Left: Udo Schütz’s Container thumps out of the Solent through Hurst Narrows at the start of the 1991 Fastnet. Once again this year’s Fastnet Race was oversubscribed within minutes of entry opening – conversely it was the loss of the Fastnet first for the Mumm 36s and then for the whole fleet that killed remaining interest in the Admiral’s Cup after a destructive switch away from handicap racing. Today in northern Europe, at least, as inshore racing in big boats struggles the offshore racing trajectory is heading steeply upwards. Above: when Alex Thomson’s last Hugo Boss was rolled at the start of the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre it was the first real test of the new Imoca build system, with an eggshell-thin carbon hull skin (as little as 0.3mm) supported by a dense array of lateral ribs. Many of these ribs failed in the roll (above), but the boat also suffered a great deal of other structural damage as well. In fact, five of the six new Imocas in the 2015 TJV retired with similar issues – apart from the new Banque Populaire which made it to the finish (to win) at a much reduced pace before immediately being put on a ship back to France. Somehow the designers managed to reinforce this fragile arrangement and there were no structural issues in the subsequent Vendée Globe… very clever and numbingly expensive
SIZE-IST? – Michael Woodhead Somewhere between all of the various equalities World Sailing forgot about the heavyweights and, by a series of bizarre proposals and eccentric voting, dumped the Finn out of the 2024 Olympic Games. The Finn, with its long history and reputation for producing the best of the best, will survive, but what is done in the short term can make it thrive. The Star has prospered, but the Tempest which replaced it and was then in turn replaced by the Star, most certainly did not (the Tempest was far from Ian Proctor’s finest design but even so it probably deserved a better outcome). What the Finn and Star have in common is a large number of
dedicated, enthusiastic sailors. It is the mobilisation of this resource above all others that makes the future potentially bright. The danger is to mourn the passing of Olympic status for too long. As with all rejected parties in a relationship there is an initial high level of sym- pathy and this needs to be cashed in before the faults are recalled. And there have been a few. Expensive custom wing masts,
extreme pumping, weird regatta scoring experiments, take your own boat to the Olympics and expensive everythings! Yet they all helped make a much-loved boat even more desirable… who really likes perfection? The future of the Finn class is now in the hands of the sailors,
no Big Brother to hand down edicts on prescriptive behaviour, where and when to hold major regattas, how the rules must be written, no more qualify the country, then the sailor. No more trying to please, with changes to rules to make the boat attractive to the once every four years five-minute viewer. Others may now take on that mantle and fail, as they have done
in the past and will do so again in the future… until the IOC finally tires of the whole sport, condemning World Sailing to oblivion. The Finn class has many old and venerated trophies but the three
that stand out are the Gold and Silver Cups and the Masters World Championship. From this base the class can redefine itself and move on to great things. The Masters will not, in the short term, be affected. With 300+ boats in their yearly regatta and many well- attended regional events, all is well. But these are sailors who love their class, not just their part of it. They are sailors of power (in every sense) and influence, they can take the lead and ensure that the young sailors/athletes have aims and targets that will develop their skills and ensure that Finn sailors are dominant in every field of the sport in future years. In the Gold and Silver Cups the class has world championships
that are in reality harder to win than Olympic gold. Perhaps a com- petition similar to the Star Sailors League could be developed – many Star sailors are former Finn sailors. With sufficient backing and organisation it would make a good fit. All of which gives a great boost to the market for equipment, which in turn maintains devel- opment and ensures the class continues to thrive. Moving forward is the only option. It is interesting that the latest
Royal Yachting Association magazine makes no mention of a pos- sible reinstatement. The class that gave Team GB five gold medals in the 21st century does not generate a single column inch. So redemption is in the safe hands of the Finnsters; it would be a shame for an old boat that is so modern to go quietly into the night.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
– Will Harris It’s hard to believe that a month has passed since I received my Bénéteau Figaro 3 no20 Hive Energy. When you first open the hatch to a bare and empty boat with no
ropes on it it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the endless job list ahead. One thing is for sure: that after all of our first few weeks of training, still nobody knows the fastest set-up for the boat.
SEAHORSE 13
DEFINITELY NOT SAYING
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