International 2.4m Finnish and Swedish Nationals

The Swedish national championships took strong nerves © 2.4mR Class Association

Winners of the Swedish national championships © 2.4mR Class Association

The Finnish national championships saw very light winds © 2.4mR Class Association

The international 2.4 mR. was designed by a Swede, Peter Norlin and is built in Finland by Charger Composites, so not surprisingly some of the best competition in the world in this class is to be found in Scandinavia; both championships welcomed over thirty competitors including several world champions.

Megan Pascoe came into the Finnish Nationals as favourite having won the two previous ranking events in Wasa and Tampere. The event was hosted by the Nasijarvi Sailing Club near Tampere from 8th-10th of August on a huge lake surrounded by pine forests. One of the highlights of the sailing was the sauna boat anchored at the start line, complete with hot dogs and beer. The wind was very challenging mainly by its absence, but Pascoe held her form to take the championship with ex world champion and local sailor Marko Dahlberg in second.

The circuit then moved on to Falun in Sweden for the Swedish Nationals hosted by Runn Sailing Club on the 22nd - 24th of August on a smaller, but still massive lake. The wind was better, but still light and shifty. One competitor Arne Larssen wrote that "sailing on this type of lake requires very strong nerves.The wind wobbles, comes and goes. When you sail left the wind goes right and turns off, but the experienced are always where the wind is." Stellan Berlin, five times world champion proved this point by winning the event easily, but with only one first place out of nine races. Pascoe won the last race to secure second with Magnus Lidholm third.

Now the class looks forward to Sail For Gold in Weymouth in September, the IFDS World's for the disabled in Athens in October and the Open World's in Florida in November.