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Finn World Masters 1997 - Cervia, Italy

26   AUT 210    W Schuster

27   CRO 110   L Cicarelli

28   GER 63     M Pandler

29   GER 49     H Klein

30   GER 68     W Balthasar

31   GER 66     R Balthasar

32   NED 711   E Scherzer

33   CZE 2        J Senkyr

34   GBR 534   R Cobb

35   CZE 7        V Cintl

36   GER 2071 R Boeckelt

37   GER 55     H Sondermann

38   GER 40     H Stammnitz

39   SUI 438     H Falzer

40   SWE 688   P Nilson

41   SWE 711   S Waldo

42   GER 48     M Poeschl

43   NED 712   K Kruyer

44   SUI 430     R Baumann

45   ITA 33        F Stefani

46   GER 122   H Herwig

47   GER 53     K Berg

48   ITA 84        P Pinzan

49   FRA 784    C Vanthier

50   GER 2033  D Ottlik

51   NED 690   M Kempkes

52   GER 62     S Loeffelmann

53   ITA 93        K Mair

54   NED 723   O Van Heusden

55   GER 34     D Borges

56   GER 1669 B Guenter

57   NED 716   J Van Altena

58   GER 159   D Ciesielski

59   HUN 14     P Sipos

60   FRA 777    J Matayer

61   GER 17     C Niehusen

62   ITA 37        P Visona

63   GER 42     J Fraft

64   GER 139   H Halbach

65   GBR 536   M Till

66   NED 605   R Bnerends

67   GER 281   M Dellas

68   CZE 479    G Antonin

69   SUI 454     A Baumann

71   GER 2222 R Lehnert

72   NED 625   B Huist

73   NED 598   N Boot

74   NED 639   H Van Der

75   SUI 409     M Nerbollier

76   GER 200   H Vetter

77   NED 587   B Kraan

78   GER 78     O Ebbeke

79   GER 1983 E Zopfs

80   GER 21     J Stahlberg

81   FRA 790    D Poissant

82   NED 698   H Saarnio

83   GER 701   D Goetz

84   GER 89     G Kellermann

86   GER 98     X Stephl

87   ITA 710      E Lanzoni

88   GER 94     P Schobert

89   SWE 717   B Bergman

90   GER 102   S Boehl

91   GER 103   B Thiele

92   GER 2099 H Wendel

93   GER 119   P Bronke

94   GER 1941 A Blum

95   GER 1714 P Gellert

96   ITA 88        M Giugni Umberto

97   GER 95     G Bollrath

98   GER 1884 O Kaeser

99   SUI 523     H Lehmann

100 FRA 776 P Pregre

101 GBR 509 M Camps

102 GER 2105 B Fischer

103 NED 697 R Sala Richard

104 CZE 9 S Frantisek Dasek

105 NED 624 G Van Wouedberg

106 GER 73 G Hopp

107 GER 1863 J Ott

108 GER 105 J Warnecke

109 GER 1777 U Dahlinger

110 GER 35 H Ehlers

111 GER 1966 M Thunn

112 GER 168 J Larsen

113 GER 1796 K Mayer

114 GER 131 H Schlick

115 GER 1790  F Bordes

116 NED 532 J Isselmann

117 GER 2031 M Rowenski

118 NED 682 N Van Brummelen

119 GER 234 J Griesser

120 GER 9 F Koch

121 GER 2055 J Mueck

122 GER 153  M Witte

123 FRA 764 B Michal

124 SUI 418 M Hunziker

125 GER 115 A Simon

126 GER 1851 K Licht

127 GER 2013 D Fehse

128 GER 20 C Donner

129 BEL 35  L Neve

130 FRA 742 G Vuillemey

130 GER 1760 M Mangei

Participants came from 13 nations with the largest contingent from Germany. The oldest competitor was Didier Poissant aged 74, the French Olympiad of 1954 in Melbourne whilst the youngest would have been in his 40th year. For the very first time there were two lady entries, one from Switzerland and one from Germany.

At a meeting held during the week the Masters Secretary General Rolf Lehnert was elected to be the Masters representative on the I.F.A. committee. This invitation to join forces with the I.F.A reinforces the already very important status of the Masters fleet.

Race 1

In an easterly wind of 7 - 10 knots, Wolfgang Gerz sailing under ITA 1 but from Germany, made an excellent start in clear air in the middle of the line and led for the first three legs but in covering the second placed G. Antal lost out to Larry Lemieux from Canada who held the lead to the end. Wolfgang was second followed by Peter Raderschadt in third and Henk de Jager in fourth place.

Race 2

After a second failed start the Committee postponed and a delay of some 2 hours ensued. At the restart, Gerz who had started at the favoured pin end and went left up the first beat was first to the mark with Lemieux who started at the Committee boat end being second at the mark. After the wind increased to 2-3, Lemieux managed to slip Gerz’s cover in the shifting conditions to take the gun for his second win with Gerz second and Minski Fabris third. The French veteran Didier Poissant achieved a very creditable 29th place having being in the top ten at the early stages of the race.

Race 3

Most of the previous days leaders went left after the start but a very large shift to the right gave an advantage to those who had opted to go right. This situation led to a number of new faces at the weather mark including the eventual winner, Roland Balthasar from Germany, followed by L.Nodari and Michael Brandt.

The race committee disqualified 17 boats with PMS and posted a protest against Lemieux for apparently hitting a mark as seen by a jury boat. Lemieux denied this incident and after a peremptory hearing without Lemieux being able to call any witnesses he was disqualified. Later another competitor supported his view that he had not hit the mark but as a good sportsman he let the matter rest although this result moved him from a relatively safe overall first.

Race 4

After the third race the wind backed to a sea breeze and settled to force 3 / 4. At the leeward mark on the last round Larry Lemieux, Wolfgang Gerz and Jean Paul Gaston were leading. On the last beat the leaders went left and suffered badly from a 50 degree veer in the wind.  The winner was Bruno Catalan. O. Van Heusden was second place and Jan Bjoernberg was third.

Race 5

After an initial postponement and two general recalls the fleet got off with most boats going left. Once again both Gerz and Lemieux fought out the lead. With few windshifts of any importance speed and height through the water were essential and the more experienced helms quickly made both height and distance over the others. The reaches and runs were uneventful but fast and the final beat saw Gerz win, with Lemieux second and Jean-Paul Gaston in third.

Race 6

This was a most enjoyable race sailed under excellent conditions and a flat sea state. There were minor wind shifts which became critical near the first weather mark. The race leaders retained their positions with only some changes and the winner was Jean Paul Gaston from France with Wolfgang Gerz and Larry Lemieux in second and third places. This meant that Lemieux’s DSQ had effectively cost him the championship and Wolfgang Gerz walked off with the Gold Cup. 

Wolfgang Gerz disproved all the theories being only some 78 kilos weight and sailing as per usual the Finn in this event only and that in a borrowed boat in which he had not sailed before.