JULY 2021
• • • • •
Preview - 2020 Olympic Games Zsombor berecz retains European title FINN GOLD CUP remains new zealand's cup 2021 IFA AGM old love never dies
finngoldcup.org • finneuropeans.org • finnsilvercup.org • finnclass.org
Photo: Joao Costa Ferreira
Opening shot: Zsombor Berecz retained his European title in Vilamoura
President’s Letter Dear Finn Sailors, Dear Friends of the International Finn Community,
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s you have surely heard, on June 10th, 2021, the IOC Executive Board approved a separate female kite event and refused the offshore keelboat for the 2024 Olympics, which also means that the Finn will lose Olympic status for Paris 2024.
It has been a long fight over the last three years, the Finn’s cause has received much support from the Olympic Movement, the sailing media, and various individuals from the sport, for which I am extremely thankful. However, this time around World Sailing believed 85 kg+ sailors do not need a place at the 2024 Olympics and in May 2021 the Finn was not proposed to the IOC as an alternative event instead of the offshore keelboat. A sad development for sailing and especially young athletes. As it looks now the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will go ahead this summer and Finn sailors will have a chance to race again for Olympic glory. This will be the 18th and hopefully not the last time the Finn is raced at the Olympics. Sailing at Olympic level should not disenfranchise larger than average male athletes or sailed in expensive keelboats, so the Finn will be back for the 2028 Olympic event selection and by then World Sailing will hopefully have seen the dreadful consequences of the current event policy. Meanwhile, the Finn Class will regroup, build on its strong fundamentals, and offer unparalleled racing and camaraderie on all levels, from junior to master fleets and from national to international regattas. After the upcoming Olympics this summer the IFA Executive will meet and propose a plan for the next three years of
the class keeping in mind that the World Sailing 2028 Olympic event selection procedure will start as early as this autumn. Looking back at the regatta season this year we can be proud of already hosting two extraordinarily successful major events, the 2021 Finn Europeans in Vilamoura, Portugal, and the 2021 Finn Gold Cup in Porto, Portugal. I would like to hereby take the opportunity to thank both venues for all the work done as well as the attending Finn sailors for the great racing showcased during these events. I wish the best of luck to our sailors competing this summer in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as a good sailing season for the rest of the Finn sailing community around the world. Keep safe and stay healthy! Kind regards,
Dr. Balazs Hajdu HUN-1 IFA President
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Invitation to Uppsala in 2022 for Jubilee Regatta
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n 2022 it will have been 70 years since the Finn made its debut at the Olympics in Helsinki, in 1952. To celebrate this there will be a jubilee regatta held right where it started.
The event will be organized from June 18-19 in the hometown of Rickard Sarby, and organised by his club, Uppsala Kanotförening (UKF), together with Uppsala Segelsällskap (USS). This is where the first Finn was sailed for the first time in the spring of 1950. It is hoped that Finn S1 will be on display at the event. There will be traditional triangle courses with the race-course area close to the facilities of UKF. There will be one class for modern Finns, and also a Classic Finn Cup for Wooden Finns and GRP Finns pre-1985. Finn sailors from all corners of the world are most welcome to Uppsala, and if you're interested in participating, please contact torstenjarnstam (at) yahoo.se. Two weeks later, the Finn World Masters starts in Helsinki, so this is a great warm up regatta for those who will be sailing Helsinki. In 2009, the UKF held a very successful 60th anniversary regatta (photos right).
IFA Executive Committee 2021-22 President of Honour Gerardo Seeliger Paseo Marquesa Viuda de Aldama, 52 28109 La Moraleja, Madrid, Spain Mob: +34 609 20 10 20 Email: gerardo.seeliger@gmail.com
Class Secretary, FINNFARE Editor Robert Deaves 2 Exeter Road, Ipswich IP3 8JL, England WhatsApp/Mob: +44 7936 356663 Email: robert@finnclass.org Skype: robert.deaves
President Dr Balazs Hajdu Furj u 25, H-1124 Budapest, Hungary Mob: +36 30 332 7415; Fax: +36 1 319 1680 Email: balazs.hajdu@t-online.hu Skype: bhajdu001
Finance and Membership Secretariat Chairman Technical Committee Paul McKenzie 39 Rue du Portal d’Amont 66370 Pezilla la Riviere, France Tel/fax: +33 4 68 92 60 4 Email: paul.mckenzie@orange.fr
Vice-President – Sailing Rafael Trujillo c/o NTC Australia Sailing Team, Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Lower Parriwi Road, The Split, Mosman 2008, Australia Tel: +61416719100; +34677523442 Skype: rafaeltrujillovillar Email: rafatrujillovillar@gmail.com
Special projects Michele Marchesini Email: michele.marchesini@me.com
Vice-President – Development Marc Allain des Beauvais c/o Transmer Assurances, Mandataire exclusif d’Assureurs Plaisance, 62, Avenue Camus, 44000 Nantes, France Tel: +33 (0)2 85 520 350 Fax: +33 (0)2 85 520 348 Email: marc@transmer.com Vice-President – Masters’ Fleet Andy Denison 12 Castle Street, Christchurch BH23 1DT, UK Tel: +44 (0)1202 484748; +44 (0)7802 355 522 Email: andy@denisons.com
Chief Measurer Andre Blasse 13 Haydens Road Beaumaris 3193, Australia Tel: +61 438 347 398 Email: aus729@gmail.com
IFA website: finnclass.org Gold Cup: YEAR.finngoldcup.org Europeans: YEAR.finneuropeans.org Silver Cup: YEAR.finnsilvercup.org Finnshop: finnclass.org/shop Finn Masters: finnworldmasters.com YouTube: finnclass.org/finn-tv Twitter: Finn_Class Facebook: Finn-Class Instagram: finnclass Next issue: November 2021 Online issues: issuu.com/finn-class
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is the official publication of the International Finn Association
No. 168 • JULY 2021 FINNFARE is a non-profit publication that is distributed free of charge to all IFA members and interested parties connected to the International Finn Class around the world. For extra copies, or if you have addresses of people who you think should be receiving FINNFARE, please contact the IFA Office. Articles, race results, photographs and reports from countries are always welcome. Please include FINNFARE in your mailing for newsletters, press releases and race reports. All advertisement enquiries should also be addressed to the Editor. A media pack is available on www.finnclass.org
Cover photo: Start line at the Europeans in Vilamoura. Photo: Joao Costa Ferreira. Inset: Andy Maloney won the Finn Gold Cup in Porto. Photo: Robert Deaves
THE FINN GOLD CUP REMAINS NEW ZEALAND'S CUP
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t took more than 60 years for a New Zealand sailor to win the Finn Gold Cup, and now two have come along in a row. Andy Maloney led the 2021 Finn Gold Cup in Porto every day, to take the title away from his training partner Josh Junior, who won the previous Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne in 2019.
