Entry open for trio of Brisbane Finn events
by Robert Deaves 1 May 2025 09:01 BST
Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron © International Finn Association
Entry has opened for the main Finn events in 2026. For three weeks in February 2026 the Finn world will descend on the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, in Brisbane, Australia, for three back-to-back major regattas.
Beginning on 7 February, the Australian Nationals will be followed by the Finn Gold Cup, and then finally the Finn World Masters, which concludes on 27 February. Some sailors plan to enjoy it to the full, while others are taking their pick of regattas. Some are sharing a boat between the three events. The die-hards are looking forward to three solid weeks of Finn racing.
It has been a long-held desire to host the Finn World Masters in Australia, and after several failed attempts to gather support, the team from Brisbane, one of the biggest Finn fleets in the world, finally succeeded, combined with the Finn Gold Cup and it has captured the imagination of the class. It will only be the third time that the classes two world championships are held at the same venue, after La Rochelle, France, in 1996 and Weymouth, UK in 2000.
Each event will be slightly different, with the Finn Gold Cup being the competitive highlight sandwiched between two more relaxed events. The Nationals and Masters will be sailed on Waterloo Bay, with an option for the Finn Gold Cup to be sailed outside Green Island if conditions permit.
The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron offers some of the best facilities of any sailing club in Australia has just finishing building work over the past year. The club is really looking forward to the events and very enthusiastic about welcoming the Finn fleet to Brisbane in 2026.
On the back of these events, plus a range of other initiatives, the Australian fleet has grown considerably in recent years thanks to the diligence of its national committee, and around 50 sailors are expected to attend the various events,
An expression of interest survey run by the class this year indicated about 6-7 containers from Europe were being planned, some already fully booked, which, when added to the Australia and New Zealand fleet, with possibly two containers, equates to potentially 140-150 boats across the three fleets.
Details of all the container arrangement can be found here: finnclass.org/event-page/2026-fgc-and-fwm-brisbane/1708-container-update-april-2025.
The attraction of three weeks Finn sailing in Brisbane in Australia, plus the world class hospitality of the Royal Queensland YS is undeniably a great lure, at a time when Europe is in the depths of winter. Many sailors are already planning a longer stay to enjoy more of what Queensland and Australia have to offer.
All three events, entry forms, Notices of Race and more are available on the dedicated event page at the RQYS website here: www.rqys.com.au/international-finn-2026-events.
A further event page with more information is available on the IFA website here: finnclass.org/event-page/2026-fgc-and-fwm-brisbane.