News Around the World
Australian Finn sailor Jake Lilley, seen here competing at the Olympic test event in Rio, had a disappointing experience at the Olympic Regatta itself finishing in 8th place – well below his own expectations (however, that particular Finn contest was only ever going to be about Giles Scott claiming an overdue and widely welcomed gold medal). Lilley has been selected again for Tokyo 2021 which will be a more open contest with Scott on a tight schedule trying to get enough time in the Finn while also completing America’s Cup duties
but one of the eight heats and thus the general classification, ahead of Vendée Globe veteran Jean-Pierre Dick, promoter of the series. Didier Visbecq, president of the SNT, summed up France’s most
popular event: ‘The atmosphere of this 42nd edition was excellent; the sailors were satisfied with the races but also with the village which welcomed a lot of public thanks to the support of the newspaper Ouest-France. The organisation of Spi Ouest is the synergy of a great deal of energy from hundreds of volunteers and officials. The Spi takes over the whole town of La Trinité-sur-Mer, which vibrates completely to the rhythm of this magnificent regatta!’ In 2021 the Spi will take place at Easter. As usual… Patrice Carpentier
AUSTRALIA I was a very late addition to the crew onboard Dee Caffari’s Volvo 65 Turn The Tide on Plastic, competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race back in 2017. Because of this, as we were short-tacking out of the Solent after a complex and crowded start, Lucas Chapman, the crew member opposite me on the grinding pedestal, knew my name but had no real idea who I was. To break the ice after the fifth or sixth tack he voiced, somewhat concerned, as only a 20-something can be for a bloke well into his fifth decade by saying, ‘Er, is your, um, back OK with all this grinding?’ Without actually including the ‘old man…’ in the sentence. After matching his flurry of forearms over the next two tacks I responded with the line, ‘Sure, Lucas. I’m a Finn sailor.’ It is that sort of gravitas that a longstanding relationship with the
Finn carries. All singlehanders have a sweet spot with their owners: the Laser, OK, A-Class, Moth and Waszp, all of these conjured up great nostalgia during lockdown and, having sailed them all, it is the Finn that still retains my loyalty. Other classes are newer, lighter and faster but I think the Finn, being so simple yet so complex, asks such a massive amount of you, reaching deep inside you as a sailor, then rewarding all that you are prepared to offer with glimpses of speed, subtlety and balance you never thought possible the first time you attempted to lift one up. Sure, the boat is brutal, but there is a beauty among the basics and purity among the primitive. No stack of slender padded bags
28 SEAHORSE
full of svelte carbon foils on your trailer; no trapeze or even raised deck sections to help you out with ergo nomics – it is just you and your stamina that are on show; and that show has been very much on display at the massively attended Masters events over the years. Lining up at the start against other Finns with two minutes to go,
there is almost a peloton purity to the fleet; everyone around you is going to visit the hurt-locker at some stage, meaning there are no easy rides here, and so with 20 seconds to go the main is pulled on, you tuck your toes under the fat webbing straps, ease yourself into the hike and settle into the zen and the zone of finding your lane and clearing your head. And thankfully in these complex and challenging times, 15 sailors
were able to do that at the NSW Finn State Championships here in Sydney in October. Olympian Jake Lilley had flown down from Queens- land, and so first had to self-isolate coming into New South Wales. Having done that, he was competing against two outstanding characters, his coach Rafa Trujillo and another solid unit and freshly appointed Nacra coach, Anthony Nossiter. For those who don’t know Rafa, he is deeply passionate about
the Finn. A silver medallist at the Athens Olympics he has an out- standing grasp of technology and technique, making him a prize addition to the Australian coaching team – and when he runs a debrief, as I witnessed after he raced on the TP52 Envy Scooters at Airlie Beach Race Week this year, I observed all the crew leaning in close to catch every detail, which Rafa had processed and pack- aged for them into concise and digestible wisdom. Rafa is also unashamedly Latin, and when he gets passionate
about explaining something – which is often – his hands become somewhat mobile. In fact, I have seen a maestro at the Met conduct Shostakovich 5 and move his arms less. But that is Rafa and there is huge respect both on and off the water for the Sydney-based El Toro. Day one of the Finn championships on Sydney Harbour saw a NNE
breeze and strong outgoing tide, keeping everyone sharp, and, as always, if you have worked hard on your downwind technique, serious gains are achievable and that made the difference. With Rafa racing in the fleet and committed to making life particularly hard for Lilley and Nossiter, it was left to Iain Murray in a coach boat to deliver the
PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY
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