Joan Cardona sailed an exceptional series, took the silver and won the European Continental Qualifier for Spain in Tokyo, while Junior took the bronze. Leo Davis also qualified South Africa for Tokyo in the African Continental Qualifier. After weeks of great weather, the forecast for the week looked decidedly stormy. Two days were lost because of the passing Atlantic storms that left huge confused seas as well as a confused wind pattern. So the title was decided with three days of three races. In response to these forecasts, three races were scheduled on the opening day in near perfect conditions with wall to wall sunshine and wind ranging from 7-8 knots in the first race up to 12-14 in the next two. Few sailors found consistency across all three
races setting up a fascinating week ahead. Ioannis Mitakis was the early leader in Race 1, chased by Nils Theuninck and Luke Muller. Muller had the better second beat to lead down to the finish to take the race win, while Maloney climbed to third. The biggest comeback came from defending champion Josh Junior, coming from around 40th at the top mark to cross in tenth. The breeze strengthened for the second race with Oscar flag flying for free pumping. Maloney led at the top, but Cardona rounded second and was soon in the lead to take the win from Maloney and team mate Alejandro Muscat. After many restarts and false starts the final race started after 17.00, but the conditions remained perfect. This time Facundo Olezza led at the top from Zsombor Berecz, but the 2018 world champion moved ahead downwind and was never headed, extending to a comfortable lead to take the race win from Cardona and Olezza. Muller: “For sure I think the first race was a bit different from the next two where there was definitely better pressure on the top left side. So the conditions were a little weird, but super fun and a long day. It was kind of a crazy day. Hopefully this is a bit more of an example or how I have improved rather than a just a brilliant day. We’ve done
Andy Maloney won the 2021 Finn Gold Cup in Porto, Portugal, after a week of very variable winds, big waves
and close competition
a lot of work, sailed a lot of days, and I am confident in my team and myself.” Cardona: “The first race I didn’t start well but my first upwind was quite OK and I was top 10. The other races were super good for me I had really good speed, clear on my tactics, and they worked well, so I happy about today. I think always in the Finn class the competition is super high and at the end the one who wins the
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championship has a lot of points compared to other classes so it’s all about being consistent in the front and not to have too many discards.” After the first day Maloney led from Cardona and Berecz. However they would have to wait two more days before racing could continue. Overnight storms, combined with a 2 to 3 metre ocean swell meant that racing on Sunday was cancelled, and on the third day, Monday after more than four hours and 17 attempts to get a start away with 120 degree shifts, huge waves, hail storms, and wind from 3-33 knots, the fleet was sent ashore with no more races on the board. When the fleet returned to the water on Tuesday, Maloney extended his lead to take a five-point lead. Berecz moved up to
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second, while Junior climbed to third. After no racing for two days, everyone was happy to get racing again and what a day it was. It was actually a day of three thirds, with a very light opening race of 6-8 knots, followed by clearing skies and a slightly tougher race of 12-14 knots, before finally clouding over and picking up to 14-16 knots in the final race. The one constant though was the shifting wind, which kept the sailors on their toes and the race teams busy repositioning marks for almost every leg. In Race 4, Giles Scott led round the top from the middle left from Mitakis and Jorge Zarif. Zarif, the 2013 World Champion took the lead on the second upwind to lead down to the finish, as the soft breeze finally started to build. Milan Vujasinovic was fastest to the top mark in Race 5, but was soon surrounded
by Kiwis, who passed him downwind. Junior led round the second top mark, but Bugarin found better pressure on the left the final downwind to move into the lead and take the win, while Maloney crossed in third. The last race of the day was again all about the left, with many boats overstanding the layline as the top mark became difficult to see in the huge swell. The Kiwis dominated again, but Fabian Pic got the first beat right to round with a nice lead from 2017 World Champion, Max Salminen. However, by the gate Junior was in the lead. Then he went too far left on the final beat, while eagle eyed Maloney got the layline spot on. Maloney got there first only to touch the mark as he rounded. After turns Junior was back in the lead and both stretched out to the finish, while Deniss Karpak sailed a great race for third.
2021 FINN GOLD CUP - PORTO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52
NZL 61 ESP 26 NZL 24 HUN 40 CRO 10 USA 91 AUS 1 NED 89 GBR 41 ESP 17 SUI 1 GRE 77 GBR 71 ARG 48 CRO 369 ESP 7 SWE 33 FRA 17 CZE 5 NOR 1 TUR 21 FIN 8 FRA 93 POL 17 CRO 1 EST 2 CAN 18 RYF 6 EST 1 FRA 112 IRL 9 BRA 109 FRA 111 RYF 14 POL 8 MEX 1 FRA 75 RYF 4 GER 595 UKR 1 AUT 1 POR 21 VEN 17 RSA 11 ITA 1 FRA 38 POR 7 FRA 99 BRA 32 ESP 99 POR 5 RYF 41
Andy Maloney 3 2 8 (23) 3 2 15 5 6 Joan Cardona 11 1 2 11 5 10 3 8 (28) Josh Junior 10 5 10 (20) 2 1 14 3 9 Zsombor Berecz 9 11 1 2 6 5 (19) 17 10 Nenad Bugarin 13 9 21 5 1 7 4 6 (31) Luke Muller 1 12 14 26 11 6 2 (27) 4 Jake Lilley 18 15 5 8 10 (27) 23 1 2 Nicholas Heiner 7 17 26 9 17 9 (38) 2 1 Giles Scott (20) 4 20 3 12 4 16 14 16 Pablo Guitián Sarria 17 6 4 4 (27) 15 13 9 23 Nils Theuninck 2 7 22 18 7 18 (29) 19 13 Ioannis Mitakis 5 27 7 6 13 25 5 (35) 18 Henry Wetherell (28) 14 27 10 21 16 11 15 11 Facundo Olezza 15 22 3 (ufd) 22 8 27 18 14 Milan Vujasinovic 22 23 19 24 4 24 10 (33) 5 Alejandro Muscat 14 3 6 (36) 26 28 30 13 12 Max Salminen 24 13 13 (25) 8 14 20 23 22 Fabian Pic 21 (26) 12 14 16 13 12 26 24 Ondrej Teply 6 25 17 30 (41) 21 17 16 7 Anders Pedersen 27 21 9 13 9 26 (39) 20 26 Alican Kaynar 8 24 24 29 19 19 (31) 12 17 Oskari Muhonen (37) 8 31 22 23 12 33 4 20 Antoine Devineau 25 16 23 (39) 18 11 6 28 27 Piotr Kula 12 34 18 (45) 14 35 8 24 15 Josip Olujic 31 28 11 17 25 23 7 21 (39) Deniss Karpak 36 (40) 33 34 20 3 1 7 30 Tom Ramshaw 4 19 15 31 29 22 (36) 22 25 Arkadii Kistanov 19 (36) 28 27 28 33 9 32 3 Taavi Valter Taveter 30 10 16 7 39 30 (45) 25 32 Jonathan Lobert 16 (42) 29 35 36 34 24 10 8 Oisin Mcclelland 33 30 25 (41) 31 20 18 11 33 Jorge Zarif 23 18 32 1 15 17 (dnf) dns dns Valerian Lebrun 34 33 (38) 16 37 36 21 38 21 Mikhail Yatsun 38 20 34 (50) 38 29 25 36 29 Lukasz Lesinski 41 29 36 38 30 41 22 (44) 19 Juan Ignacio Perez (44) 35 37 15 32 40 28 37 38 Laurent Hay 29 37 39 12 42 (44) 32 40 35 Egor Terpigorev 42 31 (ufd) 42 24 32 26 29 dns Simon Gorgels 35 41 41 32 35 31 40 31 (42) Georgii Paches 32 (44) 35 40 33 39 41 34 41 Moritz Spitzauer 39 (43) 40 37 34 42 42 30 34 Filipe Silva 40 32 (ufd) 19 46 43 43 41 40 Andres Lage 26 39 30 49 40 37 35 (dns) dns Leo Davis (46) 38 42 33 43 38 37 39 43 Matteo Iovenitti 47 46 (ufd) 43 45 45 34 42 36 Michel Audoin 43 (52) 44 48 44 49 46 45 37 Vasco Pereira 48 45 46 21 51 (dns) 48 dns dns Marc Allain des Beauvais 45 48 45 (51) 49 47 44 43 44 Pedro Lodovici 51 47 43 44 48 46 (dnf) dns dns Gerardo Seeliger 49 51 48 28 52 (dns) dnf dns dns Jorge Pinheiro de Melo 52 50 47 47 50 50 47 46 (dns) Felix Denikaev 50 49 (ufd) 46 47 48 dns dns dns
Junior: “It was a pretty nice day. The breeze settled in from the south-west, and ended up with pretty epic conditions. Still big waves with a chop on top. It was a lot of fun. I think we are going well, but still plenty to work on. But I am getting very tired very quickly so I wish I could last a little big longer.” Bugarin: “It was tough racing today. We had very hard conditions especially in the first race, it was quite tricky and then in the second race the wind increased. It was hard work all the way, but I managed to put everything together quite well and am very happy with the day.”
The Tokyo 2020 European Continental qualifier was heading for a nail biting conclusion with four sailors inside the top 10. Cardona was fourth, but just six points ahead of Bugarin, while the European bronze medalist, Nils Theuninck, was in ninth place, a further 17 points back. The final day delivered three more close races and excitement in spades as everything was still wide open. The racing was again held in huge waves and constant wind shifts. A rainstorm in the opening race mixed the fleet and
44 51 54 61 66 76 82 88 89 91 106 106 125 129 131 132 137 138 139 151 152 153 154 160 163 164 167 179 189 192 201 212 236 249 256 262 266 279 286 295 298 304 309 313 338 356 365 365 385 387 389 399
The Winner’s Choice
kept everyone guessing. Karpak held a huge lead at the top mark after skirting round the cloud on the right and was never headed. In the second race, the skies had cleared and determined to make amends Jake Lilley found the front and took a well deserved win. The final race was more tricky with several lead changes, but Heiner took the lead on the final leg to win. The bigger interest was further back with most sailors picking up some high scores all day to leave a very tight scoreboard. Though he briefly lost the lead after a relatively high scoring first race, Maloney fought back in the final race and did just enough to win the world title. Cardona secured the silver, but had his own battle on to win the Olympic place for Spain, while Junior dropped a few places, and had to settle for the bronze. Maloney and Junior came straight from the America’s Cup and this year’s Finn Gold Cup was their first Finn event for 15 months. Maloney: “It was a good week for both of us and cool to both be on the podium. It’s a shame that the Spanish managed to get between but it’s a really cool feeling to have both of us on the podium. “We are always confident with what we are doing and when we got here it was nice to see we still had some pace and we sailed reasonably well this week and stayed near the front.” “The fleet here was highly competitive, and everyone was sailing really well. For Josh and I to manage to be at the front of the fleet in these super tricky conditions that we had this week feels extra special.” Junior: “It’s awesome to see Andy win the world championship. I was lucky enough to win it last time, and it’s cool that Andy had backed it up and kept it in New Zealand. I’m stoked for him.” “As usual, the Finn fleet is super close. You can see that in the points and people are up and down and it’s just about not getting any big ones. It was a really close week and we just managed to do enough be out in front. We are so stoked where we are at and can’t wait to keep pushing forwards." Joan Cardona won the European Continental Qualifier for Spain. In the end it came down to a battle between him and Nenad Bugarin, for Croatia, both finishing deep in the final race after a tense battle. Cardona: “It was super tight. He was very good all through the championship and we had a great battle. We are good friends, we train together and it was great to be so close in the water.” “I think we were well prepared. We worked very hard as a team and I really hope the best is yet to come in Tokyo. And I will give my best for that."
