1977 Finn World Week - A black & white memoir

by Finn media on 30 Sep 2006
Because the Spanish Government refused to accept the participation of one competitor from South Africa, the IFA withdrew the Gold Cup from competition in 1977 and renamed the event as Finn World Week.

The week was distinguished by feeble breezes and only five of the total of seven planned races could be sailed. 21 year old Joaquin Blanco won two races, was always among the top 10 and finished with 23.3 points ahead of another Spaniard José Doreste.

They both used older Roga boats. The leading sails in these, days were Musto and North. A few Boyce Spars were still among the predominant Needlespars.

Joaquin Blanco and Jose Luis Doreste as well as Tomasz Rumszewicz who finished then in eighth position and is now coaching the Polish Finn sailors in Palamos, are sharing their memories:

Joaquin Blanco:

'Doreste and I were studying in Barcelona, since the years 74 to 80. We trained all the weekends in Palamós with Paul Maes. Sometimes it was long distance to drive, but I think it is a beautiful place and there are very good conditions to sail all the year, including the 'Tramontana' in the winter, which for me was really cold.

I do remember lot of stories: Just before the first race I was thinking to use a new North Sail, I put my mast and the new sail just in the Spanish Federation trailer and we took a small SEAT car to carry the boats rigged with masts and sails to the Club. We broke with the top of the mast the Hight tension Power line of all the city, and the fire burned my sail, but the mast unbelievable was ok, so I had to race the Gold Cup with my old Musto-Hyde sail and I got to be the fastest of all the Finns!

I think the Finn has been a fantastic boat for the heavy sailors. With the evolution now the Finn is more spectacular and the use of new technologies makes the differences with other boats.

I wish very good luck to all the Finn sailors at this Europeans, and tell them to take care of the lines of high tension!'

Jose-Luis Doreste:

'As much as I remember, we sailed in September, with very light wind, atypical for the place but good for Blanco and me. Palamos has been during many years the National Sailing School. We studied in Barcelona and every weekend we came to Palamós for sailing, including during the cold winter, but not with the dresses from today.

II see is that the Finn is still a very hard boat for sailing. Years ago it was a problem, but young people today are very big and this shouldn’t be a problem any more.

I hope the sailors will enjoy the sailing during the European championship, normally we have very nice wind here but also that they enjoy their stay because Palamos has very nice places'

Tomasz Rumszewicz:

'This was my first and last major regatta in the Finn class. The political situation in Poland made it hard for me to sail at international level. Palamos was then a very small fishing village. We used to launch from the beach which was all right as there were no waves at the exception of one day when the wind came straight in and the waves were so big that we couldn’t go out.

Racing was then very different than today, we had three hours races, one per day during six days. The event then was sponsored by Dunhill cigarettes and nice girls were distributing then after sailing . . . time have changed!'

Final results of 1977 Finn Week: (with old style national letters)

1. Joaquin Blanco E 1 19.7
2. José Luis Doreste E 109 .43.0
3. Claudio Biekarck BL 89 43.0
4. Andrei Balashov SR 2 47.0
5. Lennart Heselius S 589 52.4
6. Kent Carlsson S 677 69.0
7. Magnus Olin S 644 61.0
8. Tomasz Rumszewicz PZ 379 62.0
9. Mauro Pelaschier I 509 69.0
10. David Howlett K 341 69.0
11. Guy Liljegren S 665 69.7
12. David Buemi US 965 71.7
13. Paul Higgins KC 156 80.0
14. Hans Werner Zachariassen G 1559 80.0
15. Chris Boumans B 1 81.0
16. Christopher Law K 321 86.0
17. Paul Rudling KZ 186 95.0
18. August Miller US 975 105.0
19. Werner Sülberg G 1511 110.0
20. Peter Vollebregt H 535 112.0
21. Graham Deegan KZ 185 112.7
22. Jean Grandchamp F 730 117.7
23. Zakhorow SR 3 119.0
24. Kiepa SR 8 127.0
25. Anthony Hermann US 989 127.7
26. Douglas KZ 35 133.0
27. Minski Fabris Y 53 134.7
28. Ryszard Skarbinski PZ 28 134.7
29. Derek Breitenstein L 96 146.0
30. A. Lochbrunner G 1478 148.0
31. Marteau F 702 149.0
32. A. Hellbrügge G 1513 150.0
33. Theodis GR 69 155.0
34. Elias Hatzipavlis GR 180 164.0
35. Hanbrook B 11 167.0
36. Gerd Hübner G 1562 167.0
37. Martensson S 655 167.0
38. Delfs S 633 171.0
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