Finn celebrates 75th anniversary

The Finn was designed by Swedish canoe designer Rickard Sarby in 1949 for the Helsinki 1952 Olympics, gradually evolving from the wood hull and cotton sails of the early years. The stout singlehander was used for 18 Games, and while its removal after Tokyo 2020 was unpopular for plus-sized competitors, the Class has proven to be far more than only an Olympic boat.

In 2024, the Finn celebrates 75 years of first-class racing for an active membership.

“One of the big decisions (last year) was going to Miami for the Finn Gold Cup in January 2023 and that was very successful,” noted President of the International Finn Association, Rob McMillan. “We can see the growth and enthusiasm of the American fleet and they are now in a very healthy position with lots of enthusiastic sailors.

“I think as an executive committee we’ve put together a great calendar for the years ahead and we continue to attract sailors into the class, and the events have great people loving their Finn sailing, builders are busy, so from my perspective, while I think there is a lot more work to do, we are trending in the right direction.

“For me the most important things are keeping together as a community and building the brand about the prestige of our events. Being the world champion in the Finn is an amazing achievement and needs to remain one of the greatest achievements in sailing. And to do that we need to sustain the level of competition and to do that we need to keep bringing people into the class.

“Whether they are U23, U30, U40, U50 or even legends, we need to bring in people that want to compete, enjoy it, and engage with their fellow Finn sailors, wherever they are and do that in the confidence that when they invest in the Finn it’s a very solid investment. That’s what every member of the executive wants to maintain. The concept of stewardship is very important to all of us.

Already the entry for the 2024 Finn World Masters is approaching 200 boats, the first time this has happened post-COVID.

“Further in the year, we have the Finn Gold Cup in Aarhus, out of the Danish Sailing Centre,” noted McMillan. “I can foresee a very good competition, 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.”