For the African Continental Qualifier, Leo Davis, from South Africa was unopposed. “I finished rowing in 2018 and got back into competitive sailing, but then COVID threw a spanner in the works. So this was a chance for me to get back into it. Luckily things worked out well for me to come here and race.” “My dad, Greg Davis, coached Ian Ainslie in 1996. So from when I was four years old I had his Olympic kit, and it’s always been a dream of mine to go. I thought I was going to go with rowing but it never worked out, so I am just as hungry as I was then, but now for sailing.” The 2021 Finn Gold Cup in Porto was an exceptional event, with exceptional hospitality and organization in quite difficult circumstances, not to mention the unusual weather patterns, for a group of exceptional world-class athletes at the top of their Game. In 10-20 years times, these sailors will be household names through success at America’s Cups, ocean races and major sailing events, just like their predecessors have been and are over the past 60 years. That these young sailors will be the last generation to benefit from the universal school of life and sailing that the Finn class has always been, is unthinkable, untenable and plainly unimaginable. If this was the last Finn Gold Cup as an Olympic discipline, then it is not just a shame, but it brings shame.
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he postponed and pandemic struck Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is scheduled to open on July 22. Due to the pandemic, it will be a very different Games for everyone, but the racing on the water will be as tough as ever. Racing runs from July 27 to August 3 with just 19 Finn sailors taking part as athlete numbers continue to be reduced.
have proven ability to take home major events and win medals. Another nine have strong medal potential but have not been on best form recently. While defending champion Giles Scott still has a target on his back, he will have a very hard time to win back-to-back Olympics. He has not won a major event since the 2019 Europeans, while the likes of Josh Junior, Zsombor Berecz and Joan Cardona are growing in confidence and have made the headlines – usually reserved for Scott – at recent events. Nicholas Heiner has been pushing the front for the last four years, but has been a bit inconsistent this year despite lots of race wins. However, if the week in Most of the fleet were selected at the 2018 Finn Enoshima goes his way, he will be pushing for gold. Gold Cup in Aarhus and 2019 Europeans in Athens, with The other nine medal contenders are a mix of the rest from continental qualifiers. Looking at form, the former World and European champions together with fleet can be split into three distinct groups. Five sailors a lot of young talent at their first or second Olympics. All them are quite capable of medalling. The key factors in Tokyo will be coping the extreme heat, not getting distracted by the COVID restrictions and requirements, and being adjustable to the many different conditions expected in Enoshima, from light, shifty and tidal days to huge swells and strong winds. Shifting gears day to day and race to race will be essential for success, as will a flexible mindset. There is no real form for the venue; no one, apart from Japanese will have trained there since the 2019 test event, an unheard of phenomenon at an ARG - FACUNDO OLEZZA AUS - JAKE LILLEY BRA - JORGE ZARIF Olympic venue, but perhaps also a great equaliser for those on After 16 months with no Second Olympics for Olezza after Tokyo will be Zarif's third Olympic limited travel budgets. a ninth in Rio where he won two international competition, Lilley appearance after a fourth on Whatever else happens, races. Has been at the front of the picked up an eighth place at the home waters in 2016 and a 20th this will be an historic Olympic fleet since then, though a major Europeans and a seventh at the in 2012. He became the only Games for many reasons, not Finn Gold Cup. Tokyo will be his win or medal has escaped him. person to win the Finn Silver Cup least because it could well be second Olympics after finishing Placed a lowly 14th and 15th at and Finn Gold Cup in the same the last Olympic Games where this year's major championships. eighth in Rio. year in 2013. the only truly remaining Olympic boat is being used.
TOKYO 2020 PREVIEW
CAN - TOM RAMSHAW After a lowly 21st in Rio, Ramshaw bounced back strongly with a string of top places including fifth at the Aarhus Sailing World Championship in 2018. Good at starting and closing out regattas, but inconsistent in the middle. 27th in Gold Cup and 10th at Europeans.
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CHN - TBD The Chinese representative is still unannounced as this issue goes to print. He Chen, above, won selection for China at the Ready Steady Tokyo test event in 2019, but it is not confirmed who will sail for China at the Olympics.
ESP - JOAN CARDONA Qualified for Tokyo at the incredibly tough and competitive Finn Gold Cup in Porto with a spectacular second place. A three time U23 European Champion as well, he is one of sailing's most exciting young talents and a definite contender for a medal. Will be the youngest in Tokyo.
GBR - GILES SCOTT After dominating the quad into Rio 2016, his preparation for Tokyo has been more fragmented because of America's Cup commitments. However he is defending Olympic Champion, and has four Finn Gold Cups under his belt, and still the most successful sailor in the fleet.
GRE - IOANNIS MITAKIS
HUN - ZSOMBOR BERECZ
JPN - Kazu Segawa
MEX – Juan Ignacio Perez
European champion way back in 2012, Mitakis picked up a ninth at the Europeans and a 12th at the Finn Gold Cup this year. Tokyo will be his third Olympics after 14th in London and 11 in Rio. Generally has performed better in light winds.
One of the absolute favourites, he won his second European title this year and placed fourth at the Finn Gold Cup. Also won the test event in Tokyo in 2019 and the 2018 Finn Gold Cup. Rarely out of the medals in the last three years.
After failing to win selection for Tokyo in the Laser, he switched to the Finn and trained hard through the pandemic. At the Japanese trials in May he won all 12 races to beat all the sailors who had trained for three years.
Coming into the class quite late in the quad, he won the place for Mexico at the North American continental qualifier in Miami in 2019. Has won races at minor events. Yet to break into the top 10 internationally, but improving all the time.
NED - NICHOLAS HEINER
NOR - ANDERS PEDERSEN
NZL - JOSH JUNIOR
RSA - LEO DAVIS
Former Laser World Champion who switched to the Finn in 2016. Since then he has been pushing the front, but has yet to secure a major win, despite a string of medals, including second at the 2019 Gold Cup. One of the favourites for a medal.
After some outstanding results over the years, Tokyo will be his second Olympics after a 17th in Rio. Capable of winning races, but finished a deep 20th and 26th at this year's major events.
Despite losing the Finn Gold Cup to Andy Maloney, the 2019 world champion was selected for Tokyo for his second Olympics, with Maloney as coach. Seventh in Rio 2016, he is undoubtedly one of the favourites based on recent performance.
Took the African continental place at the 2021 Finn Gold Cup. Trained for rowing in Rio but wasn't selected, then switched back to sailing. Sailed Finns on and off since 2009, with national success but little international competition.
SWE - MAX SALMINEN
TUR - ALICAN KAYNAR
USA - LUKE MULLER
VEN - ANDRES LAGE
The 2017 World Champion has struggled with consistency of late, placing 17th in the Gold Cup and sixth in the Europeans. Tokyo will be his third Olympics after winning Star gold with Freddy Lööf in 2012 and a disappointing, for him, sixth place in Rio in the Finn.
Third Olympics for Kaynar after a 13th in Rio and an 18th in London. Has been in the top group for the last four years, winning many races and regattas, and quite capable of medalling with a consistent week. Followed a fifth at the Europeans with a 21st at the Gold Cup
Since switching to the Finn in 2015 he has made steady progress, but made big gains over the past year leading to a sixth place at this year's Finn Gold Cup. The youngest ever US Laser National champion in 2013, he could be the surprise package in Tokyo.
Qualified at the South American Continental qualifier in Rio in March 2020. He stopped sailing and took part in Ironman contests after moving to Spain, but then decided to try the Finn, receiving support from other sailors and the Finn development programme.
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he 2021 Open and U23 Finn European Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, was the beginning of the end of the extended road to Tokyo, and for many it was being used as a warm up event to the crucial Finn Gold Cup in Porto four weeks later, the final Olympic qualification event.
