2020 has been a challenging year for the Finn class and 2021 does not look any easier.
With the delayed 2020 Olympic Games still walking a knife edge, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the best laid plans.
The Finn class will attempt to re-group, determined to run a huge number of events when they were allowed by local regulations
Front and centre will be the Tokyo Games, scheduled to open on 23 July, and the final Olymic appearance for the class, which first took part in 1952.
With so few events in 2020, Finn competitors for Tokyo will be keen to get some top class competition in the lead up to their final Olympic Games.
If Covid-19 restrictions allow, the class will open its season on 17 April with the European Championship in Hyères, France.
In May the fleet travels to Porto, in Portugal, for the Finn Gold Cup (4 to 12 May) and the final Olympic qualification event ahead of Tokyo, where there is one place for Europe and one for Africa up for grabs.
The Tokyo Olympics will see Britain’s Giles Scott defending the Olympic title he won at Rio 2016.
If he succeeds it will set a record of six gold and one silver from 17 Games for British competitors in the Finn class.
The Finn class is very fortunate to have more than 2,000 active sailors in more than 50 countries across the world, providing an incredibly strong, diverse, and resilient community of like-minded and passionate sailors.
The enduring attraction of the Finn, man against the elements, mastering a powerful boat while overcoming the odds and looking for that perfect wind shift into the finish line.
One thing is for sure, over the coming 12 months, the Finn class will survive and thrive, as it always does.
Reflecting that strength in depth, the Finn World Masters returns to the highly popular location of Medemblik, in The Netherlands, at the end of May where there are already nearly 150 entries.
In June the Finn Silver Cup returns to Tihany in Hungary, while the European Masters also heads there in September.
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