More than 100 entries for the Finn World Masters at CN El Balís

Finn World Masters © Michael Kurtz

The CN El Balís has already received over a hundred entries for the 2018 Finn World Masters in just two months' time. It will take place from the 18th to the 25th of May in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Spain).

110 skippers from around the world have already registered for the competition so far, for which the participation of more than 400 athletes in the Master category (40-49), Grand Master (50-59), Grand Grand Master (60-69), Legend (70-79) and Super Legend (80+) is expected.

Nineteen nationalities
Four months before the sailing competition, skippers from nineteen different nationalities have confirmed their participation. From Europe there will be representation from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden and Ukraine. In addition, the Americas will have participants from Bahamas, Brazil, Chile and the United States, and the list is completed with Oceania, Australia and New Zealand.

The best skippers of the speciality
The 2018 Finn World Masters will gather the world's best skippers at the CN El Balís. One of them is the Russian Vladimir Krutskikh, the current champion who won the gold in 2017 and 2015 as well as taking part in the Olympics in Sydney back in 2000. Furthermore, the presence of the Spanish José Luis Doreste will be remarkable, as he is coming back into the class after retiring. He is remembered for getting the gold at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 and also for being the European Champion that year. He also became world champion in 1987.

Other athletes that have so far confirmed their entry in Catalonia will be the French Laurent Hay, who was runner-up in last year's edition, or the British Allen Burrell, who won the silver in the Worlds in 2012 and 2011. Also, there will be the Swiss Piet Eckert, who was fourth in the 2017 Masters and sailed the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona in the Flying Dutchman class; the Dutch Thierry van Vierssen, sixth at the 2016 Masters; and the Swiss Christoph Burger, who ended up seventh during the last season's competition.

A leading event in Maresme
During the next weeks the list of entries for the competition will continue to increase, which will become a very important showcase to give visibility to the region of Maresme. This will not only be for the sports field but also for social and economical issues, as a consequence of the cultural and leisure activities that will be organized due to the event. This way, the event is estimated to create an economic impact of around 1,250,000 euros in the region.