Pictures from the Mardi Gras 2008 One-Design Regatta
Welcome to Gulf Coast Finns.
Welcome to the official site for the Gulf Coast Finns.We are a newly formed band of sailors who have discovered the fun, complexity, joy, pain and thrill of sailing a 58 year old single-handed Olympic-Class dinghy.You say, who wants to sail a 58 year old boat? The answer is lots of folks.Just on the Gulf Coast alone from Texas to Florida, about 32 Finns have entered the racing scene with another dozen people considering the Finn. When you check the history of this class, you will see many of the top sailors in the world have raced Finns sometime in their careers like Paul Elvstrom, John Bertrand, Peter Gilmour, Russell Coutts, Iain Percy and the list goes on and on.Many of the Gulf Coast Finn sailors have been on the racing scene for many years in one-designand/or PHRF boats.Some of the Finn sailors are newcomers to sailboat racing.Since many of us are on a steep learning curve, the racing has been close for some.Some of the more advanced local Finn sailors like Lou Nady, John Dane, Marc Eagan, Andy Lovell, Benz Faget, Guy Brierre and Macho Slavich have set the bar high for the others.With some practice and hard work we will all be nipping at their heels real soon.One of the great things about this class is everyone's willingness to help each other become faster.When you look at the successful one-design classes around the country, the top talent can be found helping their competitors; after all, we are all here to sail, have fun, improve and compete.
Recently the fleet has seen an increased interest by other one-design sailors who have joined the Finn class as a platform for conditioning and practice. Racing the Finn in breeze above 12 knots will keep you fit and your reflexes sharp. The boat will prove to be a physical challenge while the very close competition will test you on a mental level by demanding constant decision-making tactically. Whether it is sailing upwind or downwind, the Finn will keep you on your toes. The only time you will have to rest is between races. After a great day of racing, you will see some tired folks but all will have a big smile on their face. So come and join the fun.Take a test sail on a Finn.Discover why these ordinary sailors have become FINNatics.
UPCOMING EVENTS Summer In The Pass Pass Christian Yacht Club Pass Christian, MS July 26-27
Birthday Regatta Pass Christian Yacht Club Pass Christian, MS Aug 2-3
Galloway Gulfport Yacht Club Gulfport, MS Aug 16-17
Back To School Ponchartrain Yacht Club Mandeville, LA Sep 6-7
Wadewitz Fairhope Yacht Club Fairhope, AL Sep 27-28
Southern Closing Regatta Southern Yacht Club New Orleans, LA Oct 18 or 19
Fall Dinghy Fest Rock Creek Yacht Club Dallas, TX Oct 25-26
Lagniappe Regatta Southern Yacht Club New Orleans, LA Nov 29-30
Sugar Bowl Regatta Southern Yacht Club New Orleans, LA Dec 27-28
Gulf Coast Finn Championship Texas Corinthian Yacht Club
The Juby Wynne regatta hosted by Southern Yacht Club saw eight Finns registered on Saturday. Conditions on Saturday proved to be challenging. With the winds in the high teens and gust in the 20’s, the Finn fleet was probably the most exciting fleet to watch on the Bravo course. The rule of the day was “keep the boats upright while moving down the course”. Someone made the suggestion “Make sure you stay hydrated”. Little did he know those words would be prophetic. On Saturday, the problem was not internal hydration. It was external hydration. Everyone except Scott Mason and Dall stayed upright all day. Scott does not really count because he skipped the third race.
This is the order of flips as I saw them from the rear of the fleet.
Race 1 1) Even though he did not flip, Dall was able to blindly control his boat with a spectacular 720. Even though he did not flip, his boat promptly placed a smack along side Dall's head by the boom for being lucky. The smack was heard across the entire race course. Now Dall looks like an alien (not my cousin-type) with this large bump growing from the side of his head.
Race 2 1) Macho flipped his Devoti on the first downwind leg. Since he was in 2nd place pressing Guy Brierre, he may have wanted an excuse for not being in first place. Do you remember when you use to play ball when you dropped an easy pass, you would fall on the ground and grab your knee like you were injured? 2) Being the team player I am, I waited until I passed Macho on the same leg and promptly performed a sympathy flip. Damn. I thought I was actually going to beat someone. NOT
Race 3 1) Guy performed a stunning flip on the 1st upwind leg of the third race. Being second to boom smacker, Guy tacked for the mark within the 2 boat length circle and proceeded to screw up the remaining boat's approach to the mark. You could feel the hesitation by the other boats as they pondered which side to pass without interfering with Guy. Since Guy had two bullets for the day, he figured he would retire for the day. I think he retired because he lost all of his remaining beers. He later admitted to me no beers were lost. That’s a good thing.
