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The
entry system for the Gold Cup and the European Championships
was changed, but without reducing the potential for
over 100 boats at the Gold Cup and 40-60 at the Continental
Championships. Attempts of Fred Miller to produce fibreglass
masts did not find a response among the top helmsmen.
1978
The 1978 Gold Cup was organised in Mexico and signalled
the dawn of a new generation of sailors and winning
boats. For the first time a group of former Laser sailors
dominated the event using Vanguard hulls. Once again
the IFA successfully withstood pressure from the IYRU
to reduce the number of participants at the Gold Cup
to about 60 by changing the entry system.
The AGM considered several notions to keep only 30,000
sfr as a reserve and to spend the rest of the accumulated
capital for the promotion of the class. It was considered
to subsidise measurement at major events, sailors from
other classes, the production of the Class magazine
FINNFARE, stands of the Finn at boat show, or advertisements
for the Finn in various yachting magazines. The Council
passed an inconsistent judgment against some Spanish
boats, which had an unusual bulb in the deck. There
was no specific rule quoted to be infringed, however
it was felt that the arrangement was not in conformity
with the original design of the Finn by Rickard Sarby.
After Georg Siebeck had done an excellent job on FINNFARE
in 1975-1977 he failed to publish any issues in 1978-1979,
which caused considerable concern in the class.
1979
The dominance of former Laser sailors from the US was
striking and in view of the 1980 Olympics in Tallinn
alarming for the Europeans. Most successful on the European
circuit was the 1978 Gold Cup winner John Bertrand (USA)
- not to be confused with the John Bertrand from Australia
who won the America's Cup for his country in 1983. However
in the 1979 Gold Cup John Bertrand (USA) was only runner
up behind Cameron Lewis.
After four years as president Marino Barendson did not
attend the AGM 1979 and was replaced by former Vice-President
(Sailing) Jacques Rogge from Belgium. In order to improve
the finances of IFA the minimum number of IFA stickers
per country was raised from 18 to 36. The minutes of
the 1979 AGM mention problems with some boats not measuring
at station 8, first discovered at the European Championship
in Malcesine, Italy. The idea of a portable jig is mentioned,
to be taken to major regattas, since several boats had
measured correctly once and were refused the next time
by other experts.
The
sailors were disconcerted because of the inaccuracy
of the measurement procedure. A notion to curb pumping
beyond the ruling of the IYRU was refused by the council
and instead the delegates proposed to abandon the rule
60 (means of propulsion) altogether. Gilbert Lamboley
did not attend the AGM but questioned the legality of
the meeting because of the use of proxy-votes.
1980
The season was shaped by the Olympics in Tallinn. The
Finn Class suffered severely from the boycott of the
Olympics initiated by the US, which excluded many potential
medalists from participation and discouraged them. The
Gold Cup was staged in New Zealand in February where
the US sailors continued their dominance. The 1980 AGM
was organised in two sessions again, one at the Gold
Cup and the second on the occasion of the European Championship
in Finland in June.
At the AGM in New Zealand a new notion was considered
to support third world countries in their endeavours
to participate in the Olympics. The council was worried
about the attitude of the Chairman of the Technical
Committee. After Gilbert Lamboley had rendered extraordinary
services to the Finn Class for almost ten years, it
became more and more difficult to deal with him internally.
For the second session of the AGM Gilbert Lamboley handed
in his resignation and was replaced by David Howlett
(UK) as Chairman of the Technical Committee.
After a long silence FINNFARE was published again by
the new editor Shimon-Craig Van Collie from San Francisco.
Former Laser sailors introduced a new dimension into
the art of pumping. However the IFA decided against
a proposal of the US and voted in favour of the IYRU
ruling to ban pumping.
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Hjortnas
from Denmark won the majority of individual races in the
1981 Europeans and many other major events, but was beaten
to runner up in the Gold Cup by the 'Veteran' Wolfgang
Gerz.
After only two years on duty as president Jacques Rogge
resigned and exchanged position with the Treasurer Gerardo
Seeliger. The problems with station 8 remained and experiments
with portable jigs brought to light difficulties of accuracy
after reassembling. David Howlett suggested to hire an
Executive Director to run the business of the IFA, a proposal
which was refused at the AGM in 1982. A steady stream
of rule changes ensured that the Finn Class remained modern
without outdating existing boats. Shimon-Craig Van Collie
resigned as editor of FINNFARE.
