Why
the Finn?
"The Finn has been an International
class since the 1950s and is sailed worldwide. The Finn due to its long lasting
hull and mast is one of the cheapest sailing dinghies to campaign... comparable
to those of a Laser campaign.
The Finn is the only truly athletic single-hander for sailors from 90 to 115
kg. The hiking and sailing techniques require a high level of fitness for
Olympic competition, and the extreme maneuverability of the boat demands agility
as well as strength. At the 2003, Finn Gold Cup Ben Ainslie won the regatta
at a weight of 90kgs while with an identical boat, Rafael Trujillo from Spain
finished second with a weight of 110 kg.
The quality of Finns produced, along with the technical information supplied
by the major builders, sail and mast makers (curves, bends…) now enables sailors
worldwide to charter boats and win medals at World Championships, and the
very best from other classes to quickly become competitive in the Finn. What
differentiate a successful from a less successful Finn sailor are talent and
the amount of training. The great particularity of the Finn is its adjustability.
With the same boat, sailors from various physiques can adjust very simply
the centerboard position or mast rake to adapt the boat to their weight and
height to sail competitively.
At the 2004 Finn Gold Cup, Dean Barker finished 12th after 8 years away from
the Finn. He declared, “Finns are now so even in construction that it does
minimize the difference between sailors and allows me to obtain a good result
without having had to spend months selecting my equipment.”
Due to the constant upgrade and refinements of class rules, the Finn is technically
innovative with its simple but high-tech rig. The class rules have successfully
produced a large number of boats, which are widely acknowledged as having
very uniform speed potential, yet have allowed the class to lead the sport
in the development and use of new materials and construction techniques."
