after the wind played games all day. The day opened with cloud cover and a light breeze, with promises of a clearing skies and better wind conditions in the afternoon. After a long postponement ashore the fleet was released only to be turned around also immediately as the wind died again.

The boats were released again at 14.30 and the breeze built to 12 knots under sunny skies just before the start. However, a huge cloud bank was developing behind the course area and gradually started to cover it. After two general recalls and 21 boats pulled out under the black flag, including several top runners, the wind started to shift and drop.

The boats made it to the top mark with Ladislav Hyrs leading from Till Klammer and Silva. However, but then the wind was down to 3-4 knots and the race was soon abandoned and the fleet towed home on glassy seas.

In the evening, an excellent Finn Masters Annual dinner was held at Camping Paradiso next door to the boat park.

DAY 4

It had taken long enough but finally the Gulf of Kavala delivered on the Day 4 of the championship with the promised conditions. Two races were sailed in 9-10 knots of sea breeze, clear blue skies and soaring temperatures. It was a long day on the water but a Finntastic day to be sailing. More importantly, with four races sailed there was a collective sigh of relief to get in a valid series.

With the first start scheduled at 12.00 the fleet left the beach at 10.30, but the wind took a while to become established but the race committee under the direction of Stuart Childerley got the first start away within minutes of the breeze arriving.

Hay built a substantial lead in Race 3, only for the race to end in an abandonment on the second beat after one of the gate marks went adrift with considerable confusion from the fleet, with boats rounding the remaining mark in both directions. The race abandonment saved a few, including Silva, who was deep, but also meant that most of 21 black flagged boats had to wait even longer.

In the resailed race, the right paid again, with Udo Murek leading at the top from Silva and Peet. Hay rounded fourth but had the lead by the gate and maintained that to the finish to win from Silva and Peet.

Race 4 was started quite promptly and again Peet was sailinh well and first round with a comfortable lead. This time he extended away to take the win with Terol second and Hay third.

With no discard, Silva had extended his lead. Hay was back up to second with Peter Mosny in third.

DAY 5

On the Friday, Filipe Silva won the 2023 Finn World Masters after no more racing were possible. Laurent Hay was second with Peter Mosny in third.

While the weather remained hot and humid, low cloud prevented the sea breeze becoming established. The fleet was towed out to the race area and though the race committee kept the fleet afloat as long as practical there was no wind before the 15.00 deadline, so the fleet was towed back to the beach. At least everyone had become an expert in being towed during the week.

It had been a very difficult week for

wind, with various weather systems across Europe in the previous weeks, and only one day of the expected weather conditions. However, there was not a sad face on the beach, or the bars or the tavernas. Everyone had an amazing time and at the prizegiving, a promise was made to invite the fleet back in the future. There will be a lot of takers for that.

There were two Super Legends with Howard Sellars from Britain placing 102nd overall to take the title from JanEric Floren, from Sweden in 144th overall. There were also 18 Legends taking part and this category is getting more and more competitive with sailors remaining in the Finn for longer than ever. Jiri Outrata took the title in 19th overall from Peter Vollebregt and Derek Breitenstein.

Antal Szekely took the Great Grand Masters, the largest age category group this week, while Laurent Hay again won the Grand Masters and Filipe Silva took the Masters category title.

Just four races were completed, and Silva sailed very well to finish with just over one third the points of second placed Hay, never placing worse than fifth in the 145 boat fleet. However, there was no discard and that may have changed everything.

In 2024 the championship heads back to another beach, this time in Italy at Punta Ala, for an event that was delayed three years because of the pandemic. It will be a welcome return to a popular venue and it is hoped the class will start to return to pre-pandemic entry levels with at least 300 boats expected.

Legend: 1 Jiri Outrata CZe, 2 Peter VOLLebregt ned, 3 derek breitenstein Fin

great grand Master: 1 antaL sZékeLy Hun, 2 PHiLiPPe LObert, Fra, 3 VaLentyn kLyMentyeV ukr

grand Master: 1 Laurent Hay Fra 2 Peter MOsny sVk, 3 Peter Peet ned

Master: 1 FiLiPe siLVa POr, 2 kantOr ZsigMund Hun, 3 LuCas PresCOtt aus

suPer Legend: 1 HOward seLLars gbr 2 Jan eriC FLOren swe

Lady: tina weinreiCH

RETURN TO PARADISE

The2024 Finn World Masters will be held in Italy on the Gulf of Follonica with the event based from Puntala Camp & Resort, a 27 hectare camping site and holiday park located in a Mediterranean pine forest adjacent to an unfeasibly beautiful and long beach, and located roughly half way between Follonica and Punta Ala.

Please note that after the decisions taken at the 2023 Annual Masters Meeting, the dates have been changed to 7-14 June.

The resort is located around 140 km south of Pisa in the region of Grosseto on the Tyrrhenian coastline. The region is typical of the Tuscany countryside, expansive farmland with pine forests bordering the coastline. The camping resort is an oasis for the traveller, off the beaten track with its own unspoilt sandy beach.

The 2021 Finn World Masters should have been in Punta Ala, ten years after it was last held there, bu was delayed because of the pandemic. Those who attended the 2011 Finn World Masters there will remember fabulous sailing and hospitality and a gorgeous resort and beach.

During the summer months (April-October), there is a regular afternoon thermal breeze, which makes sailing pleasant and fun. The sea surface is never too rough, and it allows good sailing even with strong winds; protected from strong currents and rough waves. The organisation has held many other international events over the years. During the summer months the water temperature is between 18° and 24°C. The waters are clean and certified by international organisations which control the quality of the environment.

Following the trends of the eco-tourism sector, in synergy with the sensitivity of environmental issues – the PuntAla Camping site works to recreate a ‘natural lifestyle’, an approach that has been acclaimed and rewarded by national and international environmental organisations.

ACCOMMODATION

The resort has an abundance of camping emplacements for tents, caravans and motor homes, together with cabin bungalows/ lodges, Airstream campers and glamping pods. Since 2011, the resort has expanded the range of cabins and there are now many brand-new cabins with double rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Other facilities include two restaurants, coffee and bar facilities and sports facilities. Also new this year is a stunning beach bar about 100 metres from the main gate to the beach.

There will be an exclusive accommodation booking period from 1 November to 1 December for the Finn Masters, which gives the opportunity to have first choice, before it is opened to other customers. While there is plenty of capacity, it is recommended to book during this period to guarantee your preferred choice of accommodation.

The site has two restaurants, with takeaway pizza, and one beach bar. There are another four restaurants within cycling distance (2-4 km). Many other bars and restaurants can be found at Punta Ala 8 km, Scarlino 8 km and Follonica 12 km.

TRAVEL/LOGISTICS

Flights: many options to Pisa, Rome, Florence. Train – closest station is Follonica, which is around one hour from Pisa. Tickets can be purchased at ticket machines or in the airport – about €20 each way including shuttle train to Pisa Central station.

Taxi from Follonica station to Puntala is around €30. Shipping. Livorno, Civitavecchia are the closest major ports. More info on the finnworldmasters.com and the resort website at www.campingpuntala.it.

KNOW THEM BY THEIR SKILLS

Jay Harrison provides his unique perspective on 10 years of coming to the Finn World Masters from being ‘scared, lost and slow’ in La Rochelle in 2013 to the ‘plastic drums of anaesthetic’ in 2017 to becoming a Legend in 2023.

Istarted sailing in a Sabot (Opti sans gaff) at 11. I progressed to 12-foot skiffs and then 18 footers where I spent most of my 20s and 30s as a mainsheet hand. It was Iain Murray’s era, but I do have plenty of second places.

I had a couple of forays into keelboats, firstly campaigning a Frers 40, Bondi Tram, in 1984 trimming main for Iain Murray. I had fallen into his America’s Cup crew the previous year in Newport, RI, when, after an 18 foot skiff regatta, I trimmed the main in the trial horse during Australia II’s victory over America. An experience I will remember.

We led all the way to Hobart but unfortunately arrived at Tasman light at dusk and boats we couldn’t see on the horizon

the prior afternoon were blowing the sea breeze up to us in the river. We finished 13th. That is yachting.

