Finn nationals

General chat about boats
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PeterV
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Finn nationals

Post by PeterV »

I'm sailing Django, my Fairey Finn, at the Finn Nationals at Thorpe Bay on 22, 23, 24 Sep. It would be good if I wasn't the only classic racing! The BFA has 2 classes for classics, classics sail with a Dacron/alloy rig and 'Classics with carbon' with a modern rig.
PeterV
Finn K197 & GBR564
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chris
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by chris »

Can't join you but good luck! I think the more associations that cater for their heritage the better.
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jpa_wfsc
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by jpa_wfsc »

I would like to - in fact I will try to next year. It will take time to get mine up to a condition I would be happy to sail for a day on the sea, Also, the dates are very difficult (well, the Friday is, as I teach, and you can not get time off in teaching time). Also the BFA membership cost is actually rather high for sailors who might only be able to get to one event.

I will look at summer dates next year - maybe a cvrda meeting with several Finns at it would be a better place for me to plan for.

j./
j./

National 12 "Spider" 2523
Finn K468 'Captain Scarlet'

British Moth, 630, early 60's 'Pisces'

!!!! Not CVRDA !!!!
Comet Trio - something always ready to sail.
Barney
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by Barney »

Hi All,

I very much liked the classic finn nationals being held as a separate event like used to take place at Roadford (these events got me back into the Finn).

No matter how hard we try the classics don't really fit with racing in a modern fleet. The courses and venues the modern fleet quite rightly want to race at, don;t really match those of you average classic sailor. who if they are honest would most likely be sailing somewhere similar to Roadford for the sake of their boat and possibly the helm !!!
Food for thought as it would be great to get back to the higher number of classics we had in past years.
Cheers
Barney
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PeterV
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by PeterV »

I agree, and I'm going to try and encourage both. It does seem that racing the classics with the main Finn fleet seems to encourage upgrading to a new boat, which is good for the class but racing separately is generally more fun for the classics.
I like both, particularly as I enjoy racing on the sea a lot more than inland!
PeterV
Finn K197 & GBR564
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azimuth
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by azimuth »

Maybe we pick one cvrda event next year that we all make an effort to encourage as many Finns as poss to go to - one of the bigger venues or the cvrda Nats?
Keith.

Finn K60 'Sfinnx' Fairey
Zenith 74 'Azimuth' (rescued from the undergrowth 20yrs ago)
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PeterV
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by PeterV »

That's what I was thinking, as I'm the CVRDA fixtures rep and the BFA classic rep I should be able to arrange it!
PeterV
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Nessa
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by Nessa »

I have paid my deposit on the Taylor Finn but can't collect until I'm back from Alassio - 25th if I'm lucky! Hoping to get to Banbury and hoping some of you can show me how to set the boat up.

I think I would find it quite intimidating to sail with the modern boats, but I really like the idea of combining with a cvrda meeting such as Roadford.
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cweed
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by cweed »

Perhaps a Classic Finn Nationals could be incorporated at Bosham?

Also, I miss the Classic Finn website..................... (very useful!)
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PeterV
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by PeterV »

Well I was the only classic, there were many who had never seen a Finn with a Needlespar mast! The conditions were quite benign in Friday and Saturday, in fact on Friday I think I spent more time swimming around the drifting boat than sailing.
We will organise a Classic nationals next year at an inland venue, I'm just making the arrangements to decide which one so I hope to see a lot more classics next year.
PeterV
Finn K197 & GBR564
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jpa_wfsc
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by jpa_wfsc »

I will certainly be keen to do a classic Finn meeting inland or coastal, although there are times in the year that are difficult (teaching timetables are not flexible).
j./

National 12 "Spider" 2523
Finn K468 'Captain Scarlet'

British Moth, 630, early 60's 'Pisces'

!!!! Not CVRDA !!!!
Comet Trio - something always ready to sail.
cweed
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by cweed »

Was wondering, if a Classic Nationals was possible,:

Would there need to be handicapping for classics with wooden mast / alloy / carbon?

Some more modern Finn owners also own 'classics', but by swopping a modern rig onto an old hull there would be an immediate advantage and a disadvantage to the older boats.

I suppose the criteria of when a classic has been iimproved past how it was fitted out originally would also have a marked effect on the boat performance and handling. So would a classic nationals be more of a celebration of a gathering of old boats?

But... a great proposal!
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by Nessa »

Didn't the cvrda combine with a classic Nationals a few years back, at Roadford?
The Peril
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PeterV
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by PeterV »

There's no handicapping at BFA events but awards for classics and 'classics with carbon' which allows those with a modern Finn but no alloy rig to swap their modern rig onto an old hull. We've done all options in the past, had the classic Finn fleet nationals in with CVRDA, held it with the Finn inlands and also, once, held it separately at Falmouth
PeterV
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davidh
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Re: Finn nationals

Post by davidh »

Three summers ago, I covered the Roadford event for Y&Y.com with the output being the following article...

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/1 ... meet-again

I thought then that both fleets were onto something and had the story developed, would have done another feature. As things stand, I have since covered Oxford - THAT day...when the gusts hammered down the lake and the yellow submarine decided it needed a forward hatch in the hull.....

At the time, it looked, or I hoped it did, that both fleets would avoid the worst of the pitfalls that come from being sucked back in to the mainstream. I've seen attempts to do this in other classes, but have yet to see it work properly and in some classes it hasn't worked at all. No one can predict where the future will take things, but I do think that we're now getting enough of an educated viewpoint to suggest that trying to race the real classics together with the state of the art boats is the least preferable option.

Meanwhile, classic moths are a story worthy of following - indeed, I am out with camera and notebook this very morning to follow up on another possible success story.

If I could lose 25 - years and kilos, it is where I would be in a flash!

D
David H
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