Originally intended to be sailed in Hyeres over the same dates, Vilamoura Sailing stepped in to organise the European Championships at short notice after the French organisers had to cancel due to the pandemic. While most sailors treated it as a training regatta ahead of the Finn Gold Cup, there were still two European titles to decide.
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Zsombor Berecz was the defending champion, and put in a consistent, confident and conclusive display and never really put a foot wrong, achieving a level of consistency unmatched by the fleet and then put the pedal to the metal when it mattered to win with a race to spare. Olympic champion, Giles Scott’s return to Finn sailing after six months off with the INEOS Team UK America’s Cup team was also a triumph. A shaky start for the Brit was followed by a few classic Scott moments but he did just enough to fend off the massive challenge from the ever-confident young sailors knocking on his transom. Behind these two there were a group of very young and fast sailors pushing
themselves for Olympic selection. However with the pressure on and the finish line in sight, Nils Theuninck rose to the challenge to dominate the final race and secure the bronze, the first Finn European medal for Switzerland for over 30 years. Joan Cardona was largely unchallenged for the U23 European title, his third in a row, but fourth overall reinforced his ability and determination ahead of the crucial final Olympic qualification event. Zsombor Berecz opened his title defence with steady fourth and fifth places on the first day, when many favourites were hitting high scores. He led overall after the first day from Tom Ramshaw and Henry Wetherell. In Race 1 it was clear there were some pressure differences across the course with Georgii Paches leading round the top from Deniss Karpak and Jake Lilley. Karpak led through the gate but there were more gains to be made out of the left and at the second top mark, Wetherell emerged ahead, and with Oscar flag now up, kept his lead down to the finish to take the win, while Lilley passed Karpak to take second. Nicholas Heiner led round the top in the second race from Waltteri Moisio and Panagiotis Iordanou. Heiner was soon clear ahead and extended on everyone to sail away for a comfortable win. The leading group of Heiner, Ramshaw, Alican Kaynar and Cardona were a long way ahead of the fleet, finishing in that order. Heiner: “It was a super tricky day with
Photos by Joao Costa Ferreira
ZSOMBOR BERECZ RETAINS EUROPEANS
Zsombor Berecz and Joan Cardona successfully defended their Open and U23 European titles after a close week in Vilamoura, Portugal, from 9-16 april
2021 OPEN AND U23 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - VILAMOURA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
HUN 40 GBR 41 SUI 1 ESP 26 TUR 21 SWE 33 GBR 71 AUS 1 GRE 77 CAN 18 NED 89 CZE 5 CRO 1 CRO 369 ARG 48 ESP 7 CRO 10 FIN 8 EST 2 FRA 112 BRA 109 RUS 4 USA 91 EST 1 ESP 17 NOR 1 FRA 93 GBR 91 RUS 6 POL 17 RUS 14 ITA 1071 IRL 9 GER 595 UKR 1 CYP 1 POR 21 POL 8 MEX 1 ESP 313 VEN 17 FIN 118 AUT 1 RUS 41 FRA 99 POR 7 ESP 99 POR 5 POR 73
Zsombor Berecz 4 5 8 10 6 7 1 1 5 (dnc) Giles Scott 5 (37) 11 5 12 1 7 2 14 13 Nils Theuninck 21 (25) 2 11 2 2 14 4 17 1 Joan Cardona 15 4 1 1 (bfd) 17 23 17 4 16 Alican Kaynar 17 3 16 8 5 24 10 8 (bfd) 11 Max Salminen 12 12 14 14 9 16 2 9 22 (30) Henry Wetherell 1 16 17 22 10 5 27 7 (34) 10 Jake Lilley 2 32 15 21 (34) 9 6 3 12 19 Ioannis Mitakis 26 (30) 4 26 3 18 24 6 8 5 Thomas Ramshaw 9 2 22 17 18 (27) 21 23 9 2 Nicholas Heiner 35 1 19 3 1 (bfd) 4 5 bfd 8 Ondrej Teply 6 15 26 (27) 15 25 16 20 2 3 Josip Olujic 25 13 12 18 (28) 19 22 10 7 6 Milan Vujasinovic 14 6 6 2 (33) 32 30 30 11 14 Facundo Olezza 18 9 9 24 4 3 18 11 (ret) dnc Alejandro Muscat 24 (26) 21 25 16 15 5 12 10 23 Nenad Bugarin 10 27 27 15 17 13 (ocs) 15 20 9 Oskari Muhonen 28 22 5 20 7 8 15 18 (bfd) 32 Deniss Karpak 3 24 25 23 23 12 (28) 22 6 20 Jonathan Lobert (36) 20 3 4 25 30 19 24 15 21 Jorge Zarif 46 8 10 6 13 23 12 19 (bfd) 27 Egor Terpigorev 8 19 (dsq) 16 37 14 8 21 31 12 Luke Muller 13 29 18 19 (32) 10 26 29 23 7 Taavi Valter Taveter 33 10 33 7 (38) 28 29 14 1 24 Pablo Guitián Sarria 45 11 23 (ret) 14 20 13 13 16 25 Anders Pedersen 31 23 7 34 35 11 9 16 19 (37) Antoine Devineau 11 18 28 13 (29) 21 20 28 29 17 Ben Cornish 23 (41) 13 9 8 26 17 34 24 36 Arkadii Kistanov 20 dpi 24 (37) 11 4 11 25 30 35 Piotr Kula 19 17 20 35 27 31 3 26 (bfd) 15 Mikhail Yatsun 22 21 29 12 20 29 25 33 25 (bfd) Matteo Iovenitti 37 7 dpi dpi 21 35 37 (42) 3 34 Oisin Mcclelland (40) 38 31 33 24 6 31 27 27 38 Simon Gorgels 16 33 35 31 30 22 34 (37) 28 28 Georgii Paches 7 43 30 30 22 33 32 31 (bfd) 40 Panagiotis Iordanou 29 14 38 (40) 31 39 38 40 18 22 Filipe Silva 44 36 40 (45) 36 34 33 35 21 4 Lukasz Lesinski 32 39 36 28 19 38 36 32 (bfd)) 42 Juan Ignacio Pérez 27 (44) 32 32 26 36 39 41 36 33 Antonio Parra Arrondo 30 35 45 39 44 43 44 (46) 13 29 Andrés Lage 42 (45) 37 36 40 42 40 38 35 18 Waltteri Moisio 43 28 41 41 (bfd) 44 41 39 33 26 Moritz Spitzauer 34 34 34 38 39 40 35 36 (bfd) bfd Felix Denikaev 41 (49) 42 43 41 41 43 44 26 43 Marc Allain Des Beauvais 38 40 43 42 43 37 42 43 39 (44) Vasco Pereira 39 42 46 44 47 45 46 (48) 32 39 Gerardo Seeliger 47 47 47 47 45 47 47 (49) 38 31 Jorge Pinheiro De Melo (49) 46 48 48 42 48 48 47 37 41 Nuno Silva 48 48 44 46 46 46 45 45 40 (bfd)
big leverages in the fleet and 1.3 mile beats and light pressure. There was a lot of separation, and I think that’s why there’s a lot a big scores in the fleet, including myself. It was really hard to see which side would pay. And with the big separation it’s easy to get it wrong, but some guys did well today to minimise the risks and be consistent." Cardona then showed some serious form on the second day. He is one of the world’s most exciting emerging sailing talents and led the fleet after four races. Berecz dropped to second while Milan Vujasinovic climbed to third. Jonathan Lobert was the early leader in Race 3 from Cardona and Vujasinovic. On
the final downwind the wind dropped to 8-9 knots and the leaders separated by 6-700 metres with Cardona passing Lobert on the right and Nils Theuninck leading the left. It was a close finish but Cardona crossed just ahead while Lobert was third. Race 4 got away first time in slightly less wind at about 8 knots and at the top it was Vujasinovic, Taavi Valter Taveter and Lobert. After a compressed gate rounding and tricky second beat, Cardona emerged ahead and set off for the finish in 6-7 knots of wind, pulling out a nice lead from Vujasinovic and Heiner. Cardona: “Today was a really good day for me. I really like those conditions of about 8-12 knots and choppy waves. I had a really good speed upwind and downwind and took
47 70 74 98 102 110 115 119 120 123 126 128 132 145 146 151 153 155 158 161 164 166 174 179 180 185 185 190 192 193 216 244 255 257 268 269 283 302 302 322 328 336 340 364 367 380 396 405 408 really good decisions in key moments. I am really enjoying being on the water with such a great fleet and such tight racing.” Consistency paid dividends on Day 3 with fortunes changing for many after two more races in great conditions, yet as tricky as ever. Berecz was back on top, while Scott jumped from ninth to second. Overnight leader, Cardona, dropped to third. Both Cardona and Heiner picked up black flag disqualifications on a day when, again, many high scores were added to the leaderboard. Wednesday was a definite moving day. However the standout performance of the day was from Nils Theunicnk with two amazing second places that took him up to
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fourth on equal points with Cardona. Paches led round the top in Race 5 from Matteo Iovenitti and Ioannis Mitakis. The wind was up to 12 knots and Mitakis extended at the gate. The final beat was a game changer. Mitakis played the middle with Heiner and they saved their positions, but many on the right suffered and many on the left gained. Heiner went more right downwind to take the lead to win from Theuninck and Mitakis In Race 6 Scott headed left and already had a nice lead at the top from Arkadiy Kistanov and Oisin Mcclelland. Scott maintained his lead and extended again on the final beat to win easily from Theuninck and Olezza. Scott: “I’ve been out of the Finn for about six months now, but now the focus is on the Olympics. It’s 99 days away, so it really is just around the corner and I especially have not got too much time. We are racing in one fleet on a big course of 1.3 to 1.4 miles, and that makes tricky venues even more tricky. If you get on the wrong side it’s hard to come back and a few of us have felt the pain of that during the first six races.” After a week of incredibly consistent racing, Berecz, broke free of the fleet for the first time on Day 4 with two quite impressive race wins that left him with an 11 point lead with just two races to go. Scott consolidated his second position overall but never got close to Berecz, while Wednesday’s star performer, Theuninck, had another good day to move to third overall. The conditions were near perfect, 10-12 knots of wind, with big rolling waves and a lot of chop on top. Though the left side was generally paying again, the big puffy clouds caused big long shifts. Berecz emerged from the middle in Race 7 to round the top mark ahead of Lilley, Piotr Kula and Max Salminen. Salminen closed on Berecz downwind, but the defending champion stayed in control to lead to the finish in what turned into a Finn sailor’s delight, a pumpfest to the finish. Berecz took his first win of the day from Salminen and Kula. Race 8 was simpler with extra pressure on the left so it turned into a boatspeed race. Again, Berecz had the edge, leading to the left and rounding ahead, again from