I went back to dinghies at the local club after that sailing a Vaucluse Senior, and old design with three crew, two on trapeze. I sailed against other retired skiffies with two young cousins as my crew.

In 1993 I was tempted back into yachts on the first Farr 40. I trimmed main in the short races and got to steer in the long ones. It was a well-run factory boat and we won the Hobart race. Thankfully I haven’t had to do it since. 60 knots on the nose all night in a new moon and 60-foot seas is harrowing, even in a sound yacht.

Most of my time sailing for 20 years until I took up Finns in 2013 at 60 was spent cruising up and down the NSW coast taking my six children to junior regattas We did some significant cruises, the longest being back to Hobart for a 13-year old’s last crack at the Sabot nationals. Not such a bad trip when you can pick your weather; and certainly, a step towards manhood for the two sons on board. The youngest three flew down with their mother and we cruised TAS after the regatta. My wife and I also spent Covid cruising the Whitsunday islands.

FINNS

When I took my youngest children down to Woollahra sailing club to sail 29ers I saw some Finns lined up under their covers and thought them a pretty sight.

I make some enquiries and worked out that I had to put on 15 or 20 kilos. As that was the last thing I wanted to do I bought a 1980’s Vanguard Finn for 4,000 bucks just to have a go and see if it was impossible. Prudent enough to pick my day I found it not only possible but enjoyable, just rolling down the ramp pulling up the halyard and having the harbour to myself in a first day nor’easter of eight or nine knots. Heaven on a stick.

I couldn’t get the grin off my face; it was so beautifully balanced and the gearbox is perfect for a career mainsheet hand. I could adjust the trim to my heart’s content.

Within days I had scouted the web and done a deal with Jan van der Horst of Hit masts for a brand-new Classic delivered to la Rochelle in 2013 for my first ever Finn regatta. I can remember the excitement I felt as Jan took all the individual covers off the components and put it together for me in the car park. It was built for the Dutch market with translucent orange decks. I loved it at first sight.

Sailing it was another thing altogether. The dark water, cold wind and occasional sleet on the North Atlantic swells off La Rochelle was frightening and the waves under the leeward gunwale tipped me into windward fairly shortly. One of the first things I worked out was that I was actually too light to right a Finn once it was inverted. Luckily the regatta was well run and a very competent young rescue crew got me out of trouble. I soon learned not to over ease the mainsail once things got challenging.

Needless to say, I remained scared, lost and slow for the entire regatta. The next year in Sopot I chartered a boat, having shipped the new boat back to Sydney. As I was low in the pecking order the boat I got wanted for a bit of maintenance and wasn’t too good at keeping the ocean out. That combined with the windy and shifty conditions made it yet another forgettable week in Europe.

In my third season we went to Kavala. I had bought another boat from Jan, a perfect clearskin, which I still have. I could at least sail the conditions, though not as well as I had expected to. Huge men whose fitness seemed well behind them ghosted

past me downwind like I was anchored for lunch. I had a chat with Maurice, NZL 64, some five years my senior, who said that in his experience when good guys came into the class you could start to see their potential in their third season. I kept the faith.

CHOPPING WOOD

During the following season back in Sydney, somebody showed me the new Pata Stradivarius and I knew within seconds I had to own one. I rang Pata and took delivery of it in Torbole.

I was miffed by the fact that the CEO of this building yard that made coastal patrol frigates was taking me block by block through a 15-foot dinghy in the car park, but I was honoured. I had heard that like Garda was a Mecca for sailors. It hadn’t crossed my mind that the combination of 14 knots of breeze, a huge fetch and fresh water would make Finn sailing for an 80kg man more like chopping wood.

The fact that I couldn’t hold a lane out of the start combined with the preciousness of my new yacht meant I was happy to let the fleet go and then tack away after the start and proceed to rack up yet another inglorious result sheet. Pata wasn’t happy with me.

As usual the socialisation was fantastic and after the regatta my wife and I drove through the dolomites and kept going; a habit after every World Masters Finn regatta.

on the right side of the first beat. Had Ernesto not come out of retirement after 30 years, I’d have been on the podium. However, to see a Grand Grand Master win the regatta overall more than compensated for my small move down the ladder.

I also did a couple of other regattas, the Princess Sofia in Palma as a house guest of John Alexander, who had a spare Finn at hand, and a Europeans in Split.

Helsinki was next and I was getting the hang of it, though big fleet starts are not my long suit. Once the big boys are fully hiked it becomes a traffic management situation for me, working my way backwards choosing between bad air and being out of phase.

Club sailing is a different matter with up to 10 boats on Sydney Harbour. Rob McMillan and a couple of others show me how much I have to learn, but I have my day. In a light, occasionally medium championship I can surprise myself.

KNOW THEM BY THEIR SKILLS

And finally, there was Iraklitsa. I don’t need it that light, but we were cruising Greece when we were not racing, getting to know a few Finn sailors and renewing some earlier acquaintances. One thing I love about the Finn Masters is that even if you can’t communicate verbally with a lot of the competitors you have a relationship with them all on the course and you know them by their skills, and more importantly by their manners.

I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. Lost in heat 1 for 101. Then a 77, 91 and a 53. The 91 was disappointing. I was tidy around the port gate and headed for the cliffs on the second beat not bothering to look around to see everybody to windward 20 degrees higher in more pressure. Even small mistakes in such a good fleet cost 30 boats. Big mistakes are very expensive. I was sixth at the top mark when they called off the race and in good shape when the bottom mark left town. What might have been eh?

I would never have beaten the Czech who won it. Five years my senior and with a bunch of single digits for 19th overall. Exceptional example to all of us codgers.

Educated by Jesuits, I read science and electrical engineering and joined a family electrical contracting business, which I first made successful then lost completely. I was more suited to property development which put my six kids through school. I also had some success designing and building rain enhancement equipment using 100kv. It worked, but getting people to believe it was harder. Better to sail Finns.

I took up Finns to become a Legend and get a boat park close to the ramp. I have had to revise my goals and I am sure the best way I can remain a fit and healthy grandfather is to focus on doing what is required to become a Super Legend.

Hopefully then I will have to further revise. Stay well all.

In 2017, what I remember most was the juxtaposition between the idyllic conditions ashore with the palm trees, zyphers and four-gallon plastic drums of anaesthetic disguised with fruit, ice and nutmeg, and the trade wind powered washing machine out on the course. it wasn’t easy sailing but for the first time I wasn’t a complete disgrace in my age group.

El Balis was the first regatta where everything I did wasn’t wrong. I could manage the starts and hold my lane, and with more good luck than good management I generally ended up

LeFt Page and rigHt: nea irakLitsa, 2023 • HeadsHOt: tOrbOLe, 2016 tOP: skOVsHOVed, 2019 • abOVe: eL baLis, 2018

2023 PREVIEW: FINN EUROPEAN MASTERS - CAMPIONE DEL GARDA, ITALY

There a 12-metre-high hangar where the equipment inspection will take place, an 850 meters wide ramp, drying room, gym and free Wi-Fi. The sailing club covers an area of approximately 10,000 square metres. There is a huge launching area, together with a large boat parking area all with tie down straps.

Vehicular access is however limited. There is space for perhaps 8-10 small vans and booking must be done through the hotel at info@campioneunivela.it. The club is not a camping site and therefore they can offer electricity only to a few vans. To accommodate as many vans as possible, once parked you cannot move until the end of the regatta. The minimum stay is 6 nights (2 September to 8 September).

POPULAR GARDA LOCATION

Campione del Garda is a very small village in the northwestern side of Lake Garda, around 30 minutes drive south of Riva along the coast road and is perfect for sailing. The village is about 700 metres long and 150 metres wide. There is one road in and one road out using tunnels from the main road.

The host club, Univela Sailing, is located at the northern end of the village. It is linked to the hotel Campione Univela on the site. Campione Univela includes a full-service hotel with about 42 rooms and 172 beds. Only Race Committee, Jury, Volunteers, Club Members and hotel guests are allowed to park on site by prior arrangement. As well as the apartments the club contains a well-stocked and spacious bar and restaurant, with a lot of outside undercover capacity, as well as a large, grassed area with outside bar overlooking the lake. It is a very picturesque and beautiful location.

