APRIL 2004 - Finn

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Once a Finn sailor... One rejuvenated Finn sailor sailing in Rio was Dean Barker, helmsman for Team New Zealand, who last sailed a Finn in 1996 before moving into the America’s Cup boats. Commenting on his performance, Barker said, “It’s certainly a challenge sailing the Finn again and is a bit different from sailing the America’s Cup boats! It can be very frustrating at times because you know you you can do better. I started sailing the Finn again in November last year and sailed a bit with Clifton (Webb) and Peter Fox in New Zealand, but I’m still a bit fresh. But it’s great racing one on one with the other guys here.” Waclaw Szukiel started at the heavily biased pin end and headed left inshore and rounded the first mark just behind Rafael Trujillo-Villar who emerged from the mid left in the lead. The fleet split on the first run with most favouring the inshore side of the course to the right. By the downwind gate, Colla had moved into the lead followed by Trujillo Villar and Szukiel. Szukiel lost heavily on the second beat but the two front runners stayed the same. In the increased breeze, now blowing 10-12 knots, Simpson moved up into a close third around the windward mark followed by Bruno Prada and Anthony Nossiter. When asked about how things had changed over the past eight years Barker said, “Of course the equipment has moved on a bit since I last sailed them, the boats have become more standardised so there is no longer so much of a speed differences any more, and that makes for really good racing. However, downwind technique has changed a lot since I last sailed. It is much more refined now and has improved a lot.” On the future he said, “The New Zealand Olympic selection trials are in Palma and at the Europeans, so I am going home for a while before coming to Europe to try and qualify for Athens this summer. It was all change on the final run to the finish. Simpson found speed and the right side to take the lead and win the race. He was later spot checked by the Jury and found to be missing a required piece of equipment. He was given one penalty point but the race stood. Behind him Kusznierewicz put on a charge to move from 10th at the windward mark to 2nd at the finish. On the run the fleet went mainly left, with Florent leading round the gate followed by Sander Willems. By now the wind was up to 8 to 10 knots and virtually everyone was following the right hand side of the course and Florent maintained his lead to win the race on the following run followed by Willems and Godefroid. The tide was even stronger for race three but the breeze had gone back to a fitful 4 to 6 knots, and in spite of an adverse tidal set on the start line, there were still two general recalls before the race got underway. Waclaw Szukiel made the best of the start to tack away immediately to the right and to round the first mark just behind Willems, Matt Howard and Othmar Mueller Van Blumencron. Waclaw took the lead on the run to lead through the downwind gate. On the final upwind leg, everyone headed inshore out of the tide, but an increase in pressure and backing in direction left those inshore scuppered. Willems regained the lead and led to the finish to score an impressive win. The race was lengthened due to the wind gradually decreasing and the strong tide and made for some very frustrating racing for some. Proceedings were slightly livened up by a bulk carrier deciding to cross the course area. The Chairman of the Jury Ralph Robert tried showing it the yellow flag in an attempt to keep it off the course, but after a 360 degree turn, the captain decided to come through anyway! Winner of race two Guillaume Florent commented, “In the first race there was a bit more breeze and I was sailing fast in the right direction. I went right on the first beat and centre right on the second and it paid both times. Then for some reason I tried something completely different in the second race today, and it didn’t work at all.” Florent had a shocker in race three, finishing 53rd. Ben moves into the lead Race five got underway in a warm north-east 8 to 10 knot breeze. The windward leeward course was set and most sailors started down near the pin end. The majority of the fleet headed towards the left of the course. Sebastian Godefroid and Ainslie moved towards the right, tacked back to the left and two rounded the top mark first and second followed by Rafael Trujillo Villar and Ali Enver Adakan. The leaders split gybes on the first downwind with Ainslie going to the left and Godefroid heading right. The top sailors were in their element now as the wind increased allowing them to show off their great pumping and surfing skills – under the ever watchful eye of the Jury of course. Godefroid rounded the gate in the lead but went wrong up the second beat to let Ainslie through to the lead which he held to the finish. Godefroid eventually finished fourth behind Adakan and Willems. Race six started in 12-15 knots and for the first time in the regatta the traditional Olympic course was used with an upwind finish. After one general recall, the pin end marker was moved and many boats opted to start at the committee boat, Ainslie among them. However shortly after the start the wind shifted back and left those at the starboard end with some catching up to do. The majority of the fleet headed left again and at the top mark it was Florent leading Trujillo Villar. Ainslie was somewhere in the 30s and had a lot of work to do. Large waves and an increased wind facilitated two fantastic reaches, but it was still Florent at the leeward mark ahead of Trujillo and Papathanasiou. The fleet virtually all banged left again on the second beat. Papathanasiou emerged round the top mark in the lead followed Mateusz Takes The Lead After an hour waiting in very sloppy waves and a fitful wind, race four finally started in 7 to 8 knots of breeze from the north east. For the third day in a row the windward leeward loop was sailed. However it took three general recalls and a black flag to get the fleet away. Second overnight Jonas Hoegh-Christensen fell foul of the black flag along with Sebastien Godefroid and Jorge Rodriguez. 8
