British Finn sailing on a high...

by Phil Laycock 10 Jan 2003 13:03 GMT

Steeped with tradition, the longest reigning Olympic boat, the class that has launched many of the world’s top sailors and the most physical and technically demanding single-hander in the world!

Photo © Phil Laycock John Greenwood, World Masters Champion, Chris Brittle, World & European Junior Champion, Vernon Stratton Gold Cup Winner 1956, Ben Ainslie, World & European Champion

The UK has a solid record in Finn sailing. In 1960 the man whose idea to have a Gold Cup, Vernon Stratton, was the first Britain to win the Gold Cup, the Finn World Championships. We then had to wait until 1976 when Chris law was the second winer. In 1952 Charles Currey won a silver medal at the first Olympics with the Finn in it.

Richard Hart, Dave Howlett, Stuart Childerley, Mike Mcyntre et others all had their moments at the top level but we had to wait until 2000 when Iain Percy won the Olympic Gold. This served to underline the benefits of the lottery funding and the professional approach that was being adopted by the RYA.

It was also down, in no small way, to the efforts of Dave Howlett who had managed the top sailors and had driven the technical development program that has proved to be so successful. We were truly the best in the world and when Iain stepped down we had a squad of sailors ready to take up the mantle and drive the class forward to Athens in 2004.

2002 was quite a year for the Finns. It was the greatest ever year for a UK Olympic class, some would say for any UK class and it was the year when it all came together.

In 2002 our world dominance was confirmed by the complete and utter dominance of one sailor. After just 6 months in the class Ben Ainslie did something that no other Finn sailor has ever done by winning the World Championships, European Championships, the pre-Olympics in Athens and the National Championships. Quite a year!

Also successful were John Greenwood, who won the World Masters title for the second time, and Chris Brittle who was crowned as both World and European junior champion. The UK currently holds every single major title and has five sailors in the top 20 in the world rankings.

To celebrate these successes a dinner was held at Warsash Sailing Club on November 16th where all the trophies were re-presented and a toast made to all our winners. The BFA members were fortunate enough to be joined by Vernon Stratton and Charles Currey (son of Gordon) who brought with them their respective trophies and medals. It was a fabulous occasion with some historic photos taken of our top Finn sailors old and new.

Many of the top sailors of today have a history in the Finn, so what is all the fuss about and why is this dinghy held in such high regard by so many sailors? Is the Finn just the ‘fat boys laser’ or the most physically and technically demanding single-hander in the world?

The Finn is 4.4 meters long (that’s over fourteen feet to you and me) and weighs 120kg. The Sail area is 10sq meters and the optimum crew weight is about 95/100kgs.

The class has seen significant development in recent years and as one would expect the UK is at the forefront.

Britain leads the way in Hull design with the Devoti Finn sailed by the majority of the worlds best. At the last Olympics the first 25 boats were Devotis and Luca Devoti (co-owner with Tim Tavinor) won the silver medal for Italy. Pata Willets and Lemieiux are the other two big builders but currently there are few of the top sailors who are willing to give them a try as recent developments from the Devoti stable are still giving them the edge.

Masts come from all over the world. In the 80’s the needle spa mast was the one to have, but the new carbon wing masts have dominated since their first showing in 1996. They are not only lighter but better bend characteristics and stiffness makes them considerably quicker. The Swiss Wilkie is favoured by many of the UK squad with the masts made by Pata Willets and the Dutch HIT also very popular. The latini’s made in 1998 were for many years the fastest around and some of these are still going strong as are some of the older BAE masts pioneered by Richard Stenhouse and Iain Percy.

The North UK sail loft remains the first choice for the UK sailors. Their continued development of sails relative to mast bend characteristics and also to the ever improving fitness of the top Finn sailors gives them the edge on performance. Some European cloths such as Victory and SeaEnergy and some of the Southern hemisphere sails seem to work well in light airs but the UK north is consistently at the front of the fleet in all conditions.