Lilley and Taveter. Berecz then pulled out a comfortable lead on the first downwind to extend around the course for a big win. Scott passed Lilley to take second. Berecz: “Today was my day, but I would not call it easy. This boat in these conditions is killing you and if you don't get the first upwind right then it is even more painful because you have to work twice as hard to climb back.” Salminen: "I finally got the hang of the strategy today. The first three days were more about trying to save races. Today I got in to the rhythm of the shifts more from the start, which made the rest of the race a lot easier. It's really nice to be racing again and the fleet feels stronger than ever.” It took just one more race for Berecz to retain his European title. After several attempts Race 9 finally started in 8-9 knots, with eight boats out on a black flag, including a number of medal contenders. Taveter rounded first from Antonio Parra Arrondo and Cardona. Berecz rounded mid teens but was up to sixth by the gate with Taveter still in the lead up the final beat. Ondrej Teply had been pushing the leaders and on the lighter final downwind found more pressure on the left to move up to second and crossed the finish just behind Taveter who had led at every mark. Iovenitti crossed third. A fifth for Berecz was enough for him to win the championship with a race to spare, but with most in the top 10 already carrying a big discard, it was all on for the other medals in the final race. Race 10 was a very light affair and for once the right paid. Theuninck got it right to round ahead of Josip Olujic and Ramshaw. With the wind down to five knots downwind, it was pretty nerve wracking for some but Theuninck rounded the gate with a nice lead. The final beat of the championship was perhaps the most complicated of the whole regatta. Theuninck played the middle but was passed by both Filipe Silva on the right and Ramshaw on the left. However on the final downwind Theuninck took big gains on the left to retake the lead and secure the race win and the bronze medal. Ramshaw crossed second while Teply rounded off a spectacular day with a third. Berecz: “I think the trophy likes me. It was in very bad condition last year and I fixed it and now it’s in great shape again, so
we like each other. It was a very tough week but consistency again paid off and I am very happy to win it again as it’s a great trophy.” Scott, “This week I have to settle and be content with second. It’s been good to be able to jump straight back into a major event after my 6-month sabbatical. It’s highlighted where I’m at and ultimately the work that needs to be done for the Games in three months time.” Theuninck, “I am very happy with the way it went. It started quite difficult on the first day but I managed to sail better towards the end of the event with a race win, which I am very happy about to show we can perform under pressure. That is something I was working on, so to successfully do that was a good achievement.” Cardona won the U23 European Championship for the third time in a row. Mikhail Yatsun was the second U23 in 31st place overall, while Panagiotis Iordanou took the bronze in 36th place. Cardona, “It was a tough week for me with lots of ups and downs. I learnt a lot and I am very happy about the work we are doing. I am obviously very happy with my third U23 European Championship in a row, but we know our main goal is to qualify Spain for the Olympics. The competition is really high and we'll have to give our best to achieve it.” The Finn class and the sailors are extremely grateful to Vilamoura Sailing and all the staff and helpers there who put on a great week of Finn sailing at a crucial time for the class. Stepping up and organising a major event with a few months notice following the cancellation from the original venue is an incredible achievement, and much appreciated, and the class eagerly looks forward to returning to sunny Vilamoura in the near future.
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Old love never dies
W
hen two former Belgian Olympians arrived in Ostend with two Finns on a trailer and a huge smile on their faces, it did not go unnoticed. Paul Goossens grabbed them for an interview. He writes, “We were very curious what was driving them and we are very happy by this double comeback in Belgium. Not only is the class growing constantly, but the return of both these gentlemen will boost the level and the reputation locally. Their stories are very inspiring to us all.”
Filip Willems Q: When did you start sailing and what was the trigger? My dad was a sailing fanatic. He built boats and yachts himself and we went sailing with the family every single weekend in Wolphaartsdijk, Holland. As a kid, I enjoyed
every minute of it. When I was a teenager, we started racing in a Schakel, a nice wooden two-man boat, that my dad had built as well. Unfortunately, he prioritized strength over weight, so it was not the fastest boat on earth. But we learned a lot as there was a massive and highly competitive fleet of Schakel boats racing at that time. One time, I was in Antwerp for a sailing event, and was invited to try out a yellow Roga Finn. It felt like coming home: the Finn was THE boat for me. As it was also for sale, I bought it without bargaining. And it turned out to be an excellent boat and mast. We started training and racing with a couple of good sailors at that time. Jacques Rogge (ex-IOC president) was my mentor, and he was highly supportive. Q: What do you perceive as the biggest success in your sailing career? Frankly speaking, I was a bit disappointed with my results at the games in Los Angeles 1984. In order to qualify for the Games, I sailed to a 10th position in the 1981 Gold Cup in Grömitz, Germany, a 14th position at the 1983 Europeans in Wladyslawowo, Poland, and 10th in the 1983 Kieler Woche. As these were decent results my target was a top 10. After the first races at the games, I was in seventh position but started dropping to the 17th place
Filip Willems (15) sailing Esko Rechardt (FIN) and Terry Neilson (CAN)
with
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Two former Belgian Finn Olympians are in training. Paul Goossens investigates in the following races. Anyhow it was a fantastic experience to be able to participate in the Games, something I will never forget. What I learned from this, is that good support is a must to compete at that level. I was very much on my own while sailors from other countries had professional teams surrounding them, even at that time. After Los Angeles I quit high-level sailing and did a lot of professional coaching and mentoring. In that capacity I trained and coached sailors at the Games in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens which was also very satisfying. I also participated in the creation of the Belgium Sailing Team, an effort to bring young talents together and grow them through competition. Q: Why did you buy a Finn again and what are your ambitions? The World Masters 2020 were planned in Port Zelande and my ambition was to train again and get a reasonable result compared to my old buddies (the generation of Peter Vollebregt, Mark Neeleman, Chris Frijdal, …). Because of Corona this did not happen unfortunately. I am now looking forward to the Masters in Mar Menor, Spain, and hope to see a lot of old friends again. Q: What do you view as the differences between now and then? From my perspective the rig is so much different now. We sailed with aluminium masts and dacron sails and the boat was hard to handle in a blow. The switch to carbon masts and less flexible plastic sails makes the boat more manageable in hard wind. The boat itself seems to have evolved less. Sailors with a smaller budget can still perform very well with a well maintained Vanguard on lakes.
Olympics. I was so impressed by this strong athlete with such a cool high-tech piece of equipment trying to achieve something almost impossible. At that moment, the seed was planted.
