In the bag for Ainslie

British Gold medallist tallies just eight points at conclusion of Finn European Championship

There was no racing on the last day of the Championship in Kalmar, Sweden. The wind that had provided the sailors with most difficult sailing conditions all week didn’t show up on Sunday.

With five race wins and a total score of just 8 points, Ben Ainslie is adding one more Finn trophy to his extensive collection.

New Zealander Dan Slater has proved to be a fast improver after only six months in the Finn class, taking the second place in front of very talented and experienced sailors.



After an impressive regatta record this season including a win in Kiel Week, Slovenian Gasper Vincec's hard work in the Finn over the last three years is finally being rewarded. The Slovenian took the third place on the podium. Marin Misura and Emilios Papathanasiou were only one and two points behind Vincec in 4th and 5th place.

Finn records prove that Ainslie’s outstanding performance have been matched in the past: Andre Nelis (BEL) won 8 races out of 10 at the 1957 Europeans while in 1981 Lasse Hjortnaes won all of the 5 races sailed. The Dane won again in 1983 with a total score of 6 points.

The Junior championship has been dominated by sailors new to the class. Ivan Kljokovic Gaspic from Split, Croatia is the Junior European Champion after just a few months in the boat. This situation is shared by the USA's Zach Railey who has made an impressive start in his first international event by taking second place. The duo finished respectively 12th and 16th in a fleet of 73 boats. This regatta has shown both sailing at the same level as much more experienced sailors.

The sailors will meet again in Moscow in three weeks for the Finn Gold Cup.