Accommodation - As well as the club rooms, there are also many additional apartments a short walk, and more behind the club area. For those that would prefer more touristic hotels, the nearest town is Limone, 8 km to the north or Tignale, 12 km to the south.

Parking - All other vehicles will be parked in the public car park about a 200-metre walk into the village (see map). Camper Vans are allowed to park there. The parking ticket for 24h is €8 for cars and small vans or €18 for Campers.

Travel - Campione can be reached from Riva in the north or through Brescia in the south. The nearest airport is Verona, but there are also three airports in Milan. Public transport is complex and taxis are expensive. A Taxi from Verona airport to Riva is about €150-170 each way. Public transport is cheap but complex and long. From Verona take the Airlink to Verona central station (€6). Then either bus route through Garda to Riva and Campione for about €15-20 with two changes. A faster route is by train to Rovereto (€6-15) and bus to Riva and Campione (€2-5) or Taxi (€30-50)

More information at finnworldmasters.com or at www. campioneunivela.it

PERFECT SCORE FOR POSTMA IN HELSINKI

Seventy years ago, the Finn changed sailing history and put in its first appearance at the Olympic Games. To celebrate this occasion, the Finnish Finn sailors decided to hold the 2022 Finn World Masters in Helsinki and after three years of planning, it opened with 121 sailors from 25 countries taking part. It was the first time the Finn World Masters had been in Finland and the furthest north it has ever been.

Throughout the regatta there were many occasions to remember that first Olympics 70 years ago when the great Paul Elvstrøm won the first of his three Finn Gold medals.

The championship was opened by President of Finn Masters Andy Denison and Esko Rechardt, the 1980 Finn Olympic gold medalist. Rechardt spoke about the quality of the Finn and the heritage it has across the world of sailing.

The week was characterised by moderate to strong winds, with the practice race cancelled because of too strong winds. Aside from that it was a very warm, and pleasant week in Helsinki, with an amazing annual dinner at the Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK) on the island of Blekholmen, off the Helsinki city front. Here, the current world champion, Postma was celebrated with three former world champions, Magnus Olin (1975), Thomas Schmid (1988) and Sebastien Godefroid (2001). Almost all of the Masters attended this very special occasion.

As expected, the racing was dominated by world champion, Pieter-Jan Postma, who became the first person to win the Finn Gold Cup and the Finn World Masters in the same year.

Postma also joins an elite group that have won the Finn World Masters with straight wins and paid tribute to the sailors, the organisers and the rest of the fleet at the prizegiving, on Friday night on the steps of Helsingfors Segelklubb. The original podium from the 1952 Olympics was used to mark the end of the event and the 70 years celebration.

Age knows no bounds in the Finn class and the first presentation was for the Super Legends, those over 80 years old. Richard Hart won again, and said it was probably his last event, something he had been saying for 10 years. Once a Finn sailor…

Hans Fatzer retained the Legends prize that he won in 2021, while John Greenwood won the Great Grand Masters and Laurent Hay the Grand Masters. Postma was of course top Master.

While there are many age categories in the Finn Masters, they all race as one fleet, with inclusivity and community an important ingredient in what makes this event so successful.

Full report and results in September 2022 FINNFARE.

GIOVANELLI

WINS VERY CLOSE CONTEST IN SPAIN

The 2022 Open Finn European Masters Championship returned to Club Nàutic Hospitalet-Vandellòs, at Hospitalet de l’Infant, 26 years after the 1996 Europeans were held there. The home nation’s Miguel Fernandez Vasco took the Open European title while Italy’s Giacomo Gionvanelli won the European Masters title from a fleet of 61 sailors from 16 nations.

After being rearranged at the last moment from Kiel, prospects were not looking good pre-event with a week of very light winds, however after a change on the first day of racing the breeze arrived and stayed in place, more or less, for the rest of the week.

Laurent Hay led the Masters after the opening day, following two unexpectedly spectacular races in 8-12 knots and some great racing. There was no change in the top three after the second day, but it was defined by changeable winds and a close and intense battle between Fernandez Vasco and Hay. Giovanelli dominated the third day, winning both races, but despite a slip up from Hay in the first race of the day, he maintained the Masters lead.

BATTLE OF WILLS

The Masters title turned into a battle of wills between Giovanelli and Hay and in the end they finished on equal points, settled only by the fraught final race. After a long wait for wind, only one race was possible and with only three points between the top two, Fernandez Vasco took the offensive to Hay at the start and after 10 circles, Hay bailed out and went back down the line and then had to play catch up. Both were deep at the top mark, but Fernandez Vasco still kept tabs on Hay. Hay finally got past on the final downwind, but ran out of race track to make enough of an advance to overcome the Spaniard. However, with Giovanelli clear of the trouble he crossed the line in fourth to end on equal points with Hay and take the European Masters title on countback. Florian Faucheux eventually won the final race to take third in the Masters.

Full report and results in March 2023 FINNFARE

2024 FEM - CANNES

The2024 Finn European Masters will return to Cannes, 20 years after the same club held the Finn World Masters. The host club will be the Yacht Club de Cannes, which has also organised the Semaine Internationale des Finn.

Located at the Pointe Croisette, the infrastructure of the Yacht Club de Cannes is organized in an area of approximately 600 square metres including offices, locker rooms, sailing and competition school, 130 berths reserved for members, a crane and a club house with bar and restaurant, and a private harbour with crane. On the water, there are two possible race areas –East Bay and West Bay – protected by the islands of Lérins.

Cannes is one of the most attractive Mediterranean destinations, with spectacular beaches an in addition to the Vieux Port and Le Suquet, which bring a picturesque supplement to the area. Cannes is world famous for its film festivals and yachting events. There is a huge range of accommodation in Cannes, from upmarket hotels to budget conscious apartments. Everyone can

find accommodation that suits them according to his budget, with most bookable online.

TRANSPORT

Located 27 km from Nice Côte d’Azur airport, Cannes can be reached in less than 30 minutes. Nice Côte d’Azur serves 90 destinations with direct flights, and almost 50 airlines

Cannes is linked to all major European cities by road. The city is connected by the A8 motorway, ‘La Provençale’ (exit Cannes La Bocca or Mougins/Cannes), from Aix en Provence to the west and Italy to the east.

The city of Cannes has excellent connections via TGV and express train, which link it to all French regions and the major cities of Europe.

FINNS

Today there are 25 Finns based at the YC de Cannes where many regattas are organised throughout the year, including the for the International Finn Week since 2003.

In 2004, the Yacht Club De Cannes was the host of the Finn World Masters with 192 competitors.

2025 FWM - MEDEMBLIK 2026 FWM - BRISBANE

Following the cancellation of the 2020 Finn World Masters at Port Zélande, and then the cancellation of the 2021 Finn World Masters in Medemblik, it will be third time lucky for, the Dutch Finn class with the 2025 Finn World Masters again scheduled for Medemblik.

It will take place 17 years after the last time the Finn World Masters was held in Medemblik. In 2008, many Finn Masters will remember a week of amazing tropical weather, great racing and wonderful hospitality.

President of the Finn Masters, Andy Denison, said: “We are very happy that Finn Club Holland has stepped up and made this great offer. We know we can rely on their enthusiasm and the experience of the Royal Yacht Club Hollandia to put on another great event for us.”

ORGANISATION

Medemblik needs little introduction, famous as the venue for past SPA, Delta Lloyd and other major regattas for the Finn class and has a huge experience in running big events. The 2008 Masters was the largest up to that point in time with 230 entries. Planning is already underway. More details and plans will be published soon. Please notes the earliwer provisional dates have been changed and are now confirmed for 13-20 June.

PREPARE FOR THE FINN WORLD MASTERS 2025

To get acquainted (again) to the waters and hospitality of this fantastic racing area the Open Dutch Nationals in 2023 (15-17 September) and 2024 (13-15 September) are also in Medemblik. Of course, the events are open to all (inter)national Finn sailors and the Dutch are ready to welcome many of their foreign friends. They are anticipating at least 70 Finns on the starting line. Apart from the sailing there will be some nice events at Brakeboer, appointed by the Finn Club Holland as the best café in Europe. Entry can be done via the website of the Finn Club Holland, https://www.finn-sailing.nl/wedstrijden-inschrijven/.