Q: What advice do you have for young sailors who would like to start a Finn campaign? It is unfortunate that the Finn is no longer an Olympic Class after Tokyo. This is a shame and hopefully something can be done about it. In order to grow to a good level, find yourself a club or a team with guys that sail at a high level. The only way to learn the ropes is to sail a lot with a team like that. Don’t be shy to ask questions; Finn sailors are often very approachable and helpful. If you are at a good level and want to grow to the top, you’ll need (besides a lot of talent) an experienced support team. Such teams nowadays exist in most countries, and they are key to your success. And last: don’t forget to have fun.
Sebbe Godefroid Q: When did you start sailing and what was the trigger? I was five when our family started sailing a 16M2 in Holland. I loved it instantly but became truly fascinated when I saw my sister participating in a training camp for Optimist sailors. I could not wait to reach the age limit and pushed until I was accepted in a local club. From that moment onwards my parents’ fate was to travel around the country to let me participate in regattas. As a kid I also got to know Filip Willems who was working hard to qualify for the
Q: What do you perceive as the biggest success in your sailing career? Even though I also won the Gold Cup in 2001, I view the silver medal at the Olympics in Atlanta as my biggest success. It became a real turning point in my career. Belgium is a country of cyclists and football players, and sailing was (and still is) a sport that is getting little attention in the media. For my Olympic campaign I got very little funding and therefore had to take a loan. When I came back with the Silver Medal, the media were all over it and I immediately got the necessary funds that allowed me to continue to grow as a sailing professional. Let me also tell you a secret about how to win. Stress is immense for the participants to the Olympics; there is so much visibility and you get only a chance every four years. This stress can be detrimental to performance. When I told someone that I should be able to win a medal at Atlanta, he told me that I should not make such statements. It is much better to set a realistic expectation like sailing in the top 10, and then go and fight and enjoy, and see where you get. That was very sound advice. Before the last race I noticed to my surprise that I was in second position in the ranking, and that only Hans Spitzauer (AUT) and Roy Heiner (NED) could threaten this position. I noticed that Hans was extremely nervous. The race started. Hans went immediately to the right and the pack while Roy went to the left, the side that was often favoured. I could not control both so went to the right side of the pack, so that I could eventually try to catch Hans if needed. But the left was again flavoured, Hans was far behind, and I was just before Roy, protecting the Silver. Staying calm and rational was key. Q: Why did you buy again a Finn and what are your ambitions? I am a sailing coach for a living and deeply missed going for a sail myself. There is no time for an intense campaign. My main ambition was to sail the World Masters in Medemblik, have fun, meet the old boys again, go for a beer, tell stories, and have fun.
What I found so attractive and unique about the Finn Class is this incredible camaraderie between sailors. On the water they are fighting hard but in the pub they are good friends. Take Josh Junior and Andy Maloney for example. They had to battle so hard and long to get that one ticket to Tokyo, the most valuable ticket for a Finn sailor. And now Andy became Josh’s coach and they are super good friends. Isn’t this beautiful?
Q: What do you view as the differences between now and then? I did not see major developments in the equipment in the last 25 years. For sure there is a constant development leading to some small gains but at the end of the day it is still the sailor that is mostly making the difference. What I saw changing is the approach to campaign management. 25 years ago, you were very much on your own. Nowadays there are much more funds available leading to a much more professional approach with a whole team supporting the athletes. The disadvantage is that going out, drinking beers and having fun between two sailing days at a regatta is a thing of the past. There are too many coaches who are watching you. Q: What advice do you have for young sailors who would like to start a Finn campaign? First of all: enjoy the Finn sailing. The boat is a challenge in heavy weather and learning to master it can be a lot of fun. If you want to start a serious campaign than make sure you have proper help from a good physiotherapist to focus on the right exercises in the gym. This person can advise on exercise to prevent injuries. I had no such help and focused a lot on developing strength. When I started to suffer from back problems it was unfortunately too late.
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AUSTRALIA David Bull writes: The official sailing season concluded in most Australian States at the end of April, however there has still been some regattas held in the warm climates. The NSW 2021 Finn Masters were held at Woollahra Sailing Club in Sydney from 27-28 March. Travel restrictions prevented interstate visitors from participating, however there were 15 entrants from the Sydney fleet. Racing was conducted in near perfect conditions on Sydney Harbour with three races on Saturday and three on Sunday. Jake Lilley, although a long way from being a Masters sailor, entered in the open division and scored 6 firsts. Rob McMillan, Grand Master, was 2nd overall (1st Masters) and Rafa Trujillo, Master, was 3rd overall (2nd Masters) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
AUS 1 Jake Lilley AUS 2 Rob McMillan ESP 100 Rafael Trujillo AUS 221 Luke Elliott BER 9 Rockal Evans AUS 296 James Bevis AUS 5 Matt Visser AUS 10 John Condie AUS 24 Greg Solomons AUS 68 Jay Harrison
5 15 18 21 24 24 27 32 50 54
For the first time the Finns competed in Sail Port Stephens conducted over the
weekend 24-25 April. This regatta has been held annually for many years, however the first time for Off the Beach (OTB) boats. Racing was organised by the Bay Sailing Centre a small club located in Salamander Bay, Port Stephens, and recently acquired by the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. 1 AUS 2 Rob McMillan 14 2 AUS 111 Matt Visser 14 3 AUS 75 Phil Chadwick 18 4 AUS 110 Marcus Whitley 22 5 AUS 73 Joshua Torpey 24 6 AUS 296 James Bevis 27 7 AUS 9 Rockal Evans 27 8 AUS 93 Tristan Perez 29 9 AUS 300 David Bull 30 10 AUS 68 Jay Harrison 35 There was a contingent of nine Finns from Brisbane (8.5 hour drive) and 11 Finns from Sydney. Although there was beautiful sunshine and temps in the mid 20s there was very little wind on Saturday. Eventually the RO managed to run one race. Sunday produced a little more wind, light and shifty and three races were run. The regatta was a resounding success and will now be part of the Finn regatta programme. Big thanks to James Bevis from the Sydney Fleet. The next event on the Finn calendar is the Queensland State Championships mid winter regatta at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane from 9-11 July. We have been fortunate in having Yachtshare as our naming sponsor and this
year are expecting 40 plus boats. The programme includes a cruise on a Yachtshare 48 foot catamaran on Friday to Moreton Island for visitors and participants. Participants already entered are our Olympians Jake Lilley, Rafa Trujillo, Brendan Casey, current and past Australian Champions and our friends from across the ditch in New Zealand, which bodes well for a great regatta.
BRITAIN On Saturday 17th April the Finn fleet converged on Bough Beech for the first Finn open meeting of the year permitted to take place. There was a fantastic turn out of around 20 boats and everyone seemed very happy to catch up again after along winter. It was a stunning day with unbroken sunshine, the wind was blowing NNE which resulted in some large gusts and shifts rolling down the valley and across the lake – just like a mini Lake Garda at its best. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
GBR 74 GBR 90 GBR 2 FIN 201 GBR 81 GBR 567 GBR 61
Lawrence Crispin Richard Sharp Allen Burrell Kristian Sjoberg James Skulczuk Martin Hughes John Heyes
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8 GBR 33 Kieran Holt 9 GBR 720 Julian Smith 10 GBR 93 Alex Farrall
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From 24-25 April, 15 boats entered a two-day event at Bosham SC, the ancestral home of British Finn sailing. It was a cold, sunny and windy weekend with 15-20 knots of easterly. The Bosham event has traditionally featured racing around the many different harbour marks which does test memory, navigation and favours local knowledge. However, the visiting helms showed their
mettle and fought through to the front consistently over the two days. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
GBR 86 GBR 720 GBR 21 GBR 61 GBR 22 GBR 578 GBR 15 GBR 606 GBR 100
Fergus Allan Julian Smith Michael De Courcy John Heyes Andrew Wylam Stephen Hart James Symons Jeremy Drummond Mathew Walker
8 11 14 19 21 32 50 62 67
BELGIUM Paul Goossens writes: Because of Corona all our spring regattas have been cancelled. But not all is bad. We see a steady increase of new good sailors moving to the Finn. We also organised many training events including heavy weather sailing to test sailors and
DENmARK Richard Berg Larsen writes: The spring of 2021 has been slow. We had an unusually warm winter apart from three weeks, and we were all ready to go sailing early in the relatively warm water, and what happened? We got the coldest, wettest windiest spring for years, but the weather changed a few days before the Kastrup Cup, and they managed to run the early May regatta for the 24th time in 25 years, only missing last year due the Corona. The area off Kastrup is known for frequent windshifts, and the club has therefore invented a system with 3 top marks with different colours. That means the RO can wait until 5 min before the start to nominate the top mark with a flag showing the colour. That saves a lot of waiting time between the races. 1 2
DEN 21 Otto Strandvig 13 DEN 246 Jens Kristian Andersen 25
JAPAN The Japanese Olympic selection trials were held from 9-14 May in Sagami Bay off Hayama Town, Kanagawa Prefecture. Kazu Segawa won all 12 races in a wide range of conditions, though the racing was always close. After losing the selection trials in the Laser, he was persuaded to try the Finn and has sailed almost every day in his local club throughout the pandemic. The other three sailors have done a few World Championships, but it was not enough to beat Segawa.
