Finn Open at Bosham Sailing Club

by Dick Pratt 23 Apr 2018 22:48 AEST 21-22 April 2018

Bosham Finn Open © Viviene Morga

Bosham Sailing Club hosted a two-day International Finn Dinghy Open Meeting. On 21st/22nd April The club's brief was to lay on three races per day around traditional marks across the eastern half of Chichester Harbour. This they did and the seventeen boats that entered raced from Itchenor Reach in the east, as far as the Winner Bank in the south, Prinsted Rythe in the north and Stocker Lake in the west.

The sun shone some of the time and the wind was easterly (5-10kts) on the first day and southerly (10-15kts) on the second making for a great variety of courses. Race Officer, Mike Brooke, completed the schedule but had to invoke the black flag twice on the first day with a flood tide pushing an eager fleet to premature starts. With only one discard, it brought the fleet largely into compliance.

Despite the mixture of very long and very short beats and runs, the racing remained very close. The oldest Finn was a Fairey (with carbon) and the newest were the latest models with a range in between.

The youngest helm was twenty-one and the oldest were three over 70yrs ("Legends"), but they all mixed it and complained equally of aching knees after one of the mega short tacking battles. Helms came from Essex, Chew Valley, Warsash as well as other Chichester Harbour clubs. Teas were provided each day and the club hosted a dinner on Saturday evening. The club made visitors from further afield welcome with offers of accommodation over night.

Bosham's association with the Finn class goes back to the early 1950s when Charles Currey, Martine Beale and Vernon Stratton introduced to them club, since when there has been a continuous Finn Fleet. The winner overall this year was Julian Smith with Mike de Courcy and Fred van Arkel second and third respectively. Julian received the Bosham Silver Plate, the others glass tumblers and all the competitors received product prizes provided by event sponsor Suntouched Sailboats (Sue & Rodney Cobb).

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No.	Helm	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	720	SMITH Julian	MRSC	(OCS)	1	2	5	1	1	10
2	21	DeCOURCY Mike	MRSC	1	2	3	3	5	‑7	14
3	76	VAN ASKEL Fred	Barry YC	5	‑7	6	1	4	5	21
4	53	COBB Rodney	BSC	2	(RTD)	7	8	2	2	21
5	100	WALKER Matthew	MRSC	(OCS)	4	4	4	6	4	22
6	548	CHAPPLE Kit	BSC	‑9	8	1	2	7	9	27
7	13	KHODYKIN Roman	MRSC	(OCS)	3	5	7	3	11	29
8	545	PRATT Dick	BSC	7	5	‑13	10	10	8	40
9	679	COLE James	Warsash	6	6	8	(OCS)	DNF	3	41
10	22	WYLAM Andrew	MRSC	(OCS)	11	12	6	8	6	43
11	15	SYMONS James	BSC	11	10	11	9	9	‑12	50
12	772	WYBURN James	MRSC	8	12	14	11	(DNF)	10	55
13	605	EVANS Colin	Chew Valley Lake SC	4	9	10	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	59
14	74	CRISPIN Lawance		3	13	9	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	61
15	578	STRINGER Mike	BSC	12	14	‑15	13	11	13	63
16	54	BUCHANAN Andew		10	15	(DNC)	12	DNF	14	69
17	454	BRANSON Doug	BSC	13	16	16	14	(DNC)	DNC	77