y Florent and Trujillo. Positions remained the same on the run and the final beat, with Simpson moving up to fourth. Ainslie eventually recovered to 12th place to take the overnight lead. First and second for Brazil The Finn fleet spent more time being towed around than actually racing on day five. The fleet headed out to Guanabara Bay for the scheduled 13.00 start. After a postponement and a wait, the fleet was towed back into the harbour where a pleasant 7 to 8 knot breeze was waiting. The press had also arrived with their cameras and helicopters, so there was quite a commotion within the harbour. At the start most of the favourites favoured the pin end, but Dean Barker and Marin Misura led half of the fleet out of the committee boat end towards the favoured right-hand side. Most of the favourites, including the top three overnight, went to the left of the course before digging back in; but it was too late by then as even the slowest of the boats heading right crossed nearly all those who had gone left, leaving several high ranking sailors with too much to do. Soren Holm rounded the top mark in the lead followed by Nenad Viali and Misura. Ainslie rounded about 14th and headed to the right on the run, where there looked to be more pressure. It worked a treat as he rounded the downwind gate in second place just behind Joao Signorini. Ainslie rounded the top mark in second place just behind Prada and just ahead of Holm and Misura. Prada maintained his lead on the final downwind leg to the finish, with Zarif moving up to second to make it a Brazilian 1, 2. Kusznierewicz finished 14th to give Ainslie an 18 point cushion. Just as the race committee tried to start a second race, the wind died and it was postponed until the final day. Ainslie commented on his plans for the final day, “it will just be a matter of keeping an eye on Mateusz and David, and trying to stay ahead of them.” Mateusz also reflected on the final day, “obviously I will still try and win but it’s not going to be easy.” and now couldn’t be touched for the title. However the race was still very much on for the other medals with 5 to 6 sailors in with a chance. When the fleet finally got away, the majority tacked and headed to the right, although for a while both sides looked good. Then a shift to the right brought those who had gone far right to the front and Rafael Trujillo Villar led round the first mark followed by Gasper Vincec and Karlo Kuret. With the wind picking up to around 12 knots, Rafa held his lead throughout the race. Chris Cook pulled through on the downwind leg and ended up third at the finish just behind Kuret. Richard Clarke, 10 points adrift of a medal going into the day, scored a 5th, which put together with his 6th in the morning catapulted him into the silver medal position. Mateusz Kusznierewicz couldn’t quite find the form he had in the early races and dropped to fourth overall. Third overnight, David Burrows had a scrappy day but two 15th places were just enough to keep him in the bronze medal position, which he was pretty pleased about. Final day – history made Milestones in sailing don’t come along every day, but the final day of the 2004 Finn Gold Cup in Rio de Janeiro, there was a very special milestone. Winning the Finn Gold Cup for the third time in a row, Ben Ainslie (GBR) equalled Jorg Bruder’s record set between 1970 and 72. Ainslie takes up the story. While he admits to being very nervous before the start – especially when waiting onshore earlier in the day for the wind to pick up – as soon as the racing started he settled down. He relates, “It was essential to be at the committee boat at the start and head off right out of the tide. I got a good start and went right right before coming back towards the middle. I was watching for both Mateusz and David and they went too far in and lost the wind a bit. When they came out they were behind me and it was looking good. After that I just played the fleet up the middle, but it was pretty nerve racking at times.” Up at the front Jorge Zarif was battling with Tapio Nirkko, Michael Fellmann and Soren Holm. A large hole in the wind to the right of the course caused quite a few problems for some sailors, but Zarif – Brazil’s 1984 Olympic representative – led the way round. Ainslie rounded the top mark about 14th and managed to climb up to 9th at the finish, but that didn’t matter. He had beaten both his nearest rivals Below: Soren Holm leads race 8. Top: Joao Signorini FINNFARE APRIL 2004 FINNFARE A
Page 1 and 2: APRIL 2004 Finns in Rio • New for
Page 3 and 4: is the official publication of the
Page 5 and 6: FINN NEWS - FINN NEWS - FINN NEWS I
Page 7: Above: Start in Rio Harbour, right:
Page 11 and 12: Name: Balazs Hajdu. Age: My age is
Page 13 and 14: SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2004 1
Page 15 and 16: SUBMISSION FROM IFA FOR THE 2008 OL
Page 17 and 18: GERMANY German Int. Championship 20
Page 19: INTERNATIONAL RACING CALENDAR 2004

APRIL 2004 - Finn

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