equipment. Our next regatta will be the Benelux, a collaboration between Belgian and Dutch clubs on the Grevelingen lake, the place where the 2020 World Masters were planned. It is the 50th anniversary of this event and so it will be a special edition with festivities. It takes place from August 13-15 and we would like to invite you all to this fantastic regatta. Feel free to contact paul@finn-sailing.be for any questions. Photos: Preben/Kastrup Sejlklub
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DEN 306 DEN 25 FIN 218 DEN 20 DEN 212 GER 259 DEN 298 DEN 1
Christian Rasmussen 28 Allan Hansen 34 Martin Mikkelsen 35 Casper Elkær 37 Jan Peetz 49.5 Joe Schubert 54 Henrik Sørensen 60 Frank Hansen 66
Martin Mikkelsen from Fyn, has managed to get a fleet started, with boats around the middle Island in Denmark, and we are going to the first Fyn Championship from the 1920 of June. It will be a great start, with 23 signed up for the first Finn Regatta ever to be sailed in Nyborg. We also have a good development around the Aarhus area, with a small but active Finn fleet that will host this years Danish Championship in August for which we presently have international entrants from Germany, Norway, Holland and Sweden, and we are aiming at 50 plus entrants, which is a large fleet in Denmark.
More about those two regattas in the next issue of Finnfare.
Segawa says the downwind pumping was crucial for his win. "Downwind speed was excellent, so even if I rounded the top mark in second, I was able to take the lead downwind. I think this is why I won." “It was very painful that I could not get the result [in the Laser] even though I trained well. So I'm relieved for the time being. I still want to improve my performance and sailing skills." 1 2 3 4
JPN 9 JPN 7 JPN 3 JPN 6
Kazu Segawa Yuki Noshio Yuji Fujimura Hajime Kokumai
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Photos: Junichi Hirai/BULKHEAD
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ITALY 1 - Coppa Italia 2021 – Napoli An excellent start to the 2021 Coppa Italia, with the first event from 27-28 March in Naples, organized by Circolo del Remo and Vela Italia. There was strong participation with the presence of 35 sailors from all over Italy. The Gulf of Naples offered ideal conditions, with light winds between 6 and 8 knots on Saturday when three races were held, while Sunday saw another two races take place with an average wind of about 10 knots on a spectacular sunny day. Victory went to veteran Enrico Passoni. He had a solidified a brilliant start to the season after winning the Sannino Trophy in Anzio. He also won the Grand Grand Master category. Second place goes to young Federico Colaninno, reigning Italian champion, for whom three first places were not enough to win the regatta due to a first day that wasn’t altogether favourable. On the lowest podium step is Franco Cinque, in the lead after excellent races on the first day where he consistently placed top three. Giacomo Giovanelli (first Master) and Marco Buglielli completed the top five. The Grand Master category was won by Gino Bucciarelli (AV Bracciano). Excellent work by both the regatta committee in the water (chaired by Rafael Caiazza) and the club on land for doing their utmost to hold an event in line with all safety protocols and organizing the best way out to sea and the return to land. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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ITA 6 ITA 71 ITA 5 ITA 202 ITA 2 ITA 67 ITA 1005 ITA 52 ITA 30 ITA 40
Enrico Passoni Federico Colaninno Francesco Cinque Giacomo Giovanelli Marco Buglielli Gino Bucciarelli Furio Patrizio Monaco Franco Martinelli Andrea Lino Marko Kolic
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2 - Coppa Italia 2021 – Caldaro Held from 24-25 April, with 40 entries, only two races were managed. Andrea Sandini won the first race and Marko Kolic the second. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ITA 99 ITA 40 ITA 1005 ITA 115 ITA 2 ITA 49 ITA 4 ITA 85 ITA 16 ITA 23
Andrea Sandini Marko Kolic Furio Patrizio Monaco Roberto Strappati Marco Buglielli Ulrich Ladurner Francesco Faggiani Klaus Heufler Harald Stuffer Umberto Grumelli
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3 - Coppa Italia 2021 – Gravedona The third leg of the Coppa Italia / Trofeo Mazzoni was held in Gravedona on the weekend of 8-9 May, with 32 entries, an event that was superbly organised by the AVAL-CDV – Centro Vela Alto Lario and valued sponsor Caffè Cellini. Two beautiful summer days, with a moderate-fresh Breva wind on both Saturday and Sunday allowed all five scheduled races to take place. Marko Kolic was the overall winner of the general classification with clear and consistent positions followed by Roberto
Strappati who lost the top spot due to a lacklustre second day. Third was Enrico Passoni, winner of one race. Marko was awarded the Trofeo Mazzoni, offered as a prize by the family in memory of Adolfo Mazzoni. First Master went to Roberto Strappati, first Grand Master to Gino Bucciarelli, who achieved a good sixth place in the general classification, and first Grand Grand Master to Enrico Passoni. The Coppa Italia continues with the next major event in Viareggio on 18-20 June, the fourth leg of the competition, which is also the Italian Master Championship. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ITA 40 ITA 115 ITA 6 ITA 202 ITA 2 ITA 67 ITA 4 ITA 8 ITA 872 ITA 1005
Marko Kolic Roberto Strappati Enrico Passoni Giacomo Giovanelli Marco Buglielli Gino Bucciarelli Francesco Faggiani Florian Demetz Nicola Menoni Furio Patrizio Monaco
6 8 16 17 18 25 26 26 30 38
POLAND Andrzej Romanowski writes: The competition in the Polish Cup 2021 started in May with three regattas on the lakes – twice in Poznań and once in Zalew Zegrzyński near Warsaw. First competition in Poznań was won by Andrzej Romanowski (POL 73) from Marek Jarocki (POL 100) and
russia Vasiliy Kravchenko writes: The Russian Finn Association is organising the Russian Finn Cup, which consists of eight stages. Each stage is held in different place in order to cover all territories of Russia, where Finn class is developing. The first two stages took place in winter in Sochi at the Black Sea. Each stage from them has attracted 10 sailors from different regions of Russia. Alexey Selivanov has managed to win both.
SWEDEN Torsten Jarnstam writes: This year's first Sweden Cup regatta should have been sailed on Hönö 22-23 May. Unfortunately the organising De Tio Öarnas Segelsällskap, had to cancel the regatta due to the Swedish authorities' Corona restrictions, which, among other things, meant that in Sweden it was not allowed to race during the spring and early summer. The new restrictions, which apply from 1 June, allow us to start racing again, but still with some restrictions. We can therefore happily state that the USS regatta (Sweden Cup no. 2) in Uppsala 19-20 June will be able to take place. Hopefully, the Corona situation will get
Artur Siwik (POL 70); the second by Juliusz Reichelt (POL 38) from Marek Jarocki and Piotr Rosiński (POL 27). Bartosz Szydłowski (POL 6) was the best in Zalew Zegrzyński beating Piotr Pajor (POL 23) and Jacek Binkowski (POL 25). The first meeting on larger waters was Polish Yachting Association Cup in Krynica Morska on Vistula Lagoon which was won by Krzysztof Stromski (POL 52) before Andrzej Romanowski and Bartosz Szydłowski. There will be a total of 10 regattas until the end of the Polish Cup competition – 6 at sea and 4 on lakes. Stage 3 of the Russian Finn Cup was help in Taganrog in May and devoted to memory of Alexander Novikov. It attracted 18 sailors from eight regions of Russia. The regatta was won by Alexander Kulyukin. Stage 4 will take place in Siberia (Novosibirsk). Competitions are planned also in Moscow, Krasnoyarsk and in Sochi again. More information is on the website www.finnclass.ru Besides the Russian Finn Cup there was one more great event: The Finn class is reviving in Samara. After a 30 year break the Samara Finns have organized again the Finn championship of Samara. It has attracted 15 Finnsters. There is a plan to keep this event annually. Russian Finn sailors are quite active in club regattas preparing for the main event of the year – the Open Russian regatta, which will take place in Moscow from 2529 of August. That will be good test event before Russian team of 16 sailors will go to European Masters Championship in Tihany. There is also activity for Juniors and students in Moscow. International University Sailing Cup will be held in Finn class in Moscow from 19-23 August. Sailors from outside of Russia can get charter boats for the competition. The Junior Finn Russian championship will be held in the frame of the Open Russian regatta.
Despite the fact that Finn will not be an Olympic class, there are new competing colleagues in current season, including 16 years old Jakub Micewski (POL 151).
