Finn Gold Cup - Ben Ainslie secures sixth title + Video

by Robert Deaves on 19 May 2012 The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK concluded today, Friday 18th May 2012. It has been a week of extremes and the final day was no different. Though a medal race was attempted, it was soon abandoned and an hour later racing was completely abandoned for the day as the wind disappeared. This left Ben Ainslie (GBR) as Finn World Champion for the sixth time. Ed Wright (GBR) took the silver while Jonas Hogh-Christesen (DEN) took the bronze.

The forecast for the day was never very encouraging but racing did look possible. After a short postponement, the medal race was started in 6-8 knots. However within five minutes it became clear that things were going wrong as the wind switched off on the left, leading to the race officer Peter Reggio pulling the plug. He waited another hour or so, but then sent the fleet in as the wind had all but gone and showed no sign of putting in a late appearance.

As far as Olympic selection goes Poland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Turkey and China join he 18 nations that qualified in Perth and Great Britain as host. Many also have to satisfy national requirements so the final line up is not definite.

Ben Ainslie (GBR) was presented with the Finn Gold Cup for a record sixth time. He previously won the Finn crown in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. 'Winning this year is the most special [of all six titles] for me personally because it's where I grew up and learnt to sail and I have so much history here. And with the Olympics just around the corner it's a great time to go out and win a world championship.'

Is it his last Finn Gold Cup? 'That's a good question. There's a chance it could be. I have had 10 fantastic years in the Finn and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going at this level, but I haven't made any decisions yet on any future Finn racing. I will see how things go this summer and what else happens and make a decision then. But I would miss the Finn if I gave it up. It's a fantastic boat. It's a great fleet, great sailors, and great camaraderie. And I think it's a real true test of sailing, ability and fitness.'

Silver medalist Ed Wright (GBR) said, 'It was a great week out there. I really had a lot of fun. The sailing was exceptional yesterday it was amazing; an epic day. And I really really enjoyed it. I am happy to come away with the silver but maybe a tad disappointed I didn't win but Ben has had a great week and is sailing really consistently – first, first, first, first, first … that's hard to beat really, just great great sailing from him.'

Bronze medalist Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) said, ' I think I had a decent, good week. I sailed parts of pretty much all the races quite well but I did make a lot of mistakes. I averaged about eighth so I am quite surprised to end up with the bronze. But my consistency gave me the extra to be ahead of the other guys. Ben and I were actually quite close together in most of the races but then I would make a mistake and he would go and win the race. That's pretty much how it happened all week. He sailed an almost flawless regatta; it's impressive.'

Fourth placed Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) said, 'For me it was a pretty tough week and difficult from day one. I had a messy start and I was hoping to play it a bit better later but every day I had one good and one bad result so it wasn't the best week for me. But in the end a lot of guys made mistakes and I ended up fourth which is not too bad but you can see that Ben is sailing very consistently and he is keeping the game simple, fast and doesn't make any mistakes, which is normal when you have such good speed, so I would be surprised if anything else happened regarding his performance. Truly an impeccable week from him and a good job from him, but hopefully for us he is going to make some mistakes in the future.'

Fifth overall Tapio Nirkko (FIN) said, 'It was a tricky week, but beautiful sailing condition. Yesterday was a really extreme day. With the waves, it was so much fun. During the downwind Zach and I were laughing and screaming. So I think everybody enjoyed it very much and it was great sailing. I managed to keep quite consistent tactics and was sailing quite consistently this week, which was one of my goals for this event and managed to avoid all the disaster races which is my weak point. I could finally sail on my level all regatta and I am really happy with my results here. Of course the medal was still available today, but maybe that's something for the Games. Ben was amazing. A good week for him, but perhaps a little bit unbelievable how he managed to put that kinds of series together in those conditions. But I still think he can be beaten at the end of July so we'll see what happens.'

Sixth placed Piotr Kula (POL) both qualified his country and himself for the Olympics this week. 'This was the perfect week for me, but it was a really hard week. Last year I had an issue with my knee. That's why I didn't go to Perth, and actually it hurt badly this week so I was glad there was no racing on Wednesday. But the racing was tough, all the guys did their best, it's Olympic year and there are no excuses. I am happy because Rafal, my colleague from the team, was a hard and tough opponent. I am very happy to be going to the Olympics. I will do my best, but everyone will be fighting hard though. We are all friends on shore but on the water we fight hard. I am really excited. All my family believed I could do it, and they are also very happy.'

Seventh placed Mark Andrews (GBR) said, 'This week was pretty good for me good to be in the top ten. I haven’t been in the top ten since 2010 so it's great to get into the medal race. I didn't particularly start the week very well, but made a really good comeback as the week went on. It's good to get seventh, but a shame not to race today. Ben sailed a brilliant week, though he wasn't the fastest out there he was definitely the cleverest. It's good for him on the build up to the games and a good confidence builder going into it.'

Eighth placed Andrew Mills (GBR) said, 'The week went well for me at the start but I had a bit of shocker yesterday with some settings and things and I had no speed all day, which was the complete opposite to the first few days. I struggled as a result of that. I am a bit disappointed with the final result but it was a good call from Luigi not to sail today. Ben was going very well though it was annoying on some of the windy days not be set up a bit better and given him a run for his money. But he's sailing very well, fast and confident.'

Ninth placed Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) also met his national criteria for the Olympics this week, 'It was a great week racing here in Falmouth. We did nine races but no medal race but it was a great week in a variety of conditions. For me the week was all right. I didn't have the feeling I could have, so I could do better. I qualified myself for the games this week so that is a relief. I had to meet the quota and its strict for us and only the absolute best will do. Ben did an amazing job and is in a different class to the rest of us. He sits in his boat, sails it really fast, looks comfortable, puts a lot of energy into it and makes the right decisions. Ed in second, without too much sailing this year also did a great job and Jonas in third is progressing and it will be exciting for the Olympics.'

Tenth placed Zach Railey (USA) said, 'My performance for the week was very up and down. I never really put myself in a position to be successful on the race course. I was always digging myself out of holes. I was always deep at the first weather mark and never really got into a rhythm this week. But I trying really hard and always trying to get the best results I could. I just sneaked into the top ten, so it was a little bit of a success this week after the way it started when it didn’t look like I would be anywhere near the top ten. Overall I am disappointed, but our minds are focussed on the Olympic Games in two months and for me that's all that matters for me this year. Ben sailed fantastic. When someone goes out and sails like he did you have to compliment them. He did absolutely fantastic. He's always very hard to beat, we know he will be hard to beat, but you always look forward to the challenge. But this week he was very impressive.'

J.P.Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup

Falmouth, Cornwall, UK

 

