2015 Finn Australian Championship – Everything old is new again?

by John Curnow on 28 Jan 2015 Could well be. Case in point, the Finn. It’s been around since 1952, still has Olympic status and this is currently in concrete until the 2020 Games. Outside of those circles (Boom. Boom. Basil Brush), it is often thought of as the craft for yachting’s elder statesmen, for not only is it a heavyweight boat in itself (116kg), but it has also been designed to suit sailors from 80 to 120kg, which rules out nearly every female sailor.

At any rate, the Finn Class has a new Australian Champion. He is Joe McMillan and he got there with a one-point win over Ian McKillop, with Matt Visser 15 points further astern grabbing the final place on the podium. Now Joe is relatively new to the Finn. At 20 years of age, and compared with many a Finn sailor, he’s also relatively new to the planet, but his pedigree is anything but new. His father is Rob McMillan, who apart from being part of NB Sailsports in Australia was also a Finn sailor in Team GBR back in the 90’s.

Joe and Ian also form a very important part of the Finn Class’ resurgence, showing that young club sailors not currently part of the Australian Sailing Team can demonstrate their prowess on the water. Hosted by the Black Rock Yacht Club (BRYC) on the shores of Melbourne’s Port Phillip, the recently completed championships got a full nine races in to complete their series.

Speaking afterwards, McMillan said, 'I do a lot of my training out of the Woollahra Sailing Club and also Luca Devoti’s Dinghy Academy in Valencia, Spain.' Luca Devoti (ITA) won Silver at the 2000 Olympics and his academy has been announced as the first International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Approved Training Centre. I grew up sailing out of RPAYC on Pittwater and still sail there and on Sydney Harbour.'

Whilst still a teenager, the now 183cm and 91kg McMillan took a couple of years off sailing to play Rugby League. 'I wasn’t enjoying the Laser, so after finishing high school Dad spoke with Luca and then I went off to Valencia. Apart from selling Finns, Dad still gets out on the water in one now, but is most passionate about getting people into them. For me, sailing the Finn is great, as it is such a nicer boat. I really enjoy heading downwind and pumping the main. You’re higher out of water, which affords a different hiking position (not so flat), and overall it is a very different style of sailing. It’s more like a little keelboat, say a Star or Etchells.'

To be in your second season with the class and now be the Australian Champion is pretty special. 'I have really enjoyed it and I’m pretty happy too, but there is still a long way to go and things to improve on. I was disappointed that Jake (Lilley) and Olli (Twedell) weren’t there in the end, but the World Cup is important. They are better than me, but I am definitely going to keep plugging away. To get onto the Australian squad is a goal and pretty much my main ambition.'

'I do get to sail the Star with Dad a bit from RPAYC and enjoyment really is my main focus. I am in the gym four to five times a week when not at work (with NB Sailsports) and then get to actually sail on the weekends. From here I will most likely got to the Finn European Championships in Croatia this May, followed by the Junior World Championships in Valencia, with some more time before that event with Luca.

'Well done to BRYC for holding such a great regatta. I really enjoyed racing against Ian and the Masters. Thanks also to Amanda Coates (Class Secretary) for doing so much', McMillan said in closing.

To learn more about the class and its resurgence at the club level, one needs to speak with Matt Visser. Interestingly, he too has some serious lineage to count on. His Dad was Martin Visser, who sailed in the Stars at the 1964 Olympics before becoming Gretel II’s starting Helmsman and Tactician and then went on to be famous in the Etchells.

Visser said, 'This is the boat that everyone thinks is the hardest to sail, yet it is very forgiving and rewarding for your efforts. On the water it really is a gem and you can easily take your eight-year-old child out with you on jaunt. It stems from being a truly beautiful design. Not much has not changed in terms of the Finn’s hull design, but the 8kg carbon masts are now tailored to your personal mass, style of sailing and expected conditions. You are allowed two masts per regatta to account for a wider wind range.'

'So it’s not really about the hull and much more about the rig/sail combination. The boat is 1%, the sailor 80%, and the sail/mast the remaining 19%. For example, Jake Lilley won the 2014 Australian Championship in my old 1999 boat with new (2012) sails and rig. You know, relative to other Olympic classes it is not too expensive. A competitive boat package is $15,000 and you can go up to $35,000, which is a bargain when you look at some people putting $10,000 into a child’s Optimist!'

Visser added, 'Like any class we need to ensure younger sailors not only know about the Finn, but can also experience it. For sure we are in the next two Olympics, but for guys moving past 80kg this is the place to be. A lot of the newer crop are taller and skinnier than us and they have unreal leverage when heading uphill and then can grab longer armfuls of sheet when pumping the main on the runs to the leeward mark. Gybing comes with time in boat, and is a lot easier on a wave.'

'If you are in Sydney and want to try the Finn, pop in to Woollahra and go for a test sail. The Finn is a hard school, but also the best school. We are a transparent class that helps with knowledge sharing and spreading the joy. There is real passion and camaraderie. Look at Jim Ley, who at 72 years, still finished each and every race of the Championship!'