It’s a long way ahead, but excitement is already building ahead of the Finn World Masters and Finn Gold Cup being held at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, Brisbane, Australia, in January/February 2026. The voting at both the Masters Annual Meeting and the IFA AGM was unanimously in favour of this combined event.

The weather at that time of year is characterised by predominantly north easterly sea breezes, with temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s and warm waters.

Southeast Queensland has a strong fleet of Finns, with 39 boats competing at the Finn National Championships in January 2023. With the increasing attention on Brisbane because of the 2032 Olympics, there is strong support and sponsorship from both Government and corporate organisations.

It will mark the first time the Finn World Masters has been to Australia, and will be 50 years after the last Finn Gold Cup in Brisbane.

The club is located 30 mins from Brisbane International airport and for those looking to extend their Australian visit, easy driving distances to the beautiful Sunshine and Gold Coasts.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is located 15km from the Port of Brisbane, for easy transport of shipping containers for International competitors.

Within 1km of RQYS, Manly Shopping Village caters for various shopping, dining & entertainment options.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron provides a range of sailing courses to cater to many types of boats. The inshore courses on Waterloo Bay are only 20 minutes from the Squadron, where tidal influence is minimal and prevailing winds are from the south-east to the north-east. The ‘Circle’ course has minimal amounts of recreational traffic and no commercial activities. Most breeze conditions allow for an uninhibited beat of up to 1.3 nm.

EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE BEING IN THE FINN FAMILY

Beginnings

- This is a very complicated question, especially for the readers from western countries. I was born and raised in Eastern Europe during the communism era. Typically, in these times the citizens had to work somewhere, and it was mandatory for the children to have some activities in sports, art or culture…and there my sport career begins. My brother was diagnosed with some health issues and was recommended to take swimming lessons, so I joined him on the journey to the swimming pool. Once, as a four-year old, I was standing near the pool and my brother’s coach saw me and shouted: “Not the older one. I want the younger, tall kid with big ears!” And like that I became a swimmer. I was swimming until my teenage years, but I also tried other

Peter Mosný – known as Frenky – is proof that hard work eventually pays off. He has been sailing Finns for 40 years, narrowly missed Olympic selection in 1992, sailed his first masters in Split in 2010 where he was eighth. Raised through the communist years in the then Czechoslovakia, he took up windsurfing before coming to Finns. This year at the Finn World Masters in Nea Iraklitsa he produced his best ever performance with the third place overall and the silver medal in the Grand Masters. Here he tells his story.

sports such as judo or rowing. The breakthrough happened when we bought a small cottage near a reservoir, which was not big at all - something like 1 km long and 250 metres wide. As young boys we made all sorts of vessels and one day my brother made double handed inflatable boat with two daggerboards and mast on which we hung a sail that our mother made from a bed sheet. And we spent the whole summer on it. Then an unbelievable thing happened when my father bought a windsurfer from some boat exhibition. Here I need to mention that it was 1976 and nobody knew how to sail this thing that was made in CSSR and ten years old already. I didn’t enjoy it at all. We started from nothing, but gradually we gained some expertise, so much so, that as a 17-year-old I became a Czechoslovakia champion in Windsurfing. These were unbelievable times as every winter we would made our own windsurfers. We copied designs from companies like Sailboard, tried to cut them out from polystyrene, which we then laminated. I couldn’t wait until the ice had melted so I could go out and try my new windsurfer, dressed only in a tracksuit. Yes, it was a tracksuit as in those times nobody had heard about the wetsuit yet.

FIRST FINN

After this phenomenal success in windsurfing, I was very enthusiastic. It is true that I took a lot of training habits from

swimming. I was swimming twice a day for 11 months. Nowadays my answer for any invitation for swimming is a very clear, ‘no!’ I think I swam more than I walked through my entire life. 9.5 km of swimming every day.

So even my success in windsurfing had been thanks to the hours spent training. During the season I’ve been training couple of hours daily. Windsurfing wasn’t just for pleasure, I was obsessed. It wasn’t just the board and training, but the best company around it. Sadly, it dissolved shortly after my success. It was my first life lesson about the fact that you also need good company in sport. Naturally I wanted to stay around boats and sailing was the only alternative.

There was a sailing club nearby, with some sailors already attending – so I went there. They’d known me at that time as they heard about my victory in the championships. They didn’t even ask, they just included me in Finn sailing straight away. That’s the way it was those days.

I got my first boat with fibreglass hull and wooden deck, a Needlespar blue top mast, and a North sail for which I made battens from a tree branch. There were no lines or blocks in that boat - I first had to find out how it worked and then get the right components. And shortly afterwards I attended my first training regatta. In those days was club racing every weekend - no time for training. So, I told myself, ‘And now you are going to show them how the windsurfing champion does it.’ And it was like this, the winner crossed the finish line one full lap ahead of me. So, I realized windsurfing and sailing are two totally different sports. The Finn depended not just on physical strength but also tactics, athleticism, a feeling for the wind at the top level, trimming the boat and setting it right.

WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU…

Since the beginning in Finns (I started at 17 years old) a lot of time has passed. Gradually I was working my way towards better boats, better sails and we were trying to get all those things in a black market. After couple of years I made friends with Michael Maier, but that was already the time I was representing Slovakia and Michael, together with Roman Teply, were in the Czech national squad. I think that was a breakthrough when I started to go from the quantity of the training to quality and results. Together we sailed the Olympic qualification for Olympic Games in Atlanta, 1996. Michael was successful, unfortunately I wasn’t. At the end, my Slovak sparring partner went to the Games, not me. It’s important to say that in the deciding moment my halyard broke and because I already had an OCS that time, I was out. I am mentioning it just because the Finn is not just about physical strength and tactics, but also teaches you to get through the failures in life, to be able to comprehend them. That’s one thing the Finn taught me – what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

SOLINGS

After the Games in Atlanta, I was looking for another class and fortunately, as a leading helmsman in Slovakia I was invited to Soling World Championship, in Balatonfured, Hungary. I knew nothing about sailing in crewed boats, but the federation

assigned two guys from 470 to me and the boat was rented from some Hungarians. Here I need to say that if you want to have a lot of fun in your life, always go in the direction you have no clue about. And so, it happened. We were the only Soling that capsized – a keel boat they say. Our first beats were in top five most of the cases, then when it came to flying the spinnaker and we were gradually losing.

But I felt in love with Soling and for many years it became a boat for which I had a weakness. Even today I still have an Olympic boat from Danish Finn sailor Stig Westergaard in my garage. But I belonged to the Finn even whilst sailing Soling. Later on, after the change of the millennia there was a group of yacht sailors looking for a helmsman and they asked me. They’d known my results from Soling were reasonable and they weren’t wrong as I already had some experience with leading a crew. But let’s go a little bit deeper here.

Since my childhood, when I was a swimmer, I dreamt about nothing else than becoming a professional athlete. I had been representing my nation for a lot of years, but I’d never been a professional. Until then – a yacht. Our first racing yacht was Sinergia 40 ‘El Solete’. She immediately became the first yacht to represent Slovakia. And we became a European vicechampions on her. The second yacht I got a chance to sail on was a special built by the designers Judel/Vrolik, just one of her kind in the world - 42R, named ‘Quebramar’. She was a fully

tOP LeFt: nea irakLitsa • LeFt: skOVsHOVed, 2019 abOVe: Mar MenOr, 2021 • rigHt: PrOud MOMent On tHe POdiuM in 2023

equipped F1 racing machine. And it was a very hard boat to trim – never forgiving anything. It took us four seasons until we got on the same wave with this beast. Soon after that, we inlanders won couple of national championships and finally became World Champions in the Corinthian category in the ORC class. That was my 13 years in professional sailing, in my sailing hometown in Croatia – the city of Šibenik.

FINN FAMILY

During all of those years in professional sailing I always found some time to sail Finn as well. My first Finn World Masters was in Split, Croatia, actually, in my homeland. There was no way that I would be held back and not attending. And it was an extraordinary experience - being back in the Finn family. All of those friendships from the past years were back and that was exactly what I needed after all those years being a professional. And I knew that I didn’t want to lose that connection ever again.