The Finn attracts sailors of all ages and all shapes and sizes. In the UK they start as young as 16 with the oldest sailor at the Nationals well into his 60s. If you’re a big man and want to sail a technical boat, which takes abit of handling in a blow, the Finn is the one for you.

The UK has had the top two junior Finn sailors in the world for the past 3 / 4 seasons in first Charlie Cumbley and recently Chris Brittle, both top ranking sailors. This year Ed Greig and Luke Chapman began serious Finn campaigns and have shown themselves to be forces to be reckoned with. The RYA and BFA are always on the look out for big juniors who have out grown lasers and who are ready to join the squad.

The Master’s series, which is for over 40s, is the most competitive in the world. There are regularly well over 100 entries at the world championships and there is no doubt that in countries such as Holland, Germany and France when you’re turned 40 you take up Finn sailing. Britain’s John Greenwood is the current World Masters Champion having regained the title that he originally won in 2000.

The largest British fleets are at Warsash and Hayling Island sailing clubs. HISC has long been the training ground for Olympic hopefuls and the top UK funded sailors. Warsash, with in excess of 12 Finns, has the best home fleet in the UK with regular turnouts at club events in double figures. Their winter series organised by Howard Sellars and Nick Daniels is where they all go to get cold and keep fit during the winter months.

The RYA supports the UK Finn sailing scene in many ways. The top sailors receive funding by way of lottery grants and these are rewards for their performances at international events where top 20 finishes are required. In addition to this there are grants available for non-funded sailors who attend the major championships and also the Eurolymp circuit that includes Spa, Kiel and Heyers. Qualification events are well attended and very competitive as these grants can be quite substantial. There are a core 20 sailors that regularly compete for these places with competition fierce.

This year’s nationals were at Warsash and with 35 entries were the best attended and most competitive for some time. They were dominated by one sailor, Ben Ainslie. Ben demonstrated to everyone why he is the best in the world and set a benchmark for all the attending club sailors, many of whom had their moments and were at least on his heels at the first windward mark. The opportunity to challenge the best in the world is what makes this sport so special. In Finns the majority of those at the top are either fully funded or semi-professional sailors so we also recognise the first Finn sailor with a ‘proper job’. It shows the strength in depth at the front of the squad that this was awarded to Tim Carver who came 8th!

Other winners in 2002 were Phil Laycock at this year’s Inlands that were sailed at Ullswater, John Greenwood the Scottish Champion and Northern champion Kenny Robertson.

The UK Finn sailing is organised by the BFA who have recently re-vamped the website and have a regular e-mailed updates on sailing issues. Further information can be seen at www.finnuk.co.uk.

Rule 42 is quite high profile at the present time and the Finns, along with several other classes, have been accused of abusing this rule. The International Finn Association is well on top of this situation and continually monitors the situation. For several years the Finns have sailed under an amended rule 42 (which allows three pumps to initiate planning etc,) that is more effective for the weight of the boat. In marginal planning it takes 3 pumps to get the boat up on the plane.

For the 2002 season a new rule was adopted in winds over 13 knots that allowed unlimited down-wind pumping. This proved very popular with the sailors and has led to further improvements in down wind speed and technique. The Finn cannot be pumped like a windsurfer and a bad pumper will go slower than one who does not do it at all. Therefore new techniques and levels of fitness continue to push the boundaries at the front of the fleet.

Next year’s big events are in Sweden (Europeans) and Cadiz, Spain (Gold Cup – worlds). The Masters will be held in Berlin and there is of course the pre-Olympics in Athens in August. In 2004 the Gold Cup will be sailed in Rio, Brazil and this is the one that most of the UK fleet is warming up for. Team UK will normally be 10+ strong for the major events and we have formidable records and standards to maintain.

Of course the Olympics at Athens in 2004 is the big one, which is the focus of our top sailors. Ben may be in pole position now but messr’s Simpson, Brittle Mellor and Cumbley may have something to say if he relaxes his grip. Will there be Olympic trials in 2004 or not? It remains to be seen!

The UK is very proud of the achievements in the Finn class and we hope that this success continues long into the future.