Author: Rodion Mazin

The Upper Key Sailing Club Finn Midwinters offered a warm and welcoming club atmosphere and some unexpected, freezing, and unwelcoming weather conditions in the 25° N tropical climate zone. On the first day, a northerly front lowered the temperatures down to 54F and picked up the wind gusts to 30 knots, creating unmanageable launching conditions for the pandemic thinned-down Finn fleet. No races were given on the first day of the regatta, but those who made it to the club enjoyed the Finn “talk,” discussion of the USAFA business, and an upcoming Finn Gold Cup planning.

On the second day, the wind has subsided just as the temperatures did. Still blowing from the North at about 15-18 knots, no one expected the temperature drop to 41F, so far down South. The eager fleet couldn’t sit ashore anymore, though, and with the usual camaraderie and mutual support, all but one lunched their boats at 930 am, ready to start at 10 am sharp.

The Buttonwood Sound, a shallow but relatively wide body of water with three different keys to the North, promoted wind funnels, 40-degree shifts, and sometimes very soft spots, creating tricky sailing conditions. The race committee set a simple, 0.7NM, windward/leeward racecourse with a favorite pin end line. Jack Jennings, USA 81, from the National Marine Sailing Team launched from the pin end and didn’t let go the lead till the end of the first race, with Rodion Mazin, USA 16, showing a good pumping technique and catching up the fleet, after rounding the windward mark in fifth. Dave Martin, USA 64, and Nikita Mazin, USA 7, beefed it up on both upwind and downwind, Dave finally taking the third just a few yards ahead of Nik. Nik and Jack fought it hard for the pin in the second race, Nik pushed Jack over the line, forcing an over early start, but the wind went left so far that Jack still managed to cross the fleet on the port tack finishing the race in second, followed by the reigning U.S. Champion, Rody. Nikita held the lead till the very end, taking his first bullet of the regatta. Nik and Jack took it to heart to fight till the end, finishing second a third in the third race only to find out that both were over early again. In the fourth race, Jack had a better downwind speed and managed to pass Nik, securing his victory in the regatta. Only two boats sailed in the fifth race, and the rest of the fleet had to pack the boats and get ready for the departing flights. This race decided the second and third place faith, with Dave Martin winning over Jack and securing a third place overall. Full results are here 2022 Finn Key Largo Midwinters : Upper Keys Sailing Club (regattanetwork.com)

In the middle of the fleet, a long-time member of the class and a current native of the Key Largo, Jeremy Pape, realized that he needed to practice more and give up on the foiling experience in preparation for the 2023 Finn Gold Cup. “I should get back into figuring out how to properly set the rig, buy a new sail, and get out there more often. Finn is a unique sailboat that gives a chance to sail to anyone regardless of their age, physique, or sailing experience. Still, you have to practice in the various conditions and attend regattas to be successful.” said Jeremy in a short after-regatta debrief. The oldest and the most formidable competitor, Chuck Rudinsky, USA 40, still rocked, rolled, and pumped the Finn in his 70s. Yes, it wasn’t enough to catch up with youngsters like Rody and Nik, but good enough to stay with the fleet, round the top mark in the top three, have a lot of fun, and most of all, stay healthy and active. Chuck, a lifetime member of the USAFA and a generous supporter of the Finn class, showed agility and effort beyond reproach. “Hiking is overrated,” said Chuck, “if you sail smart, you play the shifts right and trim your mainsheet correctly, you can easily sail the Finn competitively when you have more gray hair than anyone else on the racecourse.” Finally, the Miami Finn fleet rookie, Clayton VanNortwick, USA 316, was hesitant to go out at first, stating that conditions were above his paygrade. However, after seeing the fleet having much fun, Clayton launched his boat with some help from Charles Heimler and Mark Mueller. “I certainly learned a lot today! Sometimes you have to put your big boy pants on and go out there. You can practice on your own as much as you want. Still, nothing beats the regatta experience to understand how to handle the boat better.” said Clayton, before the fleet dispersed back to New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Northern Florida.

Big shout-out to all the volunteers, race committee, photographers, and Upper Key Sailing Club members for putting the event on for the Finn fleet. Next year we are looking forward to the UKSC hosting a larger regatta at around the same time following or preceding the 2023 Finn God Cup (https://www.fgcmiami2023.com/).

