British Finn National Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Day 1

Allen Burrell from Thorpe Bay Yacht Club christened yet another new boat at the National Championship with a 1, 10, 2 score line in what was a typical Torbay shifty south easterly.

With the course area nearer to the Paignton shoreline than ideal due to the presence of the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner parked in the middle of the bay, the right hand side of the beat was influenced at times by the breeze coming down over the Devon hills.

Race one finally got off under a black flag after a general recall and saw the starboard end boats tack early and head for the shore, The 7-8 knots breeze become more shifty towards the top mark, as John Greenwood (West Kirby SC) took the lead from Burrell and Julian Smith, (Mengeham Rythe SC), only for Burrell to take the lead on the second lap to claim the win.

British Finn Nationals Torbay at day 1 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

Race two was started after a short delay whilst the wind steadied down to a more consistent direction. Simon Percival (Christchurch SC) showed good speed on the upwind legs to take the lead and arrived at the final leeward mark so soon that he took the race officer by surprise! As Simon rounded the leeward mark for the second time, it should have been a short reach to the finish line. Not spotting a finish flag flying from the Committee boat, Percival was unsure if the number of laps had been increased from the previous race and so heading back upwind. Second placed Fergus Allen (Loch Earn SC) hailed him and carried on to claim the win, but Percival successful protested the race committee for failing to fly the finish flag in time and was later awarded joint first with flying Fergus, ahead of Jim Downer (Gurnard SC).

The breeze had built to a gusty 12-14 knots for the start of race 3, with the Oscar flag hoisted to allow free pumping. The starboard end of the line looked favourite before the start, but with two minutes to go a big port end shift tempted a few of the top sailors to the pin end, only for it to head back to the right on the gun, leaving some stranded out to sea and those on the inside of the right hander got lifted nicely into the mark. Allen Burrell had a good tussle with fellow Thorpe Bay team mate Lawrence Crispin throughout the race, with Crispin taking the gun from Burrell and the consistent Fergus Allen.

British Finn Nationals Torbay at day 1 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

Some of those more accustomed to sailing in the front half of the fleet were seen sulking at the back end as the tricky conditions levelled the scores up, highlighting the good speed and standard throughout the British Finn fleet. It great to see more than 7 new faces in the Nationals fleet, testament to the growing popularity of the Finn in UK club racing.

The 2021 British Finn National Championships are supported by Ronstan, The Old Salt loft and North Sails. Elisa Mangani of Ronstan Europe said; "Ronstan, worldwide recognised brand for high quality deck hardware, is proud to be selected as official supporter of the UK Finn National Championship on the waters of the historical Royal Torbay Yacht Club, where the 1948 Olympic regatta took place.

British Finn Nationals Torbay at day 1 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

"We couldn't be more honoured for being chosen as supporter of this event. It is very important for Ronstan to support actively the dinghy sailing activities, and the Finn, being one of the most renowned classes, perfectly matches with Ronstan DNA."

Racing continues tomorrow, with a first start scheduled for 11.00am.

Results after Day 1: