Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Star-studded fleet to challenge for Ronstan Australian Finn Championship

by Robert Deaves 7 Jan 2019 06:16 PST 7-12 January 2019
The Finn fleet at Sail Melbourne © Beau Outteridge / Sail Melbourne 2018

Thirteen international Finn sailors have joined 27 Australian Finn sailors for the Ronstan 2019 Australian Finn National Championship, which begins at Black Rock Yacht Club, in Melbourne, on Tuesday.

The fleet includes 2018 European Champion, Ed Wright, 2016 Olympic champion, Giles Scott, and 2016 U23 European Champion Henry Wetherell, all from Britain, 2016 European Champion, Pieter-Jan Postma, and 2018 Tokyo World Cup winner, Nicholas Heiner, both from the Netherlands. In addition, 2018 Kiel Week winner Josh Junior, and Andy Maloney, both from New Zealand are taking part as well as sailors from Japan, China and Bermuda.

The 40-boat fleet will be the strongest fleet to contest the Australian championship in 20 years. For the Australian sailors taking part, the event has increased significance, as it is the main qualifying regatta for the 2019 Finn Gold Cup, which is being held in December at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

European champion, Wright, commented, "The British Finn squad and various other top nations have been down in Australia for a while now. We are all getting a lot out of the amazing conditions and the friendly atmosphere from the Royal Brighton YC. They made us very welcome in their new club facility. Now we have moved to Black Rock just down the road ready for the nationals, which looks to be a great forecast. It's going to be tough racing with many talented sailors. It all starts tomorrow. Let's see how it goes."

The defending champion is Jake Lilley, but he will have a tough time to repeat this week. The Australian fleet includes all the international sailors, who have been training hard in recent weeks.

The 2017 champion, Oli Tweddell, is happy to see such a large fleet on home waters.

"It's pretty amazing to have such a big turnout from overseas, and also domestically."

"All the international sailors have been training in Melbourne getting ready for the Worlds later in the year, so the training has been of the highest quality, and I'd expect another great event with lots of tight racing."

"Our masters and junior fleet are also very strong, so it will be great to see them all battling it out for those titles."

The Australian U23 sailors will be pushing hard for the U23 title. Based on recent performance, Jock Calvert, from Tasmania, should be favourite, and is up against Lachlan Gilham, who won the silver medal in the U19 category at the 2018 Finn Silver Cup, and Harmon McAulley, both from Perth.

One overseas sailor who has made Australia his training base as he attempts to qualify for Tokyo 2020 is Rockal Evans, from Bermuda.

"Training in Australia has been great. I'm seeing improvements all around the race course, upwind and downwind. Really looking forward to the Australian Nationals. It's a nice size fleet with lots of people from overseas."

One intriguing battle the championship could produce is between the two Dutch sailors. Last time they met, in Aarhus, Postma came out on top. Heiner later won the first big event at the Olympic venue in Tokyo.

Postma is sailing a borrowed boat this week, but said, "It a big honour to be here and race."

"Tomorrow we start and I don't feel ready without my own mast and boat, and still adjusting to heat. But even with that, let's check where we stand. And give it some."

The regatta follows straight on from last week's Australian OK Dinghy Championship at Black Rock, with a number of sailors taking part in both events.

The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Hon Martin Pakula MP, commented, "Hosting events such as OK Dinghy National Championships and Finn Australian Championships, and doing it so well, is one of the reasons that Victoria is the sporting and major events capital of Australia."

"Victoria lives and breathes sport and no one puts on a show like we do. More than 500 events have been funded through the Significant Sporting Events Program alone and more than half of those events were held in regional Victoria, boosting local jobs and economies. These events are so important to our visitor economy, which is worth over $25 billion to Victoria, employing over 214,500 people across the state, and that's why the Victorian Government is proud to be supporting this event through the $17.7 million Significant Sporting Events Program."

Ten races are scheduled from Tuesday 8 January to Saturday 12 January. The long range forecast looks perfect with mild temperatures and sea breezes predicted for the first few days, getting hotter later in the week, with some big wind expected near the end of the championship.

All event documents, the entry list and results when available can be found at www.bryc.com.au/news/11046

Related Articles

Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy 2025 Preview
International sailing & ocean conservation unite in Cascais From July 4 to 6, Cascais hosts the biggest sailing regatta of the year with a strong focus on sustainability. The Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy celebrates six years of diversity, competition, and environmental commitment. Posted on 30 Jun
Finn World Masters in Medemblik overall
'Incredible' Finn World Masters closes after epic week Pieter-Jan Postma, from The Netherlands, has won his second Finn World Masters title as the 2025 Finn World Masters drew to a close in Medemblik on Friday, after having won the title on Thursday with a day to spare. Posted on 20 Jun
Finn World Masters in Medemblik day 4
Pieter-Jan Postma wins after bizarre penultimate day The penultimate day of the Finn World Masters in Medemblik threw a curveball at the fleet with very light and tricky winds, some high scores, complex racing, protests and unfinished races. Posted on 20 Jun
Finn World Masters in Medemblik day 3
Pieter-Jan Postma continues to lead after 5 races Pieter-Jan Postma, from The Netherlands, continues to dominate the Finn World Masters in Medemblik, The Netherlands, after a fifth race was sailed on Wednesday in a north-westerly breeze building from 8-12 knots during the afternoon. Posted on 18 Jun
Finn World Masters in Medemblik Day 2
Pieter-Jan Postma leads after the second day of racing in The Netherlands Pieter-Jan Postma, from The Netherlands, is leading the fleet of 307 Finns from 27 countries after everyone sailed two more races at the 2025 Finn World Masters in Medemblik. France's Laurent Hay is second with Germany's Fabian Lemmel in third. Posted on 17 Jun
Finn World Masters in Medemblik Day 1
Eight races over two course areas in four groups with four different winners Racing at the 2025 Finn World Masters began in Medemblik, The Netherlands, on Monday with eight races over two course areas in four groups. Posted on 16 Jun
Finn World Masters opens in Medemblik
A bumper entry of 307 helms in The Netherlands The 2025 Finn World Masters has been opened in Medemblik, The Netherlands, on Sunday evening. It is the third time the Dutch Finn class has endeavoured to run the Finn World Masters, with two previous attempts cancelled by the pandemic. Posted on 15 Jun
Finn Southern Area Championship at Christchurch
With the Oscar flag flying to signify free pumping Christchurch Sailing Club welcomed 19 Finn sailors to the Finn Southern Area Championships held over a very sunny and windy weekend 31 May/1 June 2025. The event was shared with the Hadron H2 Class who also appeared to thoroughly enjoy the event. Posted on 3 Jun
Singlehanded Regatta at Hayling Island
Finns, Europes and Solos don't let the forecast put them off a glorious weekend Day one Charlie Bradshaw held the fleets on shore for an hour on Saturday morning, a fair amount of hope but an early strong easterly can have a detrimental effect on a sea breeze here so there was certainly a little trepidation in the fleet. Posted on 26 May
Enter now for Chichester Harbour Race Week
Last year nearly 600 competitors in 383 boats attended Book your place at the biggest dinghy and keelboat regatta in the UK! With the website open, you can now reserve your place in this year's 'must attend' event. Starting on Monday 11th August, ending on 15th. Posted on 24 May
Armstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOMSea Sure 2025Zhik 2024 December