Next on the schedule in Miami are the February 29-30 Miami Finn Fleet Midwinter Regatta (https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23235), March 20-24, Miami Sailing Week (https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23235), and finally, only 10 hours away, 2022 Finn North American Championship in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama (https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23903).

Only 50 folks have renewed their membership for 2022. Check your membership status here (https://finnusa.org/usafa-documents/) and update your membership here (https://finnusa.org/join-the-class/). Don’t wait till tomorrow! We need your support today.

Pictures by Sam Enos

Finns were the 3rd largest class at the West Marine US Open Sailing Series Miami this year.  Sailing out of Coconut Grove Sailing Club, we were able to enjoy the great hospitality of the Miami Fleet.

Friday was a day of light air.  Only one race sailed and was won by legend Larry Suter with Rodion Mazin in second ahead of Peter Frissell.

Saturday arrived with light winds, much to Larry and Peter’s delight.  Picking the shifts in the oscillating breeze, out of the Northeast, made for a challenging first three races that day.  A line of clouds built up on the left-hand side of the course for the last race.  The wind followed Stuart Walker’s instructions and shifted to the left, and those old enough to remember Stuart Walker made hay on the left side.  The rain came and the wind started to build.  Everyone pulled on their outhauls, Cunninghams, and whatever preparing for the big breeze.  Either fortunately or unfortunately, the wind promptly died again. John Dane was able to hold onto his lead for a win in the final race that day.

Sunday was the day for paybacks as the breeze finally showed up along with smiles on the big boys.  The first race saw a tight battle on the left side of the course up the first weather leg. Larry Suter decided not to join the battle and went off to the right ending up first around the top mark. In the second race lightweights, Peter and Larry tried to get a jump on the fleet but the ever-vigilant RC wasn’t going to let that happen, declaring both OCS. The wind varied between 13-21 knots with relatively large shifts catching both John Dane and Dave Martin by surprise on the runs.  At least we assume that is the reason why they decided to give their centerboards a close inspection during the races. At the end of the day, Rodion (a)Mazin won all three races with John Dane, Dave Martin, and Scott the Rocket Griffith all getting a 2,3,4.  Final results here: https://scoring.sailti.com/public/download/overall-pdf/5175/33

The racing was certainly competitive on the water but on-shore the camaraderie showed what it is all about.  Everyone was helping others with getting boats in and out of the water along with fixing and tuning things.  Our hats off to the Race Committee for doing an excellent job under some trying conditions.

Photos courtesy of US Sailing Communications Director, Allison Chenard.

P.S. The Coconut Grove Sailing Club is the host of the 2023 Finn Gold Cup and with the proper preparation can be an easy place to sail out of. Plenty of hotels/Airbnbs around within walking distance. Plan your trip to the 2023 Finn Gold Cup here:  https://www.fgcmiami2023.com/registration

By Peter Frissell

The Finn Gold Cup was presented to the International Finn Association by the late F. G. Mitchell of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Great Britain, in 1956 and became the World Championship Trophy for the Finn Class. The late Joerg Bruder of Brazil won the cup three times. In 1973 while en route to defend his title in France, he was killed in an airplane accident and the original cup, which was in his custody at the time, was lost. Somms Marine of France presented a replica of the original cup to the Finn Class in 1975 which is used today to represent the highest honor in single-handed racing.

The Gold Cup is the most important part of the history of the Finn Class. The foundation of the IFA August 23, 1956 in Loosdrecht Holland was strongly influenced by the first Gold Cup March/April 1956 in Burnham-on-Crouch in England. From there on the Annual General Meeting of the IFA was generally at the time and place of the Gold Cup. Therefore the sportive and administrative climax of each year coincided at the Gold Cups.

The Gold Cup has been hosted in North America 7 times over the last 65 years, in 1971 (Toronto, CAN), 1974 (Long Beach, USA), 1978 (Manzanillo, MEX), 1983 (Milwaukee, USA), 1991 (Kingston, CAN), 2001 (Marblehead, USA), and 2010 (San Francisco, USA). After long eleven years, the Gold Cup is finally scheduled to be back in North America and the United States.

The Coconut Grove Sailing Club (CGSC) won the bid to host the 2023 Gold Cup under the steady leadership of the Vice Commodore, Dave Martin, and the restless Finn class enthusiast, Fabiano Vivacqua. Both have resurrected the Finn class sailing in Florida, established a long-forgotten Florida Championship Series, attracted sailors from different classes to start sailing Finns.
Their efforts are pivotal in further developing the class in North America and creating a steady winter base for the Finn sailors from U.S. and Canada.

