Seventieth Finn Gold Cup opened in Brisbane
by Robert Deaves 13 Feb 13:00 GMT
12-19 February 2026
Seventieth Finn Gold Cup in Brisbane - The Finn Gold Cup © Robert Deaves /
www.robertdeaves.uk
The 70th Finn Gold Cup, partnered by Porsche Centre Brisbane, was opened Friday evening at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane, Australia. Around 70 sailors from 15 nations are arriving for the class world championship with registration and equipment inspection in full flow.
At the star-studded welcome gala at the club there were many references to the first Finn Gold Cup in Burnham-on-Crouch, in the UK, in 1956, as well as harking back 50 years to the 1976 Finn Gold Cup, also in Brisbane.
The opening was compered by Rob Brown OAM, best known as the trimmer on the 1983 America's Cup winning Australia II.
He began, "I would like to welcome everyone to RQYS, to Brisbane. We recognise the huge effort that is taken you all to get here from all corners of the globe. We are very proud to be host club and recognise the huge effort that went into gaining support to bring these regattas into the Southern Hemisphere."
Curtis Skinner Commodore of the RQYS, "It's a real honour to welcome everyone here. It's been 50 years since RQYS held the last Finn Gold Cup here and we have John Ferguson and Gus Miller here, who competed in that event. This class has an amazing sense of community. We watched Brendan Casey win the Nationals last week and how emotional he was, and I think if there is any reason why you want to come and do these events and support this sport, that is the reason. I think we are going to have some amazing conditions."
Councillor Alex Givney Wynnum said, "The Finn Class represents strength, resilience and skill. It is a demanding boat sailed by determined athletes, and it is fitting that you are competing in a place known for its strong maritime history and deep connection to the water. I wish you fair winds, smart tactics and safe racing. May you challenge yourselves, enjoy the camaraderie and make lasting memories both on and off the water."
IFA President Rob McMillan thanked the huge support from the club, the volunteers and the sponsors. "This trophy was first raced for in 1956. It's been going 70 years. Coincidentally Porsche enjoyed its first world sports car win in 1956. It's a brand that shares many similarities with our community, competition and amongst its enthusiasts, a deep fascination with all things Porsche, or in our case all things Finns, or in some cases all things Finns and Porsches. We are a brand, as is Porsche that creates phenomenal interest. When we go to race for this trophy next week, it's one of the pinnacles in the sport. For many of us it's more important that SailGP or America's Cup and the competition is going to be fun, fair, fast and intense."
David Crosdale from Porsche Centre Brisbane spoke of his happiness of being involved in the events and how the Finn and Porsche brand match each other. He commented on the community and camaraderie of the fleet and compared it to his Porsche customers.
John Ferguson OAM, former Commodore of RQYS, who also competed at the 1976 Finn Gold Cup, then closed the ceremony and officially declared the 2026 Finn Gold Cup open.
The Finn Gold Cup and Finn World Masters have been held together on two previous occasions - La Rochelle, France in 1996 and Weymouth, UK in 2000 - then held concurrently, but over the next two weeks will be held consecutively for the first time.
The practice race is being held on Saturday with the 10 race series running from Sunday through to Thursday.
National title
Last weekend’s Australian National Championship was the first of a trio of Finn Championships happening in Brisbane in February. With 80 boats competing it was the largest national Finn championship in Australia’s history. Split into two groups, five races were completed in light to moderate winds over the three days.
Brendan Casey, from the home club, won four of the five races to win the title over the 2004 Olympic Silver medallist, Rafael Trujillo, who won two races with Ian McKillip in third. Other race wins went to Rob McMillan, Karl Purdie, Anthony Nossiter and Bas de Waal.
It was an excellent showcase of the form of the fleet heading into next week’s Finn Gold Cup, though many other sailors have been arriving from Europe to add significant talent to the fleet.
Full results can be found here.
Beware of Scams!
There are already numerous Facebook SCAMS and FAKE ACCOUNTS trying to sell fake live feeds from Brisbane that are posted by FAKE pages and accounts, many of which are actively followed by many tremendous Finn sailors, both FAKE and REAL. The FINN CLASS is so great that we attract the BIGGEST SCAMS, and no one is better at spotting them than us. But to repeat the often given advice, please only follow official Finn class and RQYS channels as listed below and do not part with any money to watch a live feed or buy FAKE goods unless you like being SCAMMED. All other pages are likely FAKE. Facebook is not interested in taking down these page despite most being regularly reported as FAKE and SCAMS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!