From Split to Kavala, I attended Copenhagen, Mar Menor, Lago di Garda. I don’t know which one was the best as all of them were special in their own way. Together with my wife

who accompanies me, we always have a special time and indescribable experiences which we remember with love.

I know exactly what my best memory is – it’s Kavala this year. It was my best result, also contradictory in a light wind, which is not my favourite. However, the sailing area was truly a beautiful place and after extensive training I felt fully ready for the regatta.

SLOVAK FINNS

Finn sailing in Slovakia has been always more of a local thing. We never had some international star like Michael Maier or Ondrej Teply from Czech Republic. We always had a lack of material, and we were just trying to overcome that. But in the end, when you have a true desire to achieve something – you will. I can honestly say that my experiences from the Masters Championships have been recognised by some of the younger Finn sailors in Slovakia and now they are following in my footsteps, one of them being Tomáš Mihálik.

Tomi was my trainee since he was five-year-old, after his mother brought him for the first time to the winter training session in the gym. From those days, and many years after, I’ve been a coach for the youngsters. Tomi was very ambitious from the beginning. He was sailing Optimist, Laser and then Finn. And here I would like to thank him. After he started to sail the Masters he made me want to continue. Like if you accompany an old dog with a young one. He became much more alive. And the very same happened to me. Tomi’s enthusiasm and ambitions were a big boost for my motivation to train. We became sparring partners and I look forward to seeing him as my follower in the future. We are working hard to spread and widen the Finn family in Slovakia and I can tell this is paying off. There are approximately 15 active Finn sailors in Slovakia and we believe in better future.

KEY INGREDIENT TO GROWTH

Younger sailors. Just with them the class can stay with full strength. But there is a big downside and that is the price of the boat and equipment. It is expensive, which is a big problem in the class growth. However, we must celebrate the number of master class sailors which is very unusual in other classes.

I live with my family in a small village just under the Tatra mountains. And as I think about it, it is

also an outcome of my life as a professional sailor. I had a lot of time during the winter, so I’ve worked in the winter crosscountry skiing centres. I was driving the snowplough, operating the snow making machines and like that, taking care of the whole resort. And so, I became the administrator of a crosscountry skiing resort in Slovakia. This year we also thought about reviving the SKI Regatta – a combination of skiing and Finn sailing, so I hope that together with our Hungarian Finn sailor friends, we will make it happen. And we will be able to welcome Finn sailors from all around the globe to our resort and we will show you how the winter looks like in - 20°C. Of course, except for the Scandinavian sailors, they already know what I’m talking about.

SAILS FOR WORK

I will confess to something unusual. I’ve always worked to be able to sail. Actually, whole my life I had an ambition - to invest my salary into the sailing, and all my past companies have been a vehicle for my sailing. My accountant always asked me, why do I need those sails for my work? And it was hard to explain that I needed them to cover the industrial machines - because they were recorded in the company’s accounting.

MASTERS STRATEGY

We are always looking forward how to improve something that is already improved. Sometimes it is reasonable to slow down for a while. I’m sort of a conservationist and I don’t share the enthusiasm in changes in the Olympic Games. I think it is not a good model.

The modification of the start line with three boats with the race committee boat in the middle is unacceptable for me. Also, a start with 145 boats. Let’s go back to the conservative methods and start with two smaller groups where there is a chance to success even for the less experienced sailors.

As the Finn is not an Olympic class anymore, maybe it would be worth to experiment more with the boat and its equipment. Let’s say carbon fibre boom or a centreboard. But we also have to take in consideration the price of that. To do it in a way that the boat wouldn’t be many times more expensive and therefore stagnating. Maybe a change that would help lighter sailors would be interesting.

Maybe even the SKI regatta could be the initiative to join our Finn family back together even in the winter time and reconnect in the summer again.

Many thanks after each Masters belong to the organisers, so it was in Mar Menor, Helsinki and in Kavala. Please forgive my attitude here, but maybe it is also a place to criticize a bit, because by just thanks we will never move anywhere. In Nea Iraklitsa we missed the club background. If we look back to Lago di Garda or Helsinki, we were always directly in some club. Here we weren’t. The slipways to the water, toilets, showers, water for cleaning the boat were missing (two hoses with small pressure just can’t be enough). We also missed the background of the club where we could see the club growth and its history. I don’t want to criticize too much, but I think we were also lucky that there wasn’t any stronger southern winds with bigger waves - otherwise it would be hard for the older Finn sailors coming ashore. I believe that we learn from every

year and use that knowledge to make it even better in future years. However, my big thanks belong to the organizers in Nea Iraklitsa for making the best event out of the possible.

THIRD OVERALL IN 2023

In the first place I have to thank my wife Ivka. Without her support I would never make it to the podium. She is truly ‘the fuel of my engine’. Thank you very much for everything, Ivka!

And in the winter, I was thinking that even at my age (forgive me, Legends, I’m only a Grand Master), I would try to prepare for the Kavala. I managed to get a good 14 days training in Lago di Garda in May and two regattas in Balaton shortly afterwards. I’d tested a lot of things there I haven’t had time for before. So, I felt much more ready before the Finn World Masters, much better than before.

But also, I need to say here that the fortune was on my side as well. And I think that after many years I was taking a lot from it in Kavala – without it I wouldn’t have been on the podium. Now after a few weeks, I decided to get back to training in Slovakia. A couple of kilometres from my home there is a nice lake where there is a sometimes good wind, so I hope I'll manage to get some training done at least twice a week. That would be my thanks for the good fortune in the last regatta.

I’m very much looking forward for more events together and I believe that in our Finn family we will be together many times more. Thank you all for that.

tOP LeFt: HeLsinki, 2022 • LeFt: eurOPeans, CsOPak, 2023 • abOVe: Finn gOLd CuP, MaLCesine, 2022 • rigHt: nea itakLitsa

Dutch Masters

The 2023 Open Dutch Master Championship was held at the Royal Yacht Club in Muiden on 13-14 May. In Muiden we are sailing on an enclosed part of the Ijsselmeer, a bit comparable to Medemblik. Chris Frijdal writes.

There were 44 competitors. A bit less than last year but the good news is that there were a number of new faces. The Finn is growing in Holland really strong and could be even stronger if there were sufficient good used boats.

On both days we sailed three races. The first day we had 15 knots and the second day approximately 10 knots. And (of course) we had a beautiful Dutch sun to complete the champagne circumstances.

UK Masters New Zealand Masters

Thierry van Vierssen (GM) missed the first race because of a broken halyard, but sailed the other races incredibly well (4,3,2,2,1) resulting in the overall title. Nanno Schutrups (M), new in the Masters circuit, became second. And our fast and furious winner of the Portuguese Championship, Peter Peet (GM), became third overall. Best GGM was Sander Jorissen and best Legend became Chris Frijdal. Best foreigner was Tony Delava from Belgium.

Apart from the races we had of course a great Saturday evening with a happy hour and a fantastic Italian buffet in the Club. Next year the Dutch Masters are at the same location on 4-5 May.

1 NED 117 Thierry van Vierssen 12

2 NED 98 Nanno Schuttrups 14

3 NED 148 Peter Peet 16

4 NED 80 Sander Willems 16

5 NED 29 Bas de Waal 27

6 NED 43 Ronald van Klooster 39

7 NED 7 Cees Scheurwater 45

8 NED 966 Sander Jorissen 47

9 NED 77 Ard Van Aanholt 51

10 NED 1037 Jan-Willem Kok 52

The 2023 British Finn Masters Championship attracted some of the best single-handed talent in the UK, with at least three world champions and over five national champions spread amongst the 26-boat fleet. Keyhaven Yacht Club hosted the event over the weekend of 6-7 May and ran an excellent series of races across a wide range of wind and tidal conditions.

On Saturday the gusty south westerly peaked at 23 knots and the lumpy sea made the beats exhausting and the runs heartracing. Sunday was a completely different story with sunshine and light winds.

Across the two days, Nick Craig was the clear winner with three firsts in the windier conditions on the first day, proof that with a soft mast you don’t need to be a heavyweight gorilla to sail a Finn in 20 knots. On the second day in much lighter winds, John Greenwood took two race wins while Lawrence Crispin won the final race and took the runner-up spot by a point from Jim Downer, (who won the Open category,) ahead of Greenwood as the third Master.