Art Diefendorf died at the Siegenthaler Center, a hospice facility in New Hartford, NY, attended by Dodie (Georgia), his wife of 59 years and their two children, Don, who is an MD, and Liz on the morning of November 26th, 2021.  Art was born in Syracuse, NY to Donald W. and Ruth L. (Arnold) Diefendorf and lived much of his life in Cazenovia, NY.  Art had been battling degenerative diseases exacerbated by a case of Covid-19.  Art’s brother Willis A.”Bill” died of Covid-19 last December 11, 2020.

Art, after attending multiple grammar schools, graduated from South Kent School in 1953 and Yale University in 1957 with a degree in Philosophy.  After finishing Navy OCS, he served aboard a Radar Picket ship patrolling the Pacific Ocean. He had dreamed of teaching Philosophy in a small women’s college but his father called upon him to work in the family’s successful Diefendorf Gear Corporation in Syracuse manufacturing industrial and specialized gears.  He was President during the difficult period when Chinese subsidized companies took over the market and forced the sale of the Corporation. During this time, Art used the resources to make sure that the long term employees were taken care of financially.

Art was an avid Finn sailor famous for his red hulled Newport Finn #260. He served as the USA Finn Association’s spark plug President between 1976 and 1982. He had the vision and energy to take advantage of a new generation of sailors who accepted the challenge of an Olympic Finn campaign and led the Class during the high-water mark of USA Finn sailing when USA Finn sailors were eight of the top ten in the world.  After his presidency, Art remained active in Finn leadership including being a founding member of the Finn Foundation.

Art was a story teller extraordinaire and inspired so many to sail in and serve the class. Ever the happy philosopher, his stories communicated values that were endemic to the Finn  culture: that if you wanted to be the best, you have to race with the best; that great players are committed to the other class players and are joyful to be a part of it; that in the rivalry you learn from loss, how to deal with adversity, and share mutual respect; that by class participation you grow by standing for each other; that racing the amazing Finn is as good as it gets.

In 1968 Art, together with Rush Marshall, initiated a Finn Regatta at Willow Bank YC on Lake Cazenovia.  A few years later Art and Rush recovered an old fashioned cast iron toilet from the dismantling of the local railroad station and decided to have some fun by making it the perpetual regatta trophy; one that the winner never wanted to take home for a year.  The “Toilet Bowl” has been a super enjoyable fixture on the Finn racing circuit ever since, even during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Many came from around the globe to race the “Toilet Bowl” regatta on Lake Cazenovia and many sailing luminaries didn’t win the “Toilet Bowl”.

Lake Cazenovia is famous for discussions, comments and complaints about the Presence controlling the changes in race wind direction and velocity.  Future vagaries in wind patterns will surely be blamed on Art for playing with the minds of his beloved Finn sailors.

Having lived well, Art is now in the great Love of the All.

By August Miller

The Finn class completed its 2021 North American Championship over the weekend at Pass Christian Yacht Club with seven races in medium to light winds on the Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico. Local sailor and former U.S. Sailing Team member John F. Dane (USA 69) dominated the results with five first place finishes and two seconds. He was quick off the starting line, picked his route through the shifts, and defended well downwind. Second and third place went to the brothers Rodion (USA 16) and Nikita Mazin (USA 7). Finn stalwart Darrell Peck (USA 35) was fourth and newcomer Caio Gerassi (BRA 58) was fifth. Full results at https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/22826

Twenty-two sailors, ranging in age from 27 to 70+, traveled from all points east and west for the event, six from the Miami fleet, who will host this winter’s four event Miami Winter Series for the inaugural Florida State Cup, three from San Diego, three from Mobile, Alabama, and solos from Newport Harbor, CA, New Hampshire, and Chicago.

Pass Christian YC, one of the oldest sailing clubs in the USA, and regatta chair Tom Duffy, put on an outstanding and hospitable regatta with plenty of food and beer to keep the pain levels low and the fellowship high. A social highlight was the Mississippi-style shrimp boil, featuring shrimp netted that day in the gulf waters and a live rock ‘n roll band. The Race Committee management, directed by PRO Shannon Bush, was stellar, hitting the target times, laying square lines and true weather marks, and squeezing in the third day’s two races between rain storms.

