Will post new and interesting Finn stuff here on a regular basis. Comments and dialog most welcome.

But always check out the New Zealand Finn Association web site for the latest national and international news -- http://www.finnclass.org.nz/

What a Nationals this year.   Hugely honoured to be made a lifemember of the New Zealand Finn Association.  Jaw dropping suprised, a very emotional moment gladly shared with all the Finnsters and supporters.  Annette made the presentation so it was even more memorable.

It does not seem like 30 years ago that I dragged an old Finn home and began what was to be my first venture into rebuilding and sailing Finns. In between have been secretary for 7 years and measurer for 25.

With a large fleet of 21 boats on the Waiuku short track, results in the first three days was mixed and I was in 16th place before the last day. Not helped by continually changing the boat set up to suit perceived wind changes. Consistently in the top 10 getting to the first mark and keeping it there on the downwind legs. Best placing an eight (but scrapping for 3rd in the abondoned race - bugger).

With the top ten contesting the medal race, it left the rest of us to stage the final fleet race.  After an overnight wine soaked debrief, decided to stop chasing the proverbial boat set up tail and revert back to the "Rafa" boat set up (long story - drop a line and I will tell you).

Basically c/l of mast 700mm from the top of the stem, centreboard pin 900mm from aft face of the mast and 31 kg leech tension.

Instant success and won my first ever race at a Nationals (be it the final fleet race and an actual 11th place but I still count it).

WINNERS are GRINNERS

Very intense as the course was an even shorter W4 right in front of the clubhouse and before a decent size crowd.  Coming to the finish to the cheers of the medal race contestants.  Great stuff.

Next year watch out John, Ben, Maurice, and anyone else over 60.  I'm going to go all out to win the Finn Great Grand Masters' title.

Had too much time to spare this last winter so out with the sander, trim some more weight and repaint the hull again. Went for the retro look with 10% Grey deck and Tahitian Gold hull colours plus a "Starsky and Hutch" flash in grey along the sides and over the back deck.

Used the magic Resene Durapox Epoxy, rolled on 6 coats and long boarded the surface back till the substrate started "grinning" through the gold paint.

Power polished with the newly released BoatSpeedWax and the slippery finished Finn is ready for the water. Looking resplendent sitting on the beach at the Thames Sailing Club for the North Island Champs.

Finalised the deck layout for cleats and control ropes.  Was never comfortable with the endless rope system on the sail control lines so they went west, leaving the only endless ropes on the vang and the centreboard.

To get the correct rope entry angles into the three sail control cleats, a small triple fairlead was machined out of acetal.

Those with a keen eye will notice that the traveller pulley has been moved from the car to a floating block on a 3mm line.  The weight of the block is enough to drop the traveller control ropes down out of harms way when on the leeward side.  

This mast was a good one, having been twice used to win the New Zealand Nationals Finn Championship by previous owners. Really liked this Southern Spars built wing mast but a slow reaction to a massive windgust and she ended up in two pieces.

One minute sailing along reaching to the bottom mark, the next a massive wind gust caught me. Tried easing the sheet and steering down to the mark, split second later, boat upside down, bow pointing back to the wing mark and me entangled in the mainsheet under the upturned boat.

Fellow competitors reckon the wind picked up the boat, spun it around and slapped the mast on the water so hard the mast snapped and rolled the boat over without even slowing down. Luckily the sail did not rip and the boat suffered no damage what so ever.

Big thanks to Stu in the Waiuku Yacht Club rescue boat for getting me safely to the far shore, getting in the tide to help me right the boat and then towing the sorry mess home.

Can we fix it? Lets try.

First place is to set target mast bend figures. Selected these Hit and Wilke ones representative of what the top guys are using.  Then an implementation of an idea to increase stifffness sideways lowdown without increasing fore/aft stiffness. Follow the fix here.

With a flat battery in the Tack-Tick Micro Compass and the fact that only a straight out replacement of the compass as the only option was enough to persuade me to take the compass apart and have a go at a fix.  Follow the installation of a new battery here.

Available now after some years in development and testing is BoatSpeedWax.  Just the ticket to increase boat speed through drag reduction coating on the hull.

Notice the visible difference? The area on the left, in the right hand photo, has been coated with BoatSpeedWax while the area on the right has not. On the uncoated area, surface tension maintains a grip on the water, reducing boat speed. More information here or download (right click and "save as") the BoatSpeedWax product information and MSD Sheet here.

Working towards finishing the Finn Shop section on this web site.  This to enable Finn sailors to buy all those bits that tend to wear out and need replacing and available from various New Zealand based suppliers.