Final Results as of 2pm on May 18th 2012

Overall

Rank	BowNumber	SailNo	Helmname	Junior	R1 final	R2 final	R3 final	R4 final	R5 final	R6 final	R7 final	R8 final	R9 final	Total	Nett
1st	29	GBR 3	AINSLIE Ben		1.0	(3.0)	1.0	3.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	13.0	10.0
2nd	01	GBR 11	WRIGHT Edward		2.0	1.0	5.0	7.0	5.0	4.0	2.0	(14.0)	4.0	44.0	30.0
3rd	17	DEN 2	HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN Jonas		14.0	9.0	4.0	6.0	2.0	8.0	4.0	(18.0)	17.0	82.0	64.0
4th	02	CRO 524	KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan		(26.0)	16.0	3.0	12.0	3.0	20.0	13.0	3.0	2.0	98.0	72.0
5th	24	FIN 218	NIRKKO Tapio		6.0	(22.0)	9.0	8.0	16.0	2.0	5.0	17.0	9.0	94.0	72.0
6th	106	POL 17	KULA Piotr		9.0	10.0	8.0	15.0	12.0	5.0	9.0	12.0	(18.0)	98.0	80.0
7th	27	GBR 88	ANDREWS Mark		(33.0)	23.0	12.0	10.0	7.0	6.0	7.0	5.0	11.0	114.0	81.0
8th	14	GBR 85	MILLS Andrew		4.0	8.0	2.0	11.0	19.0	3.0	(30.0)	20.0	15.0	112.0	82.0
9th	03	NED 842	POSTMA PieterJan		22.0	14.0	11.0	4.0	(95.0 DSQ)	14.0	6.0	6.0	8.0	180.0	85.0
10th	09	USA 4	RAILEY Zach		15.0	15.0	10.0	(32.0)	8.0	13.0	18.0	11.0	3.0	125.0	93.0
11th	07	EST 2	KARPAK Deniss		5.0	5.0	20.0	26.0	4.0	7.0	(95.0 OCS)	15.0	13.0	190.0	95.0
12th	12	SWE 11	BIRGMARK Daniel		(24.0)	17.0	17.0	14.0	10.0	19.0	3.0	10.0	10.0	124.0	100.0
13th	53	AUS 1	CASEY Brendan		13.0	25.0	7.0	9.0	17.0	18.0	8.0	4.0	(95.0 DNC)	196.0	101.0
14th	32	CAN 5	DOUGLAS Greg		(34.0)	7.0	15.0	13.0	22.0	26.0	15.0	2.0	7.0	141.0	107.0
15th	10	FRA 112	LOBERT Jonathan		25.0	2.0	6.0	2.0	15.0	(27.0)	25.0	25.0	12.0	139.0	112.0
16th	81	NZL 1	SLATER Dan		12.0	24.0	13.0	27.0	9.0	(32.0)	10.0	7.0	14.0	148.0	116.0
17th	21	RUS 9	SKORNYAKOV Eduard		20.0	(42.0)	24.0	19.0	11.0	10.0	17.0	13.0	5.0	161.0	119.0
18th	05	ESP 100	TRUJILLO Rafael		31.0	(39.0)	14.0	5.0	6.0	15.0	12.0	24.0	30.0	176.0	137.0
19th	33	POL 7	SZUKIEL Rafal		3.0	20.0	22.0	16.0	27.0	22.0	(41.0)	28.0	22.0	201.0	160.0
20th	101	GER 151	MILLER Matthias		23.0	13.0	30.0	(54.0)	20.0	11.0	23.0	27.0	16.0	217.0	163.0
21st	30	UKR 1	BORYSOV Oleksiy		30.0	4.0	26.0	18.0	18.0	29.0	(32.0)	21.0	19.0	197.0	165.0
22nd	45	NZL 8	COUTTS Matt		(45.0)	35.0	36.0	22.0	32.0	25.0	11.0	9.0	6.0	221.0	176.0
23rd	26	AUT 3	RAUDASCHL Florian		29.0	11.0	21.0	(35.0)	33.0	28.0	16.0	16.0	28.0	217.0	182.0
24th	20	CZE 1	MAIER Michael		10.0	(37.0)	31.0	30.0	21.0	24.0	19.0	30.0	27.0	229.0	192.0
25th	87	CAN 41	COOK Christopher		8.0	12.0	16.0	1.0	13.0	12.0	40.0	(95.0 DNS)	95.0 DNC	292.0	197.0
26th	18	SWE 6	ALLANSSON Bjorn		(64.0)	26.0	19.0	42.0	28.0	31.0	21.0	8.0	26.0	265.0	201.0
27th	23	USA 619	PAINE Caleb		37.0	27.0	27.0	20.0	(95.0 DSQ)	16.0	20.0	36.0	20.0	298.0	203.0
28th	34	NED 83	HAGOORT Timo		35.0	21.0	28.0	25.0	31.0	(40.0)	14.0	22.0	35.0	251.0	211.0
29th	40	TUR 21	KAYNAR Alican		32.0	30.0	25.0	(64.0)	40.0	9.0	26.0	32.0	29.0	287.0	223.0
30th	90	CHN 1226	GONG Lei		21.0	31.0	33.0	38.0	26.0	17.0	28.0	(48.0)	33.0	275.0	227.0
31st	37	CZE 85	VIKA Tomas		17.0	19.0	39.0	(44.0)	25.0	35.0	34.0	38.0	21.0	272.0	228.0
32nd	47	NED 841	VAN EGMOND Hein		11.0	41.0	(42.0)	17.0	34.0	33.0	29.0	40.0	32.0	279.0	237.0
33rd	42	UKR 5	GUSENKO Andrii		43.0	18.0	40.0	21.0	30.0	36.0	(47.0)	26.0	24.0	285.0	238.0
34th	41	BRA109	ZARIF Jorge	J	50.0	6.0	35.0	31.0	35.0	23.0	(95.0 OCS)	34.0	25.0	334.0	239.0