By Charles Heimler

San Diego, CA (September 12, 2021) The Finn fleet has been extremely active in San Diego over the past two weeks with the San Diego Yacht Club hosting the Pacific Coast Championship (September 4-5) and most recently the Finn North American Masters Championship (September 10-12).

The Pacific Coast Championship featured 20 boats from as far away as Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, and Colorado. Jack Jennings on Pied Piper finished in first place with 10 points for the 5 race series. In second and third were Roland Fournier (2nd) on SurFinn and AJ Nosar (3rd) on Finn, both with 12 points.

“The top three boats were all within two points of each other. I was super happy and lucky to get the win. Thanks to Chris [Snow] for the quality coaching and running some training for the fleet on Thursday and Friday…it definitely made the difference for me, especially on the starting line where I felt very confident all weekend,” said Jennings.

View the PCC results here.

Many Finn sailors were using the Finn PCCs as a warm-up to this weekend’s Finn North American Championship, sailed on the same course out on the Coronado Roads. One return sailor was Rob Coutts from Mission Bay Yacht Club. Coutts placed mid-fleet at the PCC and returned this weekend for the North American Masters finishing second on Beverley with 21 points. However, even those who came with practice could not compete with Gregg Morton on Pickle Dish.

Morton pulled into a solid lead as early as the first day of racing and never let up. Winning races 5 and 6 on Saturday and finishing second in race 7, Morton’s victory was confirmed. Morton earned the North American Masters title with a mere 11 points, finishing four out of eight races in first.

SDYC Staff Commodore Mike Dorgan commented on Morton’s success. “Competitors commented he seemed to have ‘another gear’ sailing upwind, sailing a couple of degrees higher and a couple of tenths of a knot faster. No one sailing this weekend could touch him. And putting an exclamation mark on his regatta, he sailed the last race (even though he already won the regatta) winning the last race and the overall Championship.”

“I just seemed to have a little more wheels than I’ve had in the past. I haven’t sailed in a Finn since last February and then just jumped into this regatta…so I impressed myself too. The conditions couldn’t have been more perfect and the Race Committee did a really fine job,” said Morton.

The fight for second place between Coutts and James Buley, who finished third on BWMwith 24 points, really came down to the final race. Coutts was able to stay ahead of Buley, finishing third in race eight. Buley was stuck in the middle of the fleet and finished the final race in eighth, allowing Coutts to take second overall.

The North American Master Championship allowed for one throw-out.

The conditions on the water this weekend were typical champagne San Diego sailing conditions. Winds ranged from 7-15 knots. A handful of legs were sailed with the “O Flag” flying, representing 10+ knots over the whole course and allowing sailors to use kinetics, like pumping and ooching over the white caps.

Waterfront Director Jeff Johnson was out on the course today keeping an eye on the conditions and the results. “The racing was tight all the way around the course. The boats separated by just feet at every mark with passing lanes both upwind and downwind. The competition was awesome to watch,” he said.

After the races, the sailors enjoyed daily off-the-water socials and camaraderie, a big part of the Finn fleet community. Today, September 12, they concluded the regatta with an awards ceremony.

View the North American Masters results.

The Finn fleet’s next return to SDYC will be for the Finn Fall Classic on November 13 and 14.

By Casey Coffin and Michael Dorgan

Twenty Finns lined up for the 2021 Finn Pacific Coast Championships hosted by San Diego Yacht Club with sailors from as far away as Missouri, Chicago, and Colorado. Many Finn sailors were using the Finn PCCs as a warm-up to the following weekend Finn North American Championships sailed on the same course out on the Pacific Ocean off Coronado. On Saturday, the fleet sailed in near perfect sailing conditions, with the SDYC RC doing a great job and with three different competitors each winning a race, keeping the scores close with AJ Nosar (UKR7) leading after day one. Sunday morning came with a rare delay due to heavy fog covering the fleet for over an hour. The delay must have helped Long Beach Finn sailor Roland Fournier (USA 444) who came out and scored a 2-1 on the final day to give overall winner, Jack Jennings (USA 81) a run for his money. Came down to the last race of the series to decide the winner, with Jack Jennings securing the victory and later said: “The Top three boats were all within 2 points of each other. I was super happy and lucky to get the win. Thanks to Chris Snow for the quality coaching and running some training for the fleet on Thursday and Friday, it made the difference for me, especially on the starting line where I felt very confident all weekend.” An overall leader from Saturday, AJ Nosar, scored a 3 and 8 to drop to third overall, just behind Roland who scored a 2,1, and tied with AJ on a tiebreaker, but was able to climb to second place overall winning the last race and the tie-breaker, rounding out the podium. Many thanks go out to Chris Snow who invited the Finn fleet out a couple of days before the event during a mini-Finn clinic which always helps before a big event! Article Mike Dorgan Photos Gary Adler and Chris Snow. Full results https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results21/finn-pcc-res.htm

Top Five Overall

1.) Jack Jennings 10 pts

2.) Rolan Fournier 12 pts.

