Olympic Sailing - interesting paper

Originally posted by GarethT Sailing on TV is only ever as good as the commentator, especially if you're trying to appeal to the non-sailor.

Check out the on board coverage of the 2018 European Finn medal race :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evQsyUj9osQ&feature=youtu.be


Its an amazing advert for the Finn - I'm not sure that many other classes could have got around the course that day

Originally posted by JimC Thing is its not that hard to make a boat that will get round a course in any weather: you just make it big, heavy, clunky, stable and slow with small sails. Slow is the most important bit, in high winds speed gets you in trouble faster than human reactions can get you out.

The Olympics produce legends who inspire generations to aspire to the highest pinnacle. The Finn, Star, Flying Dutchman, Laser, 470 etc have produced stories that have motivated lesser humans to reach for the stars. To lose, possibly the most influential single handed dinghy, with it's long distinguished tapestry, to the media frenzy of crash and burn sailing, just to appease a wider audience who, quite frankly do not give a damn, would be a travesty. I sail a National Solo but have always seen the Finn as the absolute definitive of what single handed racing is all about. There are heroes in all classes but the Finn has Giants.

Well, well... the most successful class lobbying system ever in the history of our sport gets ready to wind itself up into a hand-shaking, lunch-date-making, back-scratching and vote winning frenzy once again. Surprised? not really. A brilliant, experienced and well-known Finn sailor questions the 'future of our sport' if it ...wait for it... has the outrageous temerity to drop the Finn from the Olympic side-show that is the once every 4 years naff 'advert' for our sport and great advert for the power of mega-bucks campaign funding versus no-bucks.

Why not be happy with great racing, unbelievably high standards of boat prep and training and a great history and what will be will be when it comes to the side-show? There are so few boats for the larger dinghy sailor I doubt the Finn would die off. I guess the only concern will be from the weekend warriors that the ready supply of barely used and mega-bucks kit filtering down may dry up?