Finn sailors take on the best

madforsailing profile the 11 sailors representing Britain in the Finn Europeans starting on 29 July

Following in Iain Percy's footsteps will never be an easy job but there are plenty of young guns willing to give it a go.

Britain is enjoying a resurgence in what many people regard as the most physically and technically challenging of all the Olympic boats. There is no doubt that Iain Percy's victory last year gave a great impetus to Finn sailing as indeed the three Gold medals have done for sailing in general in the UK.

On the face of it, Andrew 'Bart' Simpson is the strongest pretender to Percy's crown. He trained with Percy in Sydney and is current British Open and National Champion. Strong results this year have seen him very near the top at the Palma and SPA regattas. Undoubtedly fast in some conditions, Simpson is working hard to improve his all round performance. An infected foot sidelined him at Hyeres, knocking back his ISAF ranking. Indeed careful inspection of the ISAF ranking lists shows Charlie Cumbley as Britain's highest ranked Finn sailor. A couple more good events for Simpson and all that could change.

Chris Brittle has been sailing Finns for several years and already this year has shown that he is now ready to challenge the best in the world. At this year's qualifier at Weymouth when it blew hard he showed Bart a clean pair of heels. and showed just how much he has improved. Physically he is made for Finn sailing and this year with the right conditions could surprise a few people. He might even beat Charlie into the top junior's spot.

Charlie Cumbley is ex-Junior World Finn Champion and currently heads the domestic rankings as the top Finn sailor at the UK events. Charlie is very consistent and if mentally he believes that he can win he will probably regain his junior crown. Also a safe bet for a top 20 placing in Garda.

Ian Clingan (pictured above) is the new boy to the fleet but already this year has shown that a hard winter's training and a carefully prepared weight gain program (ie he eats a lot!) is the way to the top. A seasoned Laser sailor at the highest level, Ian has this year won the Dutch Championships beating their top ranked sailors - no mean feat - and has shown that on current form he can mix it with the best of them. At Garda so much will depend on the luck that has so escaped Ian at this year's major regattas. He should secure a top 20 placing.

More young guns on page two.