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FINN EUROPEANS 2005 – KALMAR, SWEDEN

The 2005 Finn Europeans were held in Kalmar in Sweden from 6-14 August. 73 sailors from 24 countries took part with lots of new faces out on the water among. But the familiar one of Ben Ainslie sailed an awesome series to take his third European title.

Day one

On the opening day Ben Ainslie had already began to pave his way towards a gold medal, securing two first place finishes in the first two races. ‘We had some tricky weather systems coming down on the course today.’ Ainslie explained, ‘The first race was really close with the lead changing several times. I tried to keep my options open and sail the shifts and came out on top. Hopefully I can get some more good results during the rest of the week.’

Other main threats to the title, before the event, did not have such a good first day. Emilios Papathanasiou scored a 22, 2 and was in eighth and Rafael Trujillo was in fourth with 11 points.

Day two

Ben Ainslie continued his undefeated run by winning the third race. It wasn’t an easy day for the sailors or for the racing committee who had to deal with shifting winds, poor visibility and heavy showers! The race committee was kept busy resetting the course several times. Beginning with 24 knots, the wind took a 65 degrees change after the top mark upsetting placing.

The racing committee changed the top mark accordingly but the wind had rotated another 25 degrees before the second upwind and dropped to 4 knots by the end of the race. Finishing in second place Dan Slater experienced some ups and downs in this tricky race: ‘I was in the lead with Rafa 50 meters before the top mark, then the wind moved and we saw Ben and Emilios passing us from the right. I ended up in 30th position and was quite upset. Then on the second beat the wind shifted another 25 degrees and this time I was on the right side and got my second place back.’ It was the same story with Jonas Hoegh-Christensen who came from 50th at the top mark to 3rd across the finish line, coming up gradually throughout the race. ‘It was a race for the smart and lucky guys, very difficult and nerve-racking.’ explained the Dane.

Ivan Klakovic Gaspic was the best junior. Scoring a 12th in the race he was comfortably leading the Junior fleet in 11th place overall. Tapio Nirkko collected a second yellow flag on the start and had to retire. Norbert Wilandt from Poland and Zach Railey from the US were 2nd and 3rd Junior, only a few points apart on 24th and 25th place in the overall rankings.

Back on the shore the sailors were met with chocolate bars, juice and smarties provided by the organisers. A good way to finish a long and tough race under the rain!

Day three

Ben extended his lead with two more race wins. Ben was sailing at a level that forced admiration from all the sailors in the fleet. With consistency, speed and smart sailing, Ben was mastering the extremely difficult conditions in Kalmar.

It was not any easier than the previous days. The wind was slow to come and never settled down on the course, always shifty and patchy. It demanded quick reactions from the sailors to follow the wind pattern and play with the pressure created by the stormy clouds. Emilios Papathanasiou took second place in the first race today, 200 meters behind Ben and ahead of Rafal Szukiel from Poland.

The second race saw again Ben opening up a good lead from the others with Dan Slater taking second place in the race and in the championship after discarding a 35th position. Third place went to Michael Maier.

Ivan Klakovic Gaspic was still leading the Juniors in 12th place. However, Zach Railey (USA) had moved up to 19th overall after scoring a 7th in the first race of the day and 13th in the second.

Day four

With four of the top sailors fighting for the race until the last metres, the 6th race was the most exciting in the Championship so far! The wind had finally settled in Kalmar, providing the sailors with great sailing conditions. Increasing from 12 to 15 knots, the breeze was stable and racing started under Black flag after three general recalls. The Oscar flag, displayed on the second run allowed the sailors to pump on the waves and sail more freely. First around the top mark was Michael Maier closely followed by Jonas and Emilios. Ben was in 9th.

Like the previous days, the right side of the course was again favoured. The run allowed the regatta leaders to get ahead of the fleet, with the lead changing constantly between Emilios, Jonas, Gasper Vincec and Ben. The battle intensified on the last run between the four who sailed neck to neck. Ben was protecting the inside of the course while Gasper placed on the right side. The Slovenian gained enough ground to take the lead a few meters only from the finishing line.

Day five

After winning the only race of the day, Dan Slater moved up to second overall. The New Zealander stepped into the Finn only six months ago. ‘It was Craig Monk who introduced me to the Finn several years ago, I have always wanted to sail the boat but at the time I was too light. Now I can finally race the boat and I am constantly improving.’

After finishing in 3rd place, Ben was still in a clear lead the competition 25 points ahead of the fleet. Second place went today to Zach Railey who gained some good ground to move up to 16th overall. He is closing the gap on the first ranked Junior Ivan Klakovic Gaspic, who was 12th but only 15 points ahead of the American. Norbert Wilandt from Poland was the third Junior in 30th position, only 2 points ahead of Tapio Nirkko.

The sailing conditions were very hard once again today with a shifty and light wind. Only one race was sailed and the Racing Committee had to reduce the course to allow for a fair finish. It wasn’t the end of the day for 15 sailors who were met at the boat ramp by officials for doping control.

Day six

There was no racing on the last day of the Championship giving Ben Ainslie his third Finn European title. The wind that had provided the sailors with most difficult sailing conditions all week didn’t show up at all on Sunday.

With 5 race wins and a total score of 8 points, Ben Ainslie has added yet another Finn trophy to his extensive collection. Dan Slater who proved to be a fast improver after only six months in the Finn was second place in front of very talented and experienced sailors.

After an impressing regatta records this season including a win in Kiel Week, Gasper Vincec’s hard work in the Finn during the last 3 years is finally being rewarded. The Slovenian took third place on the podium.

The Junior championship has been dominated by sailors new to the class. Ivan Klakovic Gaspic from Split, Croatia is the Junior European Champion after just a few months in the boat. A situation shared by Zach Railey who has made an impressive start in his first international event by taking second place. Ivan’s and Zach’s performance was emphasised by their overall results. They have been sailing at the same level than experienced sailor finishing respectively 12th and 16th in a fleet of 73 boats. Norbert Wilandt from Poland was the third Junior in 30th position.