Finn Class: Aiming for new milestone

Half a century ago on an island nation in the middle of the Atlantic, the idea was born to create an event for Finn sailors over 40 years old. At the class Annual General Meeting during the 1969 Gold Cup in Bermuda, the Veteran Gold Cup was born. It has developed into one of the largest single fleet regattas in the world, now known as the Finn Word Masters.

In 2020, the event celebrates its 50th anniversary and is being run by the ever-enthusiastic Dutch Finn sailors who have promised to put on a memorable event both on and off the water. They have set a target of 400 boats, which is not that hard to envisage as several times the fleet has passed 350 entries, so 400 is the next obvious milestone to secure.

With racing to be held in the south-western corner of The Netherlands, this interest comes on the heels of how the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be the final occasion for a Class that’s been present at the Games since 1952

“Despite the recent Olympic news, we are clear in our vision that the Finn class is one of the most established and successful fleets in the world and hosting quality events has always been at the forefront of our agenda,” said Andy Denison, Finn World Masters President. “So to all Finn Masters everywhere, keep fit, keep sailing, and see you in Port Zelande.”

The regatta is open to Finn Class sailors born in 1980 or before with entries to be accepted in the following categories, with age determined as the age at the birthday in the year of the event:
• World Master (the overall winner)
• Master (winner 40-49years old)
• Grand Master (winner 50-59)
• Grand Grand Master (winner 60-69)
• Legend (winner 70-80)
• Super Legend (80+)
• Ladies
• Classic Boat (Built prior to 1985)

While all the event information is now online, it is too bad the Finn Class remains shortsighted in their decision to secure the temporary address of https://www.fwm2020.com

In a day and age where history is no longer stored in filing cabinets, more thought is needed in how to handle online information, particularly when the Class has in the past used the permanent site of https://finnworldmaster.com

When hosting regattas, a secure home for online information is needed to avoid any loss that occurs when year specific website addresses are not renewed.