Ready to begin

The Finn Gold cup is all set to start following their practice race today

The 50th Finn Gold Cup has been declared officially opened Monday night by Mr. Zeljko Klaric on behalf of the Croatian Prime Minister. The opening Ceremony put an end to three days of intensive measurement and final preparation for sailors and organisers.

IFA Chief Measurer, Mr. Juri Saraskin was satisfied with the high level of preparation provided by the Labud Yacht club for the very demanding Finn measurement procedure. The boats and masts are weighted, their centre of gravity checked, the sails are measured and every item recorded and stamped.

“The logistic and manpower provided for the measurement is one of the best I have dealt with for a long time” declared Mr. Saraskin. “It is even better that what we had for the Olympics!” Helped by new Finn measurer trainee John Driscoll, and a team from the club members, the 97 boats were measured in less than three days.

The practice race was the usual affair with half of the fleet taking the start for a lap of practice before heading for the club or for further training. Iain Percy who is making a “guest star” appearance in a Finn regatta since winning the Gold medal in the Sydney Olympics has sent a message to the Gold Cup contestants by sailing in the front of the fleet.

Nine races are scheduled for the championship with two for the starting day, Tuesday. With light winds predicted in the early part of the day, racing will not start before 1PM.