35th	57	CRO 11	OLUJIC Josip		36.0	(55.0)	34.0	23.0	39.0	21.0	36.0	19.0	36.0	299.0	244.0
36th	86	CAN 110	ROBITAILLE Martin	J	18.0	33.0	29.0	45.0	24.0	(95.0 DSQ)	31.0	23.0	44.0	342.0	247.0
37th	103	NOR 1	PEDERSEN Anders	J	44.0	46.0	18.0	(55.0)	20.0 RDG	34.3 RDGa	24.0	33.0	34.0	308.3	253.3
38th	58	CRO 671	BILIC Tudor		(48.0)	47.0	38.0	36.0	14.0	37.0	27.0	35.0	35.3 RDGa	317.3	269.3
39th	39	RUS 1	SELIVANOV Alexey		7.0	34.0	52.0	48.0	(95.0 DSQ)	30.0	22.0	53.0	39.0	380.0	285.0
40th	59	CYP 19	PAPADOPOULOS Haris		47.0	44.0	48.0	33.0	(50.0)	38.0	39.0	37.0	23.0	359.0	309.0
41st	117	POL 8	LESINSKI Lukasz		61.0	52.0	(70.0)	40.0	29.0	45.0	33.0	31.0	38.0	399.0	329.0
42nd	38	RUS 57	TERPIGOREV Egor		(95.0 BFD)	60.0	32.0	28.0	48.0	44.0	53.0	39.0	31.0	430.0	335.0
43rd	78	IND 11	JOHAL Nachhatar		38.0	38.0	(62.0)	52.0	43.0	29.0 RDG	48.0	45.0	43.0	398.0	336.0
44th	48	HUN 6	PAL Gaszton		39.0	29.0	43.0	46.0	47.0	34.0	49.0	51.0	(95.0 DNC)	433.0	338.0
45th	62	GBR 18	HADDEN James	J	(70.0)	36.0	47.0	41.0	49.0	60.0	37.0	42.0	37.0	419.0	349.0
46th	67	GBR 29	MCCOY Peter	J	42.0	59.0	37.0	47.0	42.0	47.0	43.0	43.0	(95.0 DNF)	455.0	360.0
47th	113	SWE 89	AXELSSON Andreas		41.0	63.0	60.0	37.0	41.0	41.0	42.0	47.0	(95.0 DNC)	467.0	372.0
48th	79	IRL 4	HAMILTON Ross		(73.0)	40.0	45.0	58.0	38.0	46.0	50.0	56.0	46.0	452.0	379.0
49th	77	HUN 8	BELICZAY Marton		54.0	51.0	(64.0)	29.0	57.0	43.0	45.0	61.0	41.0	445.0	381.0
50th	119	CAN 902	WILTON Brendan		46.0	32.0	55.0	39.0	(95.0 BFD)	48.0	38.0	29.0	95.0 DNF	477.0	382.0
51st	92	DEN 46	ANDRESEN Kaspar		(66.0)	66.0	41.0	62.0	51.0	51.0	35.0	46.0	42.0	460.0	394.0
52nd	65	GBR 23	BRIDDON Harry	J	49.0	53.0	57.0	56.0	36.0	(95.0 DNC)	57.0	50.0	47.0	500.0	405.0
53rd	46	AUS 261	TWEDDELL Oliver		16.0	43.0	23.0	24.0	61.0	61.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	513.0	418.0
54th	110	TUR 35	KUYUMCU Efe		53.0	78.0	50.0	59.0	37.0	42.0	56.0	44.0	(95.0 DSQ)	514.0	419.0
55th	56	CHN 43	ZHEN Li		40.0	45.0	44.0	71.0	62.0	53.0	58.0	52.0	(95.0 DNC)	520.0	425.0
56th	105	POL 13	JODLOWSKI Michal	J	67.0	65.0	54.0	(84.0)	55.0	54.0	44.0	41.0	48.0	512.0	428.0
57th	120	NED 58	MOHREN Thomas		(84.0)	67.0	63.0	34.0	45.0	56.0	60.0	55.0	50.0	514.0	430.0
58th	100	FRA 89	MONTAGUT Benjamin		59.0	54.0	61.0	51.0	59.0	(62.0)	59.0	49.0	40.0	494.0	432.0
59th	82	NZL 9	COUTTS Rob		57.0	58.0	(72.0)	60.0	52.0	50.0	52.0	59.0	45.0	505.0	433.0
60th	55	CAN 7	NICHOLSON Adam		60.0	48.0	58.0	50.0	54.0	57.0	76.0	57.0	(95.0 DNC)	555.0	460.0
61st	109	SUI 84	HOFER Silvan		55.0	74.0	56.0	75.0	44.0	52.0	54.0	(95.0 DNF)	53.0	558.0	463.0
62nd	111	USA 21	LAMPHERE Gordon		69.0	56.0	67.0	68.0	53.0	58.0	51.0	(95.0 DNF)	54.0	571.0	476.0
63rd	61	FRA 99	ALLAIN DES BEAUVAIS Marc		75.0	69.0	69.0	(82.0)	58.0	55.0	63.0	54.0	51.0	576.0	494.0
64th	63	GBR 2	BURRELL Allen		51.0	50.0	49.0	80.0	63.0	49.0	64.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	596.0	501.0
65th	88	CAN 9	HEMMING Rob		58.0	62.0	53.0	67.0	64.0	(95.0 DNC)	46.0	67.0	95.0 DNC	607.0	512.0
66th	54	BUL 77	NEDYALKOV Valentin		56.0	75.0	74.0	(79.0)	72.0	71.0	66.0	64.0	55.0	612.0	533.0
67th	80	LTU 7	RYMONIS Tauras		85.0	77.0	71.0	43.0	46.0	59.0	62.0	(95.0 DNS)	95.0 DNC	633.0	538.0
68th	112	USA 53	LEIBOWITZ Ben		72.0	72.0	80.0	(87.0)	67.0	70.0	67.0	60.0	52.0	627.0	540.0
69th	93	FRA 61	MINOS Mikael		65.0	68.0	83.0	77.0	65.0	66.0	55.0	65.0	(95.0 DNC)	639.0	544.0