Visser finished by saying, 'Bob Buchanan was terrific as the chair for the AGM. Also, many, many thanks to Mark Taylor (RD) and Andre Blasse (Measurer), and especially Amanda Coates who did a great job of letting me be able to sail!'
Finishing in sixth place of the 22-boat fleet was the accomplished and dedicated sailor, Jake Gunther. He is also a previous winner of the championship (2004). 'There were enough boats to make it really good. The waves off the derelict HMS Cerberus are just so good for dinghies. They are fat and possibly the best ones in the world. There was great sailing everywhere. We had five days of racing and there was only the one day where we just got the one race completed due to lack of wind.'

'It was a genuine 15 knots early on and then the breeze dropped off as the regatta progressed, with a lot of the later races held in 7-10 knots. When the Code Flag O flies (no pumping when less than 10 knots) it then gets really close and tactical. The lighter guys shone at that stage and the younger ones took off!'

'The fleet did separate from early on, with the top six stepping away. The beautiful thing about the class is the depth of the camaraderie. There is a strong international rapport and respect amongst us all - Higher, faster, stronger – it’s the Finn mantra and sums up the positive environment. There are older guys sailing the boat. They are full of life and standing up to be counted. Nice one', said Gunther.

'Because the Finn has been in the Olympics for so long, it is the most developed and refined sailing boat of all time. It amazes me how every year it gets a little bit faster. There has always been money spent on them in the pursuit of a medal. They are simple but complicated all the same. Truth is that if you can sail a Finn then you can truly sail…'

The very experienced Mark Taylor was the Regatta Director for both the Finns and the 505s that also ran their Australian Championship concurrently. Mark was instrumental in firstly attracting both classes to BRYC and then organising, administrating and managing all the on-water affairs. The benefits of this arrangement, where both classes had around 25 boats attend their national titles, were evident in terms of lower costs and also camaraderie.

Taylor commented, 'Firstly, many thanks to all of the amazing volunteers who made the World and Australian Championship regattas held out of BRYC over summer possible and got us these terrific results for the sailors and classes alike.'

'What was also very interesting was that the Finns did have some special spectators come to review them. ASADA’s appearance certainly did liven it up. I think they were surprised to find that Jake and Olli were not in attendance, however. Lilley and Twedell were sad and late withdrawals, for they had to go and sail at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Miami, which was a shame for all. As a result, the fleet was a touch diminished, but this allowed Joe and Ian to really shine and stand out. Six or seven sailors did get up for a race win, but the young guns stood out overall and it is a testament to the amount of yachting they do.'

'It was also wonderful to welcome the Finn class back to BRYC, where they have previously held Finn Gold Cups and Australian Championships. We had an excellent weather window with a return to the more normal summer sea breeze in the afternoon. We lost only one race, which was on the second last day, but we subsequently caught that back up on the last day, when we got two races completed in to wrap up a great time and a full, nine-race series.'

'All the sailors appreciated that we waited for solid breeze and took it in their stride when we abandoned one race that started at 220° but was more like 170° half way up the track. Certainly the comments I received were that the sailors enjoyed the event and the professionalism of it.'

Indeed there was a very high calibre team out on the water. National and International Race Officers were in abundance on the heavily stacked committee boat. Matt Ross was the RO, but he had legends like Kevin and Ross Wilson just nearby to offer sage advice. Ross is the Rear Commodore of the BRYC and has done his credentials even more good as a result of this highly regarded event.

Taylor finished by saying, 'You do need race officers who have spent time with the classes so that they know how the boats perform across a range of conditions. These classes were great, as too were the OKs - easy to work with and they hung around afterwards for a beer, so we all got to compare the day.'

'It was great to have the Finn's again at BRYC. The last time was in 2008 when we ran the Finn Gold Cup. I would like to congratulate Matt Ross and his team on running a great regatta', said Andre Blasse, Commodore, BRYC.

'Having some young Finn sailors up the front of the fleet was a treat. I was fortunate enough to see Joe McMillan, last September at the Finn Gold Cup in Santander, Spain. He obviously learnt a thing or two there, as his performance here was excellent. I must also congratulate Ian McKillop on pushing Joe all the way, and making it a great contest.'

Well if that is not one terrific segue into talking about the 26-year-old, 184cm and 100kg McKillop, then we may all need torches to light the way. 'I was a bit disappointed at the end, as I had first place half way through the series and then an OCS sort of fixed all that up. Well done to Joe, however. He sailed really well in the light stuff. Overall it was a fantastic and well-run regatta. The best thing was to have a large fleet out there. We had good breeze for the first couple of days, then it got soft in middle, but came back for last day.'

'Around four years ago I got into the Finn from Rob (McMillan) at RPAYC. There were a few there, so I jumped in and never looked back. The main reason I am so addicted to the Finns, is that the class gets along well and really helps each other out. Prior to that I had done a lot of bits and pieces, not so much dinghy sailing, but more on big boats. Lately I have also been out on Rupert Henry’s TP52, Fomo.'

'For the moment, I am focusing on the World Championships in November, (Takapuna, NZL), where it could be big as it is one of the last before the Rio 2016', McKillop finished by saying.

Now the Finn could easily be thought of as old, but there are literally many a new thing about them that keeps them fresh. Quite possibly, this is exactly why many a new, younger club sailor is being attracted to them and the sailing characteristics that seem to form life long addictions for the sailors. See all about the Finn experience at http://www.finnclass.com.au