Olympic Sailing - interesting paper

Some years ago, back in the days of Dinghy Mag, I was in Hyeres to cover the SOF - French Olympic Week. One day it blew very hard, with a large and confused sea state. I envisaged a day in the dinghy park watching an AP flag but no - the Finns were already launching and heading out. Old they may be and  their heavy weight is a given. But to call a boat slow is strange unless you are comparing it to something else. Nor is the hull shape that stable - predictable maybe, but having sailed one for a while I don't think I'd say it was a stable platform, which made the sailing skills on display that day in Hyeres (and again at Cadiz) all the more impressive. The boat handling abilities seen at the top of the Finn fleet are superb; I can't think of many others who wouldn't have just made it around the course (because most wouldn't have done so) but they were racing nip and tuck all the way. Funnily enough, I think Ed Wright won that event as well and I'll not forget his gybe, off the top of a large wave coming down the run, then a gybe back again that gave him the inside berth at the bottom mark. To say that the top of the fleet, going all the way back to the 1950s are 'legends' is by no means an exaggeration.

And all this from someone who isn't a great lover of the Finn and who has seen that vested interest power lobby operating at first hand........they are certainly well organised. But then again, the points raised in the letter are well made - if they ditch the Finn and fail to replace it with something else for the larger frames/built individuals, what will there be for them to sail?

D

The Olympics should have a simple popular 'grass roots' boat for men and women (and the Laser does do that, though Aero might be better these days), some boats which emphasise the 'old school' skills like the Finn/Star/470 and a couple of exotic jobbies (49er/Nacra?) ideally one with foils to satisfy those wanting to see the current development of the sport.