3.) AJ Nosar 12 pts

4.) Michael Madigen 14pts

5.) Michael Entwistle 20pts.

For more information on getting involved and sailing with us in the Finn Fleet in Southern California, please contact CA Finn VP Mike Dorgan for more details. Next up, Finn North American Masters Championships, also hosted by SDYC.

The Americas Cup, Sail GP, World Sailing, and others are looking for a new formula to attract spectators and add dynamic to the sport of sailing. Millions of dollars are invested in creating a dramatic sailboat race with frequent lead changes and unpredictable finishes. Look no more, ladies and gentlemen! A small but dedicated group of Finn sailors found a solution to all of the above problems. The solution is called the Toilet Bowl regatta on the tiny, but famous Lake Cazenovia in the eponymous town of the finger lake region in upstate New York. The venue offers 180-degree shifts, downdrafts, updrafts, 10-knot puffs, and other unexplained wind phenomena equal to UFO sightings and alien abductions.

On the first day of the regatta, there was no lack of dramatic lead changes, mid-fleet reshuffling, and mark pileups. Fifteen fearless weekend warriors from around New England and Midwest gathered to decide once and for all, at least till the upcoming year, who would become the Toilet Bowl Prince, the lord of the spindrifts, and commander of the eddies.

Using dark sorcery and forbidden magic, Chuck “Dumbledore” Rudinsky commended the winds and tamed the shifts in his favor, taking an early lead in the race one, followed by Fredericko Meira and Rody “the Secretary” Mazin. Taking such development of the situation personally, Rody, inspired by the great comebacks of the past and unwilling to give up, managed to crawl out of the bad start and get a bullet in the second race. Stephen Smeulders defining all the odds and favoring Rody, took the second place right out of the hands of the “dark sorcerer” Chuck, who finished in the third. The races three and four wins went to Derek Mess, who came back into the Finn sailing after the COVID seclusion. It took him a few races to remember the difference between port and starboard and find a few favorable shifts. Races five through eight were battled tight till the finish line between USA 16, CAN 115, USA 40, USA 1000, and USA 101, who on average led the rest of the fleet by a good margin. Of course, it is commendable and worth mentioning that Guss “Unbreakable” Miller in good health and lifted spirits sailed the racecourse as well. Gus showed incredible stamina, agility, and understanding of the racecourse, sometimes getting to the first mark with the leading group.

Given the weather conditions on Lake Cazenovia, it was absolutely astonishing to see a proper course set. The Race Committee had enough patience, experience, and assertiveness to give the starts just in time, making for a fun regatta. BRAVO ZULU to the Willow Bank Yacht Club! Some of the “Ocean People” are frequently complaining about the small lake sailing and the unfairness of the unpredictable weather conditions. It seems that this stereotype has been shattered. All you need is a competent race committee. There is a lot to learn about sailboat tactics and strategy on a small lake, risk management, fleet control, and overall situational awareness.

The success of the top five boats was not a big surprise. These sailors have been practicing and sailing around the country the most. Starting in late April, all five began practicing on the Buzzards Bay, completed a clinic in the Wild Harbor, sailed Wickford Regatta in early June, U.S. Nationals in Corpus Christi, Great Lakes in Michigan, and the Tune-Up Regatta in Canandaigua. Always helping and collaborating with each other on and off the water, they built a solid Finn community in the Northeast and the Great Lakes regions. “Sailing with Rody this summer was very beneficial for my performance,” stated Chuck Rudinsky, “I gained a lot by sailing in a variety of conditions and being debriefed after each training session and each regatta day.” This is what Finn sailing is all about, it is not only the regattas that matter but everything associated with them, training, traveling, meeting friends and like-minded people. Take a break from politics and trivial issues of our lives, come out and sail with the Finnsters! It is seldom you hear conversations about anything else at the boat park but sailing.