1982
What everybody had expected Lasse Hjortnas to achieve
in 1981, he managed in 1982 and won his first Gold Cup.
Lasse also defended successfully his title as the European
Champion.
Andrzej Ostrowski was elected new Chairman of the Technical
Committee. The Executive Committee entrusted the editorship
of FINNFARE to Peter Mohilla, who produced controversial
and much too expensive issues. He heated up once again
the unsettled question of station 8, which many would
have preferred to remain under the carpet. However he
produced a measurement jig, which he managed to transport
to the Gold Cup in Holland, where it caused amusement,
but proved that the system of a portable measurement jig
was workable. Mohilla caused further controversy by opposing
poor behaviour at a formal dinner invitation and was replaced
as Vice-President (Sailing) by Otto Pohlmann.
1983
For the 1983 Gold Cup in Milwaukee, USA John Christianson
produced a very fine measurement jig. It was declared
the prototype for all future major events and thus ended
the controversy about station 8.
At the Gold Cup all the young aggressive sailors were
beaten by the conservative US Navy officer Paul van Cleve.
This made them so frantic, that they again started to
throw food at the President Gerardo Seeliger on the occasion
of prizegiving in a five star hotel at the end of the
event. They simply disregarded the decision of the 1982
AGM, about Rule 1975, ensuring that the behaviour of Finn
Class members remains within the limits of social acceptability.
To honour his past and present achievements the council
unanimously voted to elect Gilbert Lamboley as Life Honorary
Chairman of the Technical Committee. To support Finn sailing
in third world countries the IFA decided to subsidise
these countries with 30 IFA membership dues. |
1984
In the 1984 Olympic season many favourites exhausted
themselves in the national trials in order to be
nominated for the Games and failed in the event
itself. An exception was the US, where the trials
assumed heroic proportions because of a dazzling
combination of sporting, legal and financial efforts
between the three top contenders, and the final
victor of that in-fight still managed to win the
silver medal. A Finn clinic in Canada and a grant
of the IOC supported the participation of sailors
from third world countries in the 1984 Olympics.
Lasse Hjortnas managed to win the Gold Cup for the
second time at the beginning of the season, was
struck by bad-luck at the Europeans, when he
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capsized and broke his best mast while
returning into the harbour, and performed poorly for his
standards at the Olympics.
1985
After the Olympics in Long Beach a new group of sailors
entered the Finn class. Lasse Hjortnas regained his former
dominance by winning the Gold Cup by 0.1 points and the
European Championship by a safe margin. In the US Peter
Quigley probably started a new chapter in Finn sailing
by the development of a new carbon-fibre / s-glass / epoxy
matrix mast. The IYRU decided to have the Finn dinghies
for the Olympics in 1988 built in Korea. Again competitors
would be allowed to bring their own spars but were forced
to use the hulls supplied by the organiser. This has the
advantage that the poorer countries are also able to participate
with top equipment. For years the keenest helmsmen would
prefer to use their own boats. Fred Miller, the founder
of FINNFARE died on Jan 13th in California.
1986
Peter Mohilla published a book called FINNLOG in the spring
of 1986. This book covered the entire history of the class
up to 1985 and contained much material of interest to
new sailors. It was received with great acclaim and interest
by everyone. A complementary copy was sent to many personalities
of the world yachting community.
After missing out on the Gold Cup in 1985 by 0.1 points,
Oleg Khoperski dominated the European Championships. Stig
Westergaard won the Gold Cup without winning a race.
At the AGM of the class Wolfgang Gerz retired as Vice-President
(Sailing) and was replaced by Jose Luis Doreste. Peter
Mohilla published his last issue of FINNFARE at the end
of the year. After many years of sporadic publishing dates
before he took over, Peter Mohilla had managed to regulate
publication to the extent that he had produced 4 outstanding
issues every year for five years and turned the corner
into the modern era of FINNFARE, where IFA members receive
their bulletin on a regular basis three to four times
a year. |
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