One month until Finn Gold Cup in New Zealand

Josh Junior in action in New Zealand © Robert Deaves

In one month racing will get underway for the 2015 Finn Gold Cup as Takapuna Boating Club on Auckland's north shore plays host to the world's best in the Olympic heavy-weight dinghy class.

Carrying an historical title, the Finn Gold Cup is the regatta which decides the Finn World Champion each year and Takapuna will be the venue for the 2015 edition. Racing gets underway on Tuesday 24 November and runs for six days with the medal race and prize-giving scheduled for Sunday 29 November.

It has been seven years since New Zealand last hosted an Olympic class world championship regatta in sailing and 35 years since the Finn class came to this country for their world champs.

Adding to the anticipation around the forthcoming event is the fact that New Zealand has a 20-strong contingent entered including medal contenders like 25 year old Josh Junior (pictured above), from the Worser Bay Boating Club and 33 year old Andrew Murdoch from the Kerikeri Cruising Club.

Josh Junior won silver at the 2015 Finn European Championships held at Split, Croatia in May and was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2015 Rio Test Event in August this year where he narrowly missed a podium result finishing 4th overall.

All of New Zealand's top Olympic campaigners, known as the NZL Sailing Team, are accustomed to travelling to the northern hemisphere for international racing and Junior is excited about having his main rivals come down under.

"It's going to be awesome," says Junior. "We're going to have more than 80 of the world's best Finns in New Zealand and it's going to be a good world champs."

"It will be good to try and win a medal in my home country – it would be really cool."

Corinne McKenzie is the International Finn Association's Executive Director and she explains the significance of the 2015 Finn Gold Cup.

"With Olympic qualification at stake, the Finn Gold Cup in Takapuna is the event of the year," says McKenzie. "This is the opportunity for four countries to select for the Rio Games!"

"Finn sailors love breeze and waves. Back in 1980, the first and last Finn Gold Cup in New Zealand was raced in winds reaching 30 knots and that's what they expect to find. The event is set to be top class with the world's best sailors and a great organisation."

A three day Pre-Worlds Regatta planned for 17, 18 and 19 November will provide international and local competitors with a tune-up opportunity and the chance for some racing at the venue ahead of the main event.

Event Manager Evelyn Johnson of the Takapuna Boating Club says that things are really starting to ramp up. "We have 86 entries to date and competitors and coaches are already arriving and training off Takapuna Beach. Takapuna will be buzzing."

The schedule:

17 - 19 November 2015 - Pre-Worlds Regatta
21 November 2015 – Finn Gold Cup Opening Ceremony
21 - 23 November 2015 – Finn Gold Cup Registration and measurement
25 – 29 November 2015 – Finn Gold Cup Racing
29 November 2015 – Finn Gold Cup Medal Race and Prize Giving (after racing)

Event website: www.finngoldcup.org/2015

History of the Finn Gold Cup: www.finnclass.org/the-finn/the-finn-gold-cup

More about the 1980 Finn Gold Cup in New Zealand: www.finnclass.org/racing/results-archive/finn-gold-cup/6-racing/archive/67-history-of-the-finn-gold-cup-1980-to-1989