1 M GBR 18 Nick Craig 10

2 GM GBR 74 Lawrence Crispin 14

3 O GBR 49 James Downer 15

4 GGM GBR 5 John Greenwood 18

5 GGM GBR 567 Martin Hughes 21

6 GGM

Mark Perrow dominated the 2023 Burnsco New Zealand Finn Masters at Waiuku Yacht Club, held from 20-22 April. Perrow won all but two of the nine races sailed over the three days in mainly moderate wind conditions.

He was also first Master. Alistair Deaves was first Grand Master, David Hoogenboom first Great Grand Master, Gerrit Bearda was the first Legend and Gary Morse was first handicap.

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NA Masters

The 2023 Finn North American Masters Championship, hosted by Buccaneer Yacht Club, took place on Mobile Bay, Alabama, from March 30 to April 2. The event attracted a diverse group of experienced sailors who came to compete for the prestigious championship title. The competition was fierce, with the wind conditions ranging between 10 to 15 knots, providing perfect conditions for the sailors to showcase their skills and tactics.

After four days of intense racing, John F Dane emerged as the winner of the championship. His consistent performance throughout the competition earned him a total of 12 points, with two first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, and one fourth-place finish. Dane’s performance was a testament to his skill and experience as a sailor, as he managed to hold off some of the top sailors in the competition.

However, one of the biggest highlights of the event was the performance of the newly created R1 Finn. The R1 Finn made its maiden appearance in the regatta

Polish Masters

The 2022 Polish Masters was held at Sopot from 2-9 September. There were a record 29 participants.

The class is constantly developing in Poland and the decision to withdraw Finn from Olympic competitions has not broken its popularity, The Championship also attracted three German Finns.

Stefan Waack led after the first day of sailing in light winds when only two of the three races were possible. On the second and third day there were dream conditions with wind from the north east of 8-12 knots. Bartosz Szydłowski sailed best in these conditions, winning 4 races and if it wasn't for the weaker result on the first day and the false start in the first race on the second day, he would have become the Polish champion 2022.

and immediately made an impact by securing second place in the competition. Darrell Peck, representing the USA Finn Foundation, sailed the R1 Finn to an impressive second-place finish. The R1 Finn proved to be fast both upwind and downwind, making it a formidable opponent for the other sailors.

In the end, the regatta was won by German Stefan Waack, and Andrzej Romanowski became the Polish Champion 2022, ahead of Bartosz Szydlowski and Marek Jarocki.

In the Polish Masters Marek Kubat won from Lucjan Bladowski and Tomasz Knasiecki.

Andrzej Romanowski won the Grand Masters from Marek Jarocki and Artur Piernicki.

Boguslaw Nowakowski won the Grand Grand Master from Bogdan Kalwasinski and Julius Reichelt. In the Legends Blazej Wyszkowski won from Wojciech Nadolski and Jan Okulicz.

1 M GER 654 Stefan Waack 14 2 GM POL 73 Andrzej Romanowski 15

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10 GGM POL 38 Julius Reichelt 7

ANNUAL MASTERS MEETING MINUTES

Held at Nea Iraklitsa, Kavala, Greece, 31 May at 10.00

OPENING ADDRESS

The Master’s President Andy Denison welcomed all the sailors to the 2023 Masters meeting

Apologies - there were no apologies.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The Masters President reported he has completed the visit to Punt Ala and will make the presentation available after the meeting. He was very positive about the changes that have been made and improved since we last held a Championships at Punt Ala. Expecting to need facilities for 300 boats with the potential for rubber matting on the beach. He expressed the importance of the initial visit.

Camping, Motorhomes pitches and the small chalets will be available for Finn Sailors to book from November 2023this is prior to the official opening of the camping facility.

Masters Europeans on Garda this yearsome initial confusions have been dealt with to make the event practical

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Henk de Jager is due to stand down from the committee but has offered to continue as a Masters Committee member. His continued support was unanimously accepted by the membership.

Proposed Rule Changes to Masters Event Manual 2023

a) Dates of the Championship

The President introduced the reasons for the Championship date changes. The Committee had discussed the reasoning behind the change and felt it would be beneficial to the future running of the event. He explained if the event is to be held in the Southern Hemisphere the date will most likely be in January

At a vote - 4 objections - motion carried.

b) Entry Fee penalties

The President explained the reasoning that the current rule of requiring doubling late entry fees is excessive as the cost of entry continues to increase. The change reflects current practice and gives the OA more breathing space when ordering

supplies and shirts etc for changing the Masters ruling on entry fees to Fully completed entry forms and payments should be received no later than five (5) weeks prior to the event. After completing and sending the Entry Form the competitor agrees to pay the Entry Fee as defined in the NoR, however, only after receipt of payment is a competitor’s entry valid. Entries and/or payments received less than five weeks before the first race, will be charged a late penalty of €100. The OA may close entry one week prior to the regatta, but entries and/or payments received and accepted after this date will be charged a late penalty of €150. No shows without notification will be expected to pay the full entry fee before any entry will be accepted in future years. Late payments are at the discretion by the OA. The proposal was carried unanimously.

c) Bidding period for events

The President explained the current rule is too restrictive and the proposed amendment gave greater flexibility for lead times and longer-term planning. Change to:

Nominations for a venue shall be sent to the Master’s President prior to February 1st up to three years before the desired year of the Championship.

Normally venue nominations can only be accepted three years in advance, but in special circumstances, a venue can be voted on further in advance. However, the venue proposal can only be heard, and voted on, on approval of the Masters Committee and if there is a majority in favour of this at the meeting. The proposal was carried unanimously.

A modified proposal from Bob Buchanan (AUS6) seconded by Steve Sampson (GBR) that Super Legends pay half the entry fees at World Masters (including Europeans) events. The proposal was carried (with 5 votes against).

ACCOUNTS/BUDGET

The President explained the current financial situation for the Masters, any losses incurred were mainly due

to a shortfall on the magazine costs, reduced entries to the Europeans and World Masters, and the purchase of merchandising that will cover the next few years. However, increased income from the IFA to £5,000 offsets the deficit

WEBSITE AND MAGAZINE

Website now has a series for micro sites to allow easy access to extra information and resource. IFA have now stopped the second edition of FinnFare, which will allow us to maintain the /Masters Magazine.

EVENT BIDS

Proposal to host the World Finn Masters in Brisbane Yacht Club in 2026

Phil Chadwick delivered a detailed presentation proposing Brisbane YC as the venue for the 2026 World Finn Masters. The intent would be to combine the event with the Australian Nationals, and Finn Gold Cup. This will enable sailors to participate in 3 events, that follow in close succession.

A PowerPoint presentation is available on the Finn Masters Website.

Current Flag officers at Brisbane YC are Finn sailors and keen to support the event. The Club already has 38 Finns onsite. Expected weather 32 degrees water is 27 degrees, expected 8-12 with sea breezes 15-20, this is a tropical sea breeze that is easy and not dense. Race area is around 30 minutes sail from the Club. A hotel and camping is available onsite, with three launching ramps.

The Club is 20 minutes drive from Brisbane international airport. Shipping boats to Australia - expect to have some major sponsors - to help with shipping. Containers can be left onsite. At the vote - 2 against - the motion to attend the FWM in Brisbane in 2026 was carried.

The Chairman confirmed the Masters Europeans will be an easy access Central European Venue in 2026.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The date for the 2024 event in Punta Ala is likely to change and be in the second week on June 2024.

ABOUT THE FINN WORLD MASTERS

Finn sailors of the age of 40 and above are called ‘Masters’ and are divided into age groups. Master (40-49), Grand Master (50-59), Great Grand Master (60-69) and Legend (70-79) and Super Legend (80 and above).

Each year they sail the Finn World Masters and Finn European Masters. Note: If, in a specific year, you reach(ed) the age as listed, the accompanying title is applicable from January 1 to December 31 of that year.

Also existing are the large local groups of Finn sailors, which are actively involved in national or club level regattas. Ages vary between 18 and 75

years, but in the Finn Legends some sailors are above 80 years. The binding factor characterising these Finn sailors is that all have a sport-loving, collegial and institution based on friendship and respect.