70th	85	BUL 855	VANGELOV Dimitar	J	19.0	64.0	65.0	73.0	66.0	(95.0 DNC)	68.0	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	640.0	545.0
71st	52	AUS 8	SERET Dirk		76.0	61.0	(86.0)	85.0	75.0	69.0	70.0	62.0	49.0	633.0	547.0
72nd	60	CZE 11	DEUTSCHER Patrik	J	63.0	57.0	85.0	(95.0 DNF)	68.0	68.0	72.0	58.0	95.0 DNC	661.0	566.0
73rd	75	GBR 7	COOPER George		86.0	82.0	66.0	49.0	56.0	64.0	69.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	662.0	567.0
74th	50	TUR 7	MUSLUBAS Akif		27.0	28.0	51.0	83.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	664.0	569.0
75th	108	SUI 63	GAUTSCHI Thomas		62.0	71.0	68.0	70.0	73.0	63.0	79.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	676.0	581.0
76th	73	GBR 665	SMITH Julian		79.0	85.0	73.0	61.0	60.0	65.0	65.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	678.0	583.0
77th	104	GBR 635	PERCIVAL Simon		71.0	79.0	78.0	63.0	71.0	67.0	71.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	690.0	595.0
78th	51	AUS 2	MCMILLAN Rob		28.0	49.0	46.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	693.0	598.0
79th	91	DEN 210	NIELSEN Henrik Elmer		77.0	92.0	79.0	69.0	74.0	(95.0 DNC)	61.0	63.0	95.0 DNC	705.0	610.0
80th	68	GBR 567	HUGHES Martin		52.0	70.0	59.0	57.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNF	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	713.0	618.0
81st	76	GBR 711	PETTIT Simon		78.0	90.0	77.0	72.0	69.0	(95.0 DNF)	73.0	66.0	95.0 DNC	715.0	620.0
82nd	64	GBR 20	DENISON Andy		81.0	83.0	75.0	65.0	70.0	(95.0 DNC)	74.0	95.0 DNS	95.0 DNC	733.0	638.0
83rd	94	FRA 57	BOULAN Damien		68.0	76.0	(95.0 DNF)	53.0	95.0 DNF	95.0 DNC	75.0	95.0 DNS	95.0 DNC	747.0	652.0
84th	95	FRA 66	LOBERT Philippe		74.0	81.0	82.0	66.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	78.0	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	761.0	666.0
85th	74	GBR 68	MACKIE John		80.0	73.0	76.0	78.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	782.0	687.0
86th	98	FRA 869	BAUMGARTEN Regis		89.0	84.0	89.0	81.0	77.0	(95.0 DNC)	77.0	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	782.0	687.0
87th	97	FRA 86	JEAN Christophe		87.0	91.0	81.0	86.0	76.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNF	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	801.0	706.0
88th	71	GBR 631	HART Richard		93.0	86.0	87.0	74.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	815.0	720.0
89th	96	FRA 72	LE FRAPPER Philippe		92.0	88.0	84.0	76.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNF	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	815.0	720.0
90th	72	GBR 644	ARNELL Jack	J	83.0	80.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNF	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	828.0	733.0
91st	69	GBR 611	LOCK Tony		82.0	87.0	(95.0 DNC)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	834.0	739.0
92nd	99	FRA 880	HOLLIER Cedric		88.0	89.0	(95.0 DNS)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNF	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	842.0	747.0
93rd	66	GBR 24	BARNES Rory		91.0	94.0	88.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	843.0	748.0
94th	70	GBR 617	HARPER Mark		90.0	93.0	(95.0 DNF)	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	95.0 DNC	848.0	753.0

Finn Class Association Falmouth Finn Festival Royal Cornwall Yacht Club website