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Waiuku Yacht Club celebrates 40th Anniversary of the NZ Finn Masters

by David Hoogenboom 16 May 01:23 BST 16 May 2024
Day 1 start - 2024 Finn Masters - Waiuku Yacht Club - May 10-12, 2024 © Jes Batten

The 40th NZ Finn Masters was held at Waiuku Yacht Club over the weekend 10-12 May 2024. The inaugural regatta was held in 1985 with Freerk Kempkers from Christchurch winning the first three years.

The weekends event attracted 18 sailors sailing in a range of conditions over the three days which was ultimately won by Mark Perrow.

Day 1 brought 20-25 Knot Southerlies which made for some testing conditions with the final bottom mark gybe the undoing for a couple of sailors. Four races sailed had some very tired sailors recovering on the deck after racing with cold drinks and hot food. Wins were shared between Mark Perrow and Ray Hall leaving them on equal points after Day 1.

Day 2 saw SW 8-10 knot champagne sailing with the free-pumping flag coming out for the 3rd and 4th races. After boat issues on Day 1 Oscar Paulich showed some real form with a 2nd, 3rd and 4th on Day 2. Ray held a slender lead at the end of Day 2 with two wins against Mark's 1.

With only one race scheduled for Day 3 and with Ray unable to sail it was a tense wait for wind with a 4-6 knot Nor-Wester finally obliging to allow Mark to win the final race and take the series.

Although no longer an Olympic class the Finn continues to attract good fleet numbers with 19 boats at the Nationals in Lyttleton recently. Dunedin held it’s first Finn regatta for many years with a fleet building in the city to continue the strength of the South Island Fleets.

The Finn World Masters and Finn Gold Cup are scheduled for Brisbane in Jan-Feb 2026 with many NZ sailors intending to sail. The next 18 months will be a very busy time for Finn sailing in New Zealand with these regattas a goal for many.

Overall Results:

  • Masters (40-49) Mark Perrow
  • Grand Masters (50-59) Ray Hall
  • Great Grand Masters (60-69)David Hoogenboom
  • Legends (70+) Gerrit Bearda
  • Apprentice Masters (Under 40) Sean Cleary

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9Pts
1stNZL4Mark PerrowWaiuku YC231112‑54115
2ndNZL2Ray HallPlimmerton BC11237121(DNC)18
3rdNZL11Sean ClearyWakatere BC823‑108416537
4thNZL60Gordon SimsWakatere BC366‑114788244
5thNZL8David HoogenboomWaiuku YC‑95472667845
6thNZL12Dan BushWakatere BC445659‑1031046
7thNZL17Russell WoodWakatere BC6107498312(DNC)59
8thNZL16Tom DodsonRNZYS799(DNF)310145360
9thNZL14Mark GriseWakatere BC10713210511‑14462
10thNZL999Joe SpoonerWakatere BC5885161179(DNC)69
11thNZL94Tony BierreWakatere BC111210912129‑131186
12thNZL1Oscar PaulichWakatere BC(DNF)DNCDNCDNC15342DNC100
13thNZL230Justin HurstWaiuku YC14151112‑1814151012103
14thNZL10Scott BeavisWakatere BC121112814161615(DNC)104
15thNZL54Gary MorseWaiuku YC1313(DNF)DNC131317116105
16thNZL193Gerrit BeardaWaiuku YC1514(DNF)DNC171713187120
17thNZL22Dirch AndersonWaiuku YC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC61818169124
18thNZL244Geoff LetcherWaiuku YC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC1115121713125

NZ Finn Association Website www.finnclass.org.nz NZ Finn Association Facebook Page www.facebook.com/NZFinnAssociation

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