Venues for future championships are decided each year at the Annual Masters Meeting during the Finn World Masters. Venues can be

voted up to three years in advance. All the rules and governing documents for the Finn Masters and the championships can be found in the Finn World Masters Rules and Event Manual, which can be downloaded from the Finn Masters website at https:// www.finnworldmaster.com/about/ documents

UPCOMING EVENTS

Attendance at Finn World Masters 1970-2023

FINN WORLD MASTERS 1970-2023

1970 St Moritz, Switzerland

1 Mel Oskamp, Netherlands

2 Othmar Reich, Switzerland

3 Worn Clark, South Africa

1971 Medemblik, Holland

1 Andreino Menoni, Italy

2 Othmar Reich, Switzerland

3 Mel Oskamp, Netherlands

1972 Gargnano, Garda, Italy

1 Mel Oskamp, Netherlands

2 Andreino Menoni, Italy

3 Beda Zingg, Switzerland

1973 - Not awarded

1974 Port Carmargue, France

1 Andre Mevel, France

2 Mel Oskamp, Netherlands

3 Vernon Stratton, Great Britain

1975 Port Carmargue, France

1 Andre Mevel, France

2 Othmar Reich, Switzerland

3 Erich Kaspareth, Italy

1976 Port Carmargue, France

1 Andre Mevel, France

2 Laszlo Zsindely, Switzerland

3 Othmar Reich, Switzerland

1977 Port Carmargue, France

1 Georg Oser, Switzerland

2 Heinz Reiter, Germany

3 Andre Mevel, France

1978 Port Carmargue, France

1 Heinz Reiter, Germany

2 P Lebois, France

3 Georg Oser, Switzerland

1979 Port Carmargue, France

1 Karel Hruby, Czechoslovakia

2 C Sturm, Switzerland

3 Andre Mevel, France

1980 Lake Lipno, Czechoslovakia

1 Georg Oser, Switzerland

2 Karel Hruby, Czechoslovakia

3 Jiri Maier, Czechoslovakia

1981 Port Carmargue, France

1 Gy Wossala, Hungary

2 Georg Oser, Switzerland

3 Frank Roth, Switzerland

1982 Lake Neusiedl, Austria

1 Georg Oser, Switzerland

2 Ivan Hoffmann, Czechoslovakia

3 Friedrich Müller, Germany

1983 Port Carmargue, France

1 Heini Unterhauser, Italy

2 Frank Roth, Switzerland

3 Herbert Herwig, Germany

1984 Lago di Caldaro, Italy

1 Walter Mai, Germany

2 Palle-Steen Larsen, Denmark

3 Friedrich Müller, Germany

1985 Seebruck, FR Germany

1 Jørgen Lindhardtsen, Denmark

2 Klaus Stuffer, Italy

3 Henning Wind, Denmark

1986 Lagi di Bracciano, Italy

1 Heini Unterhauser, Italy

2 Klaus Stuffer, Italy

3 Georg Oser, Switzerland

1987 Les Embiez, France

1 Peter Raderschadt, Germany

2 Walter Mai, Germany

3 Ivor Ganahl, Switzerland

1988 Lido degli Estensi, Italy

1 Hans Fatzer, Switzerland

2 Jiri Outrata, Czechoslovakia

3 Kurt Schimitzek, Austria

1989 Torbole, Garda, Italy

1 Peter Raderschadt, Germany

2 Kurt Shimitzek, Austria

3 Mikael Brandt, Sweden

1990 Altenhein, Switzerland

1 Mikael Brandt, Sweden

2 Friedrich Müller, Germany

3 Jiri Outrata, Czechoslovakia

1991 Port Carmargue, France

1 Kurt Schimitzek, Germany

2 Jochen Lollert, Germany

3 Hermann Heide, Germany

1992 Uppsala, Sweden

1 Roland Balthasar, Germany

2 Herman Heide, Germany

3 Peter Vollebregt, Netherlands

1993 Lake Bracciano, Italy

1 Peter Vollebregt, Netherlands

2 Walter Mai, Germany

3 Jan Bjornberg, Sweden

1994 Diessen, Germany

1 Roland Balthasar, Germany

1 Jiri Outrata, Czech Republic

3 Walter Mai, Germany

1995 Malcesine, Garda, Italy

1 Larry Lemieux, Canada

2 Kurt Shimitzek, Germany

3 Wolfgang Gerz, Germany

1996 La Rochelle, France

1 Roland Balthasar, Germany

2 Wolfgang Gerz, Germany

3 Walter Mai, Germany

1997 Cervia, Italy

1 Wolfgang Gerz, Germany

2 Larry Lemieux, Canada

3 Minski Fabris, Croatia

1998 Castelleto di Brenzone, Garda, Italy

1 Larry Lemieux, Canada

2 Minski Fabris, Croatia

3 Wolfgang Gerz, Germany

1999 Maubuisson, France

1 Larry Lemieux, Canada

2 Greg Davis, South Africa

3 Jean Paul Gaston, France

2000 Weymouth, England

1 John Greenwood, Great Britain

2 Larry Lemieux, Canada

3 Andrew Cooper, Great Britain

2001 Kingston, Canada

1 Larry Lemieux, Canada

2 Hein-Peter Okker, Netherlands

3 Eberhard Bieberitz, Germany

2002 Split, Croatia

1 John Greenwood, Great Britain

2 Minski Fabris, Croatia

3 Larry Lemieux, Canada

2003 Schwerin, Germany

1 Eberhard Bieberitz, Germany

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Roman Teply, Italy

2004 Cannes, France

1 Larry Lemieux, Canada

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Michael Gubi, Austria

2005 Bracciano Lake, Italy

1 Silvio Santoni, Italy

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Allen Burrell, Great Britain

2006 Lake Balaton, Hungary

1 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Michael Gubi, Austria

2007 Murcia, Spain

1 André Budzien, Germany

2 Agustin Juarez, Spain

3 Allen Burrell, Great Britain

2008 Medemblik, Netherlands

1 André Budzien, Germany

2 Mihail Kopanov, Bulgaria

3 Han Bergsma, Netherlands

2009 Maubuisson, France

1 André Budzien, Germany

2 Jurgen Eiermann, Germany

3 Laurent Hay, France

2010 Split, Croatia

1 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Christen Christoph, Switzerland

2011 PuntAla, Italy

1 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2 Allen Burrell, Great Britain

3 Uli Breuer, Germany

2012 Pwllheli, Wales

1 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2 Allen Burrell, Great Britain

3 Laurent Hay, France

2013 La Rochelle, France

1 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Erik Lidecis, USA

2014 Sopot, Poland

1 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2 André Budzien, Germany

3 Akeksandr Kukliukin, Russia

2015 Kavala, Greece

1 Vladimir Krutskikh, Russia

2 Dmitry Petrov, Russia

3 Giacomo Giovanelli, Italy

2016 Torbole, Italy

1 Rafael Trujillo, Spain

2 Vladimir Krutskikh, Russia

3 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2017 Barbados

1 Vladimir Krutskikh, Russia

2 Laurent Hay, France

3 Rafael Trujillo, Spain

2018 El Balís, Spain

1 José Luis Doreste, Spain

2 Antonio Poncell, Chile

3 Giacomo Giovanelli, Italy

2019 Skovshoved, Denmark

1 Vladimir Krutskikh, Russia

2 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

3 Laurent Hay, France

2020 Port Zelánde, Netherlands

Not sailed due to COVID-19

2021 Los Alcazares, Spain

1 Valérian Lebrun, France

2 Filipe Silva, Portugal

3 David Terol, Spain

2022, Helsinki, Finland

1 Pieter-Jan Postma, The Netherlands

2 Laurent Hay, France

3 Peter Peet, The Netherlands

2023, Nea Iraklitsa, Greece

1 Filipe Silva, Portugal

2 Laurent Hay, France

3 Peter Mosny, Slovakia

*For the Austrian Hungaria Cup (Presented 1982 by Peter Mohilla and Gy Wossala)

MASTERS

(President’s Cup, Presented 2014)