Final results

Pos	Helm	Sail No	Cls	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Net
1	Ben Ainslie	GBR-3	Snr	1	1	1	1	1	4	3	8
2	Dan Slater	NZL-1	Snr	2	35	2	13	2	13	1	33
3	Gasper Vincec	SLO-5	Snr	11	4	4	5	39	1	10	35
4	Marin Misura	CRO-25	Snr	7	3	6	14	5	8	7	36
5	Papathanasiou Emilios	GRE-7	Snr	22	2	9	2	9	2	13	37
6	Rafael Trujillo	ESP-100	Snr	5	6	5	16	6	5	29	43
7	Jonas Høgh-Christensen (1981)	DEN-2	Snr	9	7	3	6	42	3	19	47
8	Olexiy Borysov	UKR-1	Snr	18	42	7	12	8	10	5	60
9	Daniel Birgmark	SWE-11	Snr	6	5	13	17	16	19	12	69
10	Waclaw Szukiel	POL-12	Snr	12	15	8	3	19	28	16	73
11	Edward Wright	GBR-111	Snr	13	14	20	4	23	6	30	80
12	Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (1984)	CRO-524	Jnr	8	25	12	15	10	21	14	80
13	Søren Holm	DEN-7	Snr	48	10	19	9	14	9	21	82
14	Peer Moberg	NOR-1	Snr	4	17	14	8	11	37	35	89
15	Michael Maier	CZE-1	Snr	31	21	18	32	3	11	6	90
16	Zach Railey	USA-4	Jnr	27	30	32	7	13	16	2	95
17	Vladimir Krutskikh	RUS-1	Snr	3	33	10	26	7	18	42	97
18	Chris Brittle	GBR-541	Snr	29	8	BFD	31	12	7	15	102
19	Bruno Ismael	FRA-972	Snr	19	11	28	22	25	14	25	116
20	Michal Hrubý	CZE-9	Snr	21	13	17	25	24	31	18	118
21	Johan Tillander	SWE-736	Snr	30	26	21	18	22	12	22	121
22	Thomas Laursen	DEN-9	Snr	OCS	36	16	35	4	24	23	138
23	Matt Howard	GBR-550	Snr	38	12	15	19	36	22	54	142
24	Josh Beaver	AUS-228	Snr	15	22	26	10	46	BFD	31	150
25	Pablo Arrarte Elorza	ESP-310	Snr	50	34	11	28	21	23	41	158
26	Wietze Zetzema	NED-64	Snr	42	38	25	30	40	17	9	159
27	Stefan de Vries	NED-6	Snr	17	27	34	11	38	33	51	160
28	Rafal Szukiel	POL-7	Snr	43	23	38	24	20	34	26	165
29	Anthony Nossiter	AUS-221	Snr	26	19	31	36	55	15	45	172
30	Norbert Wilandt	POL-17	Jnr	32	28	23	23	30	39	48	175
31	Tapio Nirkko	FIN-216	Jnr	14	24	DNS	33	32	25	49	177
32	Emil Tomasevic	CRO-16	Snr	20	20	BFD	55	33	29	20	177
33	Edward Greig	GBR-625	Snr	52	9	BFD	46	15	38	27	187
34	Aaron O'Grady	IRL-10	Snr	33	16	55	21	26	43	59	194
35	Raudaschl Florian	AUT-271	Snr	55	41	22	20	37	32	43	195
36	Albert Vadell	ESP-836	Snr	DNF	18	54	42	27	27	28	196
37	André Budzien	GER-711	Snr	16	40	50	39	28	30	46	199
38	Sander E. Willems	NED-80	Snr	41	44	35	27	35	20	47	202
39	Rudolf Lidaøík	CZE-3	Snr	36	47	33	29	17	48	62	210
40	Dragutsis Alexandros	GRE-8	Snr	34	49	30	50	34	42	24	213
41	Mark Andrews	GBR-88	Jnr	35	29	43	40	31	41	37	213
42	Armando Battaglia	ITA-25	Snr	10	51	46	54	18	DNS	52	231
43	Timothy Goodbody	IRL-5	Snr	24	48	49	38	59	36	36	231
44	Karel van Hellemond	NED-41	Snr	23	32	39	57	56	44	40	234
45	Matthias Bohn	GER-174	Snr	44	39	27	51	66	45	33	239
46	Gaszton Pál	HUN-6	Snr	45	52	42	45	49	55	11	244
47	Riccardo Cordovani	ITA-101	Snr	25	37	DNS	43	63	26	50	244
48	Krzysztof Dabkowski	POL-71	Jnr	47	45	48	41	47	40	39	259
49	Olof Lundqvist	SWE-739	Snr	56	68	45	37	65	58	4	265
50	Kenneth Bøggild	DEN-231	Snr	58	43	24	53	69	51	38	267
51	Pierre-Alexis Ponsot (1975)	FRA-9	Snr	61	55	BFD	34	58	53	8	269
52	Piotr Mazur	POL-45	Jnr	46	60	37	48	51	BFD	34	276
53	Peter Lovas	HUN-11	Snr	28	46	59	49	45	50	70	277
54	Bjorn Smit	SWE-31	Snr	39	50	36	63	43	49	61	278
55	Anders Nilsson	SWE-41	Snr	53	31	56	47	57	35	63	279
56	Davourlis Panagiotis	GRE-71	Snr	49	66	29	56	41	47	60	282
57	Günter O. Hoffmann	GER-150	Snr	40	64	DNS	58	60	46	17	285
58	Sebastian Munck	GER-108	Snr	51	53	41	61	29	56	69	291
59	Bartek Szydlowski	POL-41	Jnr	37	56	44	44	52	DNF	67	300
60	Stefan Fagerlund	SWE-734	Snr	62	59	52	52	53	57	32	305
61	Andrea Bianchi	ITA-27	Snr	59	54	53	DNF	62	54	58	340
62	Richard Hart	GBR-631	Snr	63	67	51	64	44	52	68	341
63	Francesco Faggiani	ITA-903	Snr	65	61	DNS	65	48	DNS	44	357
64	Cisbani Paolo	ITA-892	Snr	60	62	60	68	64	59	53	358
65	Henk de Jager	NED-11	Snr	66	63	40	60	67	BFD	64	360
66	Jesper Petersen	DEN-218	Snr	64	57	47	59	61	DNS	DNS	362
67	Andreas Bollongino	GER-19	Snr	70	58	58	62	54	61	DNF	363
68	Márton Beliczay	HUN-8	Jnr	68	65	57	66	68	60	56	372
69	Barthel Uwe	GER-262	Snr	67	71	62	67	50	62	65	373
70	Gautschi Thomas	SUI-496	Snr	57	69	61	71	73	63	55	376
71	Frank Westendorf	GER-37	Snr	54	72	63	72	71	65	71	396
72	Detlev Guminski	GER-92	Snr	69	70	DNS	70	72	64	57	402
73	David Guminski	GER-12	Snr	71	73	DNS	69	70	66	66	415