APRIL 2004 - Finn

Name: Balazs Hajdu.
Age: My age is 28 years.
What is your home town?: My hometown is Budapest, Hungary.
When did you start sailing?: I started sailing at the age of five with
my mother sailing with me in an Optimist.
Summary of sailing career: 5 years Optimist, 4 years Laser, the
1998 Junior Europeans in Star, 10 year now in the Finn.
Why did you take up sailing?: My parents were both regatta sailors
back in the 60s and 70s with my father winning 3 national titles in
single-handed classes and my mother spending 15 years competing
in the Pirate class. So, there was a natural tendency in the family to
spend most of our time close to Lake Balaton, the main sailing venue
in the country.
What was your first boat?: It was a 60+ kilos heavy Optimist.
What was your favourite boat and why?: My first Finn which I
bought from Hans Spitzauer. We agreed on the deal sailing back
downwind to the club from one of the races in Anzio in 1995.
What class did you first race in?: My first race class was the Optimist
and my first regatta the Szobi Szorp Cup sponsored by a fruit juice
producing company. The regatta and the free drinks were so popular
that the average size of the fleet racing the regatta used to be 160+
boats each year.
How much time do you spend on the water each week?: After the
Sydney Olympics I graduated and started to work as a lawyer. As a
consequence of that my sailing efforts were restricted to maybe 4-5
local weekend regattas per year. I started my campaign for Athens
2004 early January this year with a 7 week training camp and racing
in Rio. I plan to sail at least 15 hours a week training up until the
Games.
Who are your sailing heroes and why?: I do not really have sailing
heroes. There are many people I have learnt a lot from, but I believe
that everybody has to find his/her own way to become as good a
sailor as possible.
Why did you take up the Finn?: As an 18 year old I got fed up with
the cold when sailing the Laser wearing swimming shorts (only) in
late October regattas. Apart from allowing for some more clothing to
put on, I very much liked the complexity of the Finn. Without the Finn
I could not have been racing in any Olympic dinghy class. As a
teenager I did not want to sail Stars against my father's generation.
How long have you sailed the Finn?: It has been 10 years now of
which 4 were quite intense.
What is your favourite venue?: My favourite venue is of course
Lake Balaton. The lake teaches you a lot about balancing conservative
tactics with extreme sailing to corners when needed.
What is your least favourite venue?: Anywhere where the air is
warmer than the water.
When was your first major win?: My first ‘major’ win was the youth
national championship title won as a 16 year old sailing against 19
year olds in the Laser in 1991.
What is your best ever result?: It is difficult to match results in
different regattas. It was maybe my 15th place in the Sydney Olympics
(scoring a 3rd an a 5th on the same day). The last time when a
Hungarian sailor finished better than 15th in the Olympics reaches
back to the 1980 Moscow Games.
What are your strengths in sailing?: The love for the sport.
What are your weaknesses in sailing?: There must be quite a few,
SAILOR PROFILE
RULE CHANGES
as I have never really managed to get into the top 20 in the world for
a long period of time. I’d really like to change this.
What result gave you the most satisfaction?: When I won a bronze
medal at one of the Optimist regattas I first attended.
What is the single most important piece of sailing advice you
could give to a young sailor?: Train with as much intensity and
determination as when racing and have fun during that.
What is the Finn classes greatest asset?: The sailors (young and
master) and the superb boat.
What are its disadvantages? Hard to learn and follow the technological
side without professional coach support.
Are there any changes you like see happen to the Olympic classes
sailing circuit?: To have less on-water judging.
What class would you like to move into after the Finn?: I would
move to the Star
Do you think the spread of Olympic classes should be changed
and how?: I think the current situation represents the world of sailing
quite well, except for the fact that there is no keelboat with spinnaker
in the Olympics while the vast majority of sailors sail in such classes.
What's the funniest thing you've ever witnessed at a regatta?:
At an around Lake Balaton single-handed yachting event I saw a boat
returning after a few hours sailing to the starting line with its helmsman
sleeping calmly at the rudder.
Other hobbies and interests?: Non-sailing travelling with Edina, my
girlfriend having a chance to see other things than marinas and water
only. I love spending my time with friends and reading.
What job would you be doing if you were not sailing?: After the
Sydney Games I graduated and work currently as a lawyer at
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. (My colleagues start to hate me
coming back to work sunburnt a week or two subsequent to a few
weeks of sailing. The situation after Rio has even worsened.)
Where would you like to see the Gold Cup sailed in the future?:
I would love to race a Gold Cup at Lake Balaton or alternatively in
the Carribics (Mustique would be a fine place).
The following amendments to the Class Rules have been approved
to be effective 1st March 2004.
Delete Rule 5.7, sub-Rules and remarks
And Replace by
5.7 In alteration to RRS 42:
5.7.1 Flag [Q] displayed at the start or near a mark, indicates that:
FINNFARE APRIL 2004
“After starting or rounding the nearby mark, RRS 42 is varied in that
except on a beat to windward, pumping, rocking and ooching are
permitted".
5.7.2 Flag [R] displayed near a mark indicates that: “After rounding
the nearby mark, RRS 42 applies without variation.”
5.7.3 The Finn Class recommends that Race Officers apply Rule 5.7.1
in winds of 12 knots and above, measured at deck level.
FINNFARE A