2014 Aleksandr Kuliukin, Russia

2015 Vladimir Krutskhik, Russia

2016 Rafael Trujillo, Spain

2017 Vladimir Krutskhik, Russia

2018 Giacomo Giovanelli, Italy

2019 Vladimir Krutskikh, Russia

2020 Not sailed

2021 Valérian Lebrun, France

2022 Pieter-Jan Postma, The Netherlands

2023 Filipe Silva, Portugal

GRAND MASTERS

(Finn Veteran Gold Cup - Trophäe

Marktgemeinde Kaltern 1984)

1984 Walter Mai, Germany

1985 Jørgen Lindhardtsen, Denmark

1986 Heini Unterhauser, Italy

1987 Peter Raderschadt, Germany

1988 Hans Fatzer, Switzerland

1989 Peter Raderschadt, Germany

1990 Mikael Brandt, Sweden

1991 Kurt Schimitzek, Germany

1992 Roland Balthasar, Germany

1993 Peter Vollebregt, Netherlands

1994 Roland Balthasar, Germany

1995 Larry Lemieux, Canada

1996 Roland Balthasar, Germany

1997 Wolfgang Gerz, Germany

1998

1999 Jiri Outrata, Czech Republic

2000 Hans-Günter Ehlers, Germany

2001 LuksaCicarelli,Croatia(1stGM)

2002 HenrySprague,USA(1stGM)

2003 Eberhard Bieberitz, Germany

2004 Jiri Outrata, Czech Republic

2005 Marin Mrduljas, Croatia

2006 Eberhard Bieberitz, Germany

2007 Marin Mrduljas, Croatia

2008 Ilias Hatzipavlis, Greece

2009 Francresco Cinque, Italy

2010 Michael Gubi, Austria

2011 Marc Allain des Beauvais, France

2012 Rob Coutts, New Zealand

2013 André Budzien, Germany

2014 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2015 Yuri Tokovoi, Ukraine

2016 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2017 Laurent Hay, France

2018 Antonio Poncell, Chile

2019 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2020 Not sailed

2021 Laurent Hay, France

2022 Laurent Hay, France

2023 Laurent Hay, France

GREAT GRAND MASTERS

(Finn World Masters Trophy

Builded by Ralf Kratz SV Biblis Germany)

2000 Luksa Cicarelli, Croatia MikeTill,GreatBritain(1stGGM)

2001 LouieNady,USA(1stGGM)

2002 MinskiFabris,Croatia(1stGGM)

2003 André Budzien, Germany

2004 Larry Lemieux, Canada

AlanTucker,SouthAfrica(1stGGM)

2005 Friedrich Müller, Germany

2006 Friedrich Müller, Germany

2007 Luksa Cicarelli, Croatia

2008 Luksa Cicarelli, Croatia

2009 Jørgen Lindhardtsen, Denmark

2010 Luksa Cicarelli, Croatia

2011 Michael Brandt, Sweden

2012 Pascal Tetard, France

2013 Henk de Jager, Netherlands

2014 Henry Sprague, USA

2015 Francesco Cinque, Italy

2016 Marc Allain des Beauvais, France

2017 Marc Allain des Beauvais, France

2018 José Luis Doreste, Spain

2019 Thomas Schmid, Germany

2020 Not sailed

2021 Greg Wilcox, New Zealand

2022 John Greenwood, Britain

2023 Antal Székely, Hungary

LEGENDS

(Legends Trophy presented in 2012)

2006 Walter Mai, Germany

2007 Seigfried Bohl, Germany

2008 Walter Mai, Germany

2009 Walter Mai, Germany

2010 Richard Hart, Great Britain

2011 Howard Sellars, Great Britain

2012 Howard Sellars, Great Britain

2013 Friedrich Müller, Germany

2014 Richard Hart, Great Britain

2015 Henry Sprague, USA

2016 Howard Sellars, Great Britain

2017 Henry Sprague, USA

2018 Friedrich Müller, Germany

2019 Henry Sprague, USA

2020 Not sailed

2021 Hans Fatzer, Switzerland

2022 Hans Fatzer, Switzerland

2023 Jiri Outrata, Czech Republic

SUPER LEGENDS

2016 Pedro Jiminez-Meifren, Spain

2017 Gerd Bohnsack, South Africa

2018 Gus Miller, USA

2019 Richard Hart, Great Britain

2020 Not sailed

2021 Richard Hart, Great Britain

2022 Richard Hart, Britain

2023 Howard Sellars, Britain

LADIES

(Ladies Trophy presented 2012)

2006 Bozena Smidova, Czech Republic

2007 Bozena Smidova, Czech Republic

2008 Bozena Smidova, Czech Republic

2009 Brigitte Devilliers, France

2010 Brigitte Devilliers, France

2011 Sabine Breuer, Germany

2012 Sabine Breuer, Germany

2018 Tina Sperl, Austria

2019 Tina Sperl, Austria

2020 Not sailed

2021 No competitors

2022 Tina Sperl, Austria

2023 Tina Sperl, Austria

GOLDEN CRUTCH

1988 Han van Vierssen, Netherlands

1989 Horst Klein, Germany

1990 Rolf Lehnert, Germany

1991 Herbert Sondermann, Germany

1992 Jürgen Kraft, Germany

1993 Lucio Nodari, Italy

1994 Dieter Borges, Germany

1995 Hans-Günther Ehlers, Germany

1996 Jiri Outrata, Czech Republic

1997 Kurt Schimitzek, Austria

1998 Kurt Schimitzek, Austria

1999 Herbert Sondermann

2000 Claudio Bosetti, Italy

2001 Louie Nady, USA

2002 Mladen Makjanic, Croatia

2003 Peter Raderschadt, Germany

2004 Martin Plecity, Czech Republic

2005 Nicola Menoni, Italy

2006 Bernd Moser, Austria

2007 David Potter, Great Britain

2008 Laurent Hay, France

2009 Francesco Cinque, France

2010 Bas de Waal, Netherlands

2011 Arwin Karssemeijer, Netherlands

2012 Panagiotis Davourlis, Greece

2013 Raymond Hall, New Zealand

2014 Alexiy Marchevskiy, Russia

2015 Henry Sprague, USA

2016 Martijn van Muyden, Netherlands

2017 Antonio Poncell, Chile

2018 Fredrik Tegnhed, Sweden

2019 Taras Havrysh, Ukraine

2020 Not sailed

2021 Paul McKenzie, Austalia

2022 Bas de Waal, The Netherlands

2023 Simon Percival, Britain

EURO CUP 2011-2017

2011 Ian Ainslie, South Africa Balaton

2012 Minski Fabris, Croatia Balaton

2013 Igor Frolov, Russia Balaton

2014 Felix Denikaev, Russia Balaton

2015 Ian Ainslie, South Africa Balaton

2016 Ian Ainslie, South Africa Balaton

2017 André Budzien, Germany Balaton

FINN EUROPEAN MASTERS

2018 Split, Croatia

1 Vladimir Krutskikh, Russia

2 Karlo Kuret, Croatia

3 Michael Maier, Czech Republic

2019, Schwerin, Germany

1 Filipe Silva, Portugal

2 Bas de Waal, The Netherlands

3 André Budzien, Germany

2020, Gdynia, Poland

1 Milan Vujasinovic, Croatia

2 Filipe Silva, Portugal

3 Felix Denikaev, Russia

2021, Tihany, Balaton, Hungary

1 Akos Lukats, Hungary

2 Bas de Waal, The Netherlands

3 Taras Havrysh, Ukraine

2022, L’Hospitalet, Spain

1 Giacomo Gionvanelli Italy

2 Laurent Hay, France

3 Florian Faucheux, France

COUPE GODET TROPHY

(Awarded for outstanding contribution to the Finn Masters. Presented by Godet, in 2019)

2017 Richard Hart, GBR

2018 Vasilis Pigadas, GRE

2019 Ray New, GBR

2020 Jan Zetzema & FWM2020 OC, NED

2021 Robert Deaves

2022 Jan Kingma, NED

2023 Chris Watts, GBR

* NOTE: These lists generally represent the engraving on the trophies. Some trophies appear to have been used for various categories over the years. Where there are inconsistencies or lack of engravings, other names are displayed in italics. It seems some sailors won categories but the trophies were presented to others. Please send any updates, additions or corrections to media@finnworldmasters.com.