For now, the Russian Finn Association has built internal relationships across the country in such way that interested sailors can get charter boats in most places, where regattas are taking place. We will be glad to see friends from other countries at our events.
better and better, as the vaccinations have been in full swing for a long time. If nothing negative happens, we will be able to sail the Open Swedish Championship for OK Dinghy and Finn dinghy (Sweden Cup no. 3) in Sandviken 20-22 August. The regatta also includes World Cup and European Championship qualifiers for 2022. We also expect to be able to complete the Sola Cup regatta in Karlstad 18-19 September, which also includes the Sweden Cup final for the season, Class Championships for Masters and also includes World Cup and European Championship qualifiers until 2022. When it comes to the Olympic sailing in Enoshima, Swedish Finn dinghy sailing is keeping its fingers crossed that Sweden's representative Max Salminen will have as successful an Olympic regatta as possible.
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SOUTH AFRICA The 2020 Finn National Championships were held at George Lakes from the 20 to the 22 of March. There was a good entry of 24 boats. The three days provided a mixture of light, medium and heavy conditions, which put everyone to the test. Unsurprisingly, Dave Shilton was the runaway winner, but there was tough competition for the other top ten places. Photos: Malcolm Osborne and Jeremy Dee 1 RSA 594 2 RSA 577 3 RSA 11 4 RSA 1 5 GBR 51 6 GRE 77 7 RSA 13 8 RSA 581 9 RSA 571 10 RSA 600
David Shilton 8 Morgan Evans 25 Georgou Divaris 36 Greg Davis 37 David Kitchen 49 Constantin Hatzilambros 49 Brett Gething 50 Dudley Isaac 51 Andreas Bohnsack 60 Arend van Wamelin 78
SWITZERLAND Dominik Haitz writes: And again the Coronavirus was the spoiler at the start of the season. The first regattas had to be cancelled again this year. The Niederhornkanne in Thun on July 3-4 will most probably mark the start of the season, as it did last year as well. The highlight of the year will certainly
22
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be the Swiss Championship in Engadin, near St. Moritz – sailing on a mountain lake at 1,800 metres and with beautiful weather, best wind conditions. The notice of race can be found in Manage2Sail or via our website www.finn.ch. Switzerland will not be represented at the Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, Nils Theuninck did not make the qualification. He sailed a super strong campaign and
was very close to qualify, but unfortunately it was just not enough.
2021 IFA AGM Was held at Club We Do Sailing, Porto, Portugal on Friday 7 May at 10.00 MINUTES 1. National Class Associations 15 National Class Association (NCA) Representatives were present, representing a quorum and 3 voting members of the Executive Committee 2. Minutes from the last meeting The minutes from the 2020 IFA AGM were approved. 3. Accounts The 2020 accounts and 2021 budget were approved. 4. Executive Committee Reports (published online beforehand and not given at the meeting) President’s Report Unlike other classes of boat, in 2020 we were able to host at least one major international event, the 2020 Finn Europeans in Poland which turned out to be a big success and gave Finn sailors a chance to measure their level of preparation on the way to Tokyo. As it looks now, the Olympics will go ahead in Tokyo, although international and domestic spectators will be refused entry to Olympic venues. Nevertheless, Finn sailors will have a chance to race again for Olympic glory. This will be the 18th time the Finn is raced at the Olympics. While the virus and lockdowns have been making life difficult around the world, from last December on it was good to see that some of our Finn sailor friends had a good time sailing the regattas leading up to the Americas Cup Match in New Zealand. It proved again that Finn sailors, being tactically educated and physically strong, always have a place in any class of boat the oldest trophy in sport is contested in. Congratulations to Josh Junior and Andy Maloney for defending the Cup, and to Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott, Chris Brittle, Ben Cornish, Dean Barker, Enrico Voltolini, Caleb Paine and others for being a part of Americas Cup history. Over the last 2 years IFA and various Finn supporters from around the world have been working hard to showcase to the IOC the importance of a dinghy event for larger male sailors on the Olympic sailing program. At the December 2020 IOC Executive Board (EB) meeting the decided to further review the mixed offshore keelboat event in order to properly assess the key considerations around the cost, safety and security of the athletes. World Sailing is currently in talks with the IOC and the final proposal will be decided no later than May 2021. As it looks now, the IOC have realised the significant cost, safety, and weight discrimination issues with the keelboat event and will probably disapprove such a change to Olympic sailing events. As a result World Sailing will have to fill the shoes of the 10th Olympic sailing event, and IFA is currently doing its best to showcase the Finn as the best option being a well established, long standing and global sailing class with some of the finest and most athletic sailors worldwide. In a few weeks time we will know more of the outcome and hope that the Finn will continue its long-standing Olympic history. Balazs Hajdu
INTERNATIONAL FINN ASSOCIATION 2021 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Vice President Development Notwithstanding the pandemic situation, there are two ways to consider the present Finn development: 1) One is linked with the Olympic Coming Up of the class: we contributed all year long to the appeasement policy with IOC & World Sailing. Offshore Mixed is now rejected by the IOC and opens a new field of possibilities and we hope that we will be listened to... 2) The other consists in preparing the class to what it could be in case we are no more Olympic: the coexistence of the 2021 European Championship foreseen before cancellation at Hyères joint with the 2021 Semaine Olympique Française is a good example to what could be achieved. The next weeks will be crucial to determine the future of the class Indeed I don't have a lot to say... Marc Allain des Beauvais Vice President Masters We have just taken the decision to cancel the event in Medemblik for 2021 due to COVID. The restrictions and timings for hosting the event make it impracticable and not viable for a masters Championship. At present we are in discussions with another venue to host the Championship in the second week of October 2021. Subject to a 100-boat pre-entry, prior to our AMM in May will determine whether we go ahead with the change to the new venue. Naturally, we need to amend our rules at the AMM. Hopefully, the sailors will see the need to have this amended rule change in place to accommodate the unpredictable world that we now live in. Our 2021 AMM will be held on line on Wednesday 2nd May. Andy Denison Secretary’s Report 2020 was for sure been a difficult year, but we should consider ourselves lucky to get in two out of four of our major events. The postponed Olympic Games also extended the Olympic status of the class, though a final decision of that is imminent. The optimism and plans that we started the year with remain on hold while we wait for both this decision and the beginning of return to normal after the pandemic. It is quite surprising how much work there was to do despite the lack of events. To be sure cancelling, postponing and rearranging events is far more work than actually running the events. We remain on the look out for venues for future championships. Other than the 2022 Europeans in Kiel, we have nothing else fixed, though we have some encouraging interest for future years. A new event manual has been published, with a great many improvements. But the class remains in good health both financially and on the water with a remarkable number of local events taking place in 2020. It is fair to say we are poised for development, once the freedom to travel and enjoy overseas events again is re-established. Robert Deaves
2020 Technical Report 2020 was a quite year for the Technical Committee. Although sailors made several requests to the class Measurers and Technical members regarding rule interpretations, it was not considered necessary to make any major adjustments to our class rules, particularly in the lead up to the 2021 Olympics. Paul Mckenzie Treasury report for the year ended 31 Dec 2020 [Accounts available on finnclass.org] Despite the reduced racing calendar in 2020 the IFA financial position remained solid due to cost cutting measures implemented at the start of the year. Expenses were 55000 euros lower than the previous year with reduced regatta and conference expenditure and reduced payroll. Understandably revenue was less than in 2019 due to lower membership, equipment royalties and regatta entry fees. The total revenue reduction was 50000 euros compared with the previous year. The net result for the year was a profit of almost 10000 euros and the increase in bank reserves was 14000 euros. Following the retirement of Tim Carver from the position of Treasurer, IFA appointed Horizons Consulting (Chartered Accountants) to audit the association Accounts. The audit report is available online. Paul Mckenzie 5. Elections of Members to IFA Committees The current members of the Executive Committee were all re-elected unopposed. There were no changes to the Technical Committee 6. Bids for Major Championships No bids have been received. 7. Submissions The following change to Class Rules was approved. Proposal 1 - Prohibiting use of Roller and Ball Bearings INSERT NEW RULE C.7.3 (b) The use of roller and ball bearings is prohibited in the mast ring, mast foot, deck ring and mast step fittings. Current rules 0 (b) (c) (d) and (e) to be renumbered at (c) (d) (e) and (f). Reason: To avoid unnecessary development of systems or fittings to the current fleet of boats. Proposal 2 to amend the rule on hiking pads was withdrawn and will be reviewed. 8. AOB There was a lengthy discussion on the current situation regarding the Olympic decision for 2024. Luca Devoti and Gerardo Seeliger spoke to the delegates about the ongoing process and the need to talk to their MNA delegates to promote the Finn.
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