NATIONAL REPORT - FINLAND
Matti Muoniovaara reports for the Finnish fleet, which experienced a kind of revival in 2019 encouraged by the Gold Cup and Worlds being hosted in Helsinki.
Major events boost Finnish fleet
T
he Finnish class currently has 15 paid members and two honorary members, Jussi Gullichsen and Matti Muoniovaara. There are 25 known 5.5 Metre boats existing in Finland. Roope Juhonen acquired the 1968 Vator built wooden boat Complex 6. The boat was made for Britton Chance Sr, father of Britton Chance Jr. For the last few years it has been sailed under the Italian flag with the name Tara. In France the boat had been called Tara Fai and in Switzerland she was known as Joker 3. Ten boats participated in racing during 2019: Trial, Skylark, Vis-a-vis, Kisen, Zorina, Figaro, Rush VI, Lotten, Scatoulitsa 4 and Tara. The highlight for us was of course the Scandinavian Gold Cup and World Championship, held in Helsinki which brought another 15 boats to Helsinki in the summer. There are also five boats currently being refitted Gullvinge, Teresita, Inga-Lill 44, Remi and Norna XI, with six more boats for sale: Bloss, Wasa 2, Remi, Figaro, Rush 6 and Lotten. But there was plenty of sailing when the World Championship and the Scandinavian Gold Cup was sailed in Helsinki. Since the birth of the Scandinavian Gold Cup it has been 100 years and that’s why the races were held at the Nyländska Jaktklubben. This year the classics were in the picture and for the
first time since we started with grouping to fleets, the classics were the same number as the moderns. The regatta was a celebration of two teams. Norway’s Kristian Nergaard won the Scandinavian Gold Cup and World Championship and Finland’s Roope Juhonen, with his ‘new’ boat, won the Classic Cup and the Quail Trophy. The classics fleet included eight Finnish boats. Trial and Ville Harkke sailed to win the Vintage Trophy. Finland sailed the Gold Cup with Lundberg’s team with Jussi Gullichsen’s old Addam4. Jussi had chartered the boat to Henti, Matte and Timo. In the World Championship the boat was sailed by a young team Hemming Hanses, Melker Lundberg, Isak Nordlund and they were eighth. During 2019 our racing was held over the summer, beginning with the Prompt regatta at HSS in Helsinki in June. Figaro FIN 43, Pekka Ervamaa won from Vis-a-vis L 9, Ari Bungers. The next regatta was the Viaporin Mug, at SuPS in Helsinki, in August, for wooden boats. Vis-a-Vis FIN 9, Ari Bungers won from Kisen L 15, Matias Johansson. Finally at the Kruunuvuorenselän Regatta, Helsinki BS, in late August, Scatoulitsa 4 Z 69, Matti Muoniovaara won from Vis-a-vis L 9, Ari Bungers. In 2021 Matti will lead at least five teams to Norway World Championship with a book telling the story of the Scandinavian Gold Cup and the 5.5 Metre. So stay tuned.
Left: Lotten • Above: Scatoulitsa 4 Top: Zorina
april 2020 • fivepointfive • 27