2) Now Louise gets the award for the longest flip. She flipped at the bottom of the 1st lap. I suspect she was trying to gybe for the mark and performed her flip for the RC to see. As Macho and I sailed past her, we saw plenty of people on standby for assistance. As we made our way down for the 2nd time, we saw her still in the water. By the time we finished the race, several other boats came over to assist (watch). All you could hear was Louise shouting "DO NOT BREAK MY MAST". Macho being the "gentleman" he is, promptly ordered Louise on the scat boat, the RC scat boat dude off the boat, asked Cal Jr to take his boat home and Macho rescued his "new" old boat (Mickey's old boat) from the clutches of Lake Pontchatrain. With the boat upright but full of water, Macho proceeded to remove the water from the boat. It was quite the sight with the sail up and the boat barely floating. When the third and final race was finished on Saturday, everyone was glad for it to be over. With all of the boats still intact and no serious injuries except for bruised egos, the Finn fleet was ready for another day of great racing after a few (many) libations and a good night sleep.
Sunday proved to be a remake of Saturday. As everyone dragged themselves to their boats hoping for less breeze, little did everyone know the day was going to filled with as much drama as the day before. Macho and Dall were tied for first. Guy was third two points back. Guy had to get two bullets. Dall had to stay in front of Macho. Me well I was in fourth because everyone either dropped out, was too scared or left town. In Race 4, the breeze was still up and building with gust in the 20's. Everyone was fighting for the committee boat side of the line. Dall started on port tack again. Yesterday he crossed us. Not today. I think Louise started on port tack as well but as she headed south on port tack. She dropped out later on that leg because “her vang was not working properly”. (Oooo ouch, my knee hurts). After a few tacks I found myself crossing in front of Guy and Macho 3/4 up the first leg. As the boats round the top mark, we found Dall, Guy, me and Macho. Nothing changed on the downwind leg. At the 2nd top mark, Macho had moved into 3rd. As we headed down the 4th leg, Macho and Guy start pressing Dall. WAIT. Dall attempts to pirouette in circles again. Nose down, @ss up, he hangs, he hangs, hanging , hanging, can he save it again, uhh, uhhh, NOooooooooooo!! Oh no!! Dall has flipped!! Just about 300 yard to go!! Oh damn!! As Macho and myself sail past him big smiles can be seen by us both. "Glad it is him and not me", we both say to each other. To make matters worse, he turtles and gets the brown crown. Guy-1, Macho-2 Me-3, Dall-4. Guy needs one more point to win the regatta. Dall is now one point back of Macho.
Race 5 As the R19s start the race, we start getting ready for our start. The breeze starts to build. I reach down to close my bailers, I look up and see the puff coming, I can not quite get hiked out quick enough, the boat loads up and rounds up. Oh $hit!!! I am flipping AGAIN!!! As I proceed to swim out from under the boat I know I have less than 5 minutes to get the boat upright. As I come up for air, the boat completes her roll, the mast pointing to China. As I struggle to get the boat up, I know the clock is ticking. I know I am inside of 4 minutes before the start. Wheww!! I got the boat up. I try to climb in. OH NO !!! SHE FLIPS OVER AGAIN. I am thinking to myself. I know I will be late for the start. As I swim around the boat again. I hear two guns. THANK YOU GOD. They have postponed the race. THANK YOU RC. I am sure they were enjoying the entertainment too much. "Maybe he will flip a third time." Is that laughter I hear? No, it must be in my head. Surely someone is not laughing at ME while I struggle to get back on my feet. Oh, wait. Was that me who was smiling while sailing past Dall about 20 minutes ago? Yep, what goes around comes around. Anyway back to the story. I FINALLY get the boat up. Now I how do I get my tired sorry @ss back into the boat. One, two, two, two, two, two, three. With lots of grunting and kicking like a mad man and a big sigh of relief, I am in the boat. Wait.. What's all this mud in my boat? I look up. Yep. You guessed it. It is my first brown crown. Now Dall and I match. Yep. What goes around comes around. I proceed to get the remaining water out the boat. As I sail past Dall, he says "That's not fair. You are suppose to do that after the race starts." Call it the luck of the Mexicans.
As we start the 5th and final race, Guy heads to the heavily favored pin end of the line. I get about half way there while Macho and Dall start at the boat. It is close for about half the leg. Guy hits a few shifts and starts to stretch out. At the top mark, it is Guy with a fairly decent lead, followed by Dall, Macho and me. We go around the bottom mark with no changes. At the 2nd top mark, it is Macho, Dall and me. Guy stretches out even more while leisurely sailing the remainder of the course. At the finish, it is Guy, Macho, Dall and me 9 secs behind Dall. Oh well maybe next time.
What a day to be on the lake sailing Finns. Chickens need not apply.
Guy Brierre and Macho Slovich on a power reach
Keeping it close
Lou Nady showing how it should be done (top left corner)
