Happy New Year from the Finn Class. 2024 is going to be rather special for many reasons, but chiefly because it is the classes 75th anniversary.
The Finn class is buzzing right now and it’s an exciting time to be involved.
75 years ago, in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1949, the first ever Finn hit the water. Three years later Rickard Sarby’s design was used at the first of 18 Olympics Games.
For 69 years the Finn was the greatest ambassador for Olympic sailing and the best of the Olympic classes, producing some of the biggest legends in the sport of sailing. In 2024 the class is celebrating 75 years of first-class racing with a history and a pedigree second to none.
Much is planned for the year ahead, but to start the year, the major events in 2024 take place in Punta Ala, Aarhus and Cannes.
Puntala is an amazing resort, on the beach, great water, wind and waves, and we’re all going to be together. I don’t think you can ask for more. It’s going to be a huge event.
Already the entry for the Finn World Masters is approaching 200 boats, the first time this has happened post-covid. The Notice of Race and entry form can be found on the event website: finnworldmasters.com
Further in the year, there is the Finn Gold Cup in Aarhus, out of the Danish Sailing Centre. Very accessible and very well timed, so we should get many there and the talk in the boat park, even in Australia, is very positive.
Cannes for the Europeans will be huge. Great location, late in the year, Cannes has a great historic connection with the Finn class, running the Cannes Ski yachting event in the 1980s, which was always the first major Finn regatta of the year. It’s going to be an amazing event.
It looks like it’s going to be a really great year.
