Falmouth welcomes the world elite to JP Morgan Asset Management

Day -2 Major Championships 2012

The JP Morgan Asset Management Falmouth Finn Festival continues this weekend with the opening of the Finn Gold Cup, the class world championship with 94 entries from 30 countries registered.

As an Olympic Qualification Regatta, the principal objective of the week is to select the remaining six nations for the 2012 Olympic Competition. Of course many nations are also using the regatta as their final sailor selection event, so the stakes are about as high as they could possibly be for many sailors here.

The regatta is being hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, though the event is based at the Falmouth Watersports Centre with racing taking place in Falmouth Bay. A series of 10 races will constitute the opening series from Sunday 13 May to Thursday 17 May, with a medal race for the top 10 and an 11th race of the rest on Friday 18 May. The festival concludes next Saturday when the sailors will take part in the Olympic Torch relay, which passes through the town on the first day of its route around Britain.

Qualification

The Finn Class has a quota of 25 entries into the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. Eighteen nations qualified last December at the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships: , , , , , , , , , , the , , , Slovenia, , , Ukraine and the USA, in addition to Great Britain as the host. The final six nations will be known by the end of next week.

The top favourites for the remaining places include Austria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, and Turkey, though there are also others sailors from Bulgaria, China, , India, Ireland, Lithuania, and Switzerland competing, and some of them stand a good chance of qualification if the week goes their way.

Form

The entry list includes four former world champions and three Olympic medalists. Seventeen out of the 26 Olympians from 2008 are also competing here. It is perhaps the highest quality fleet the class has fielded for several years. With a few exceptions it is fairly hard to predict any sort of form going into this regatta. It has been a very strange start to the season. Sailors peaked for the 2011 Finn Gold Cup in December last year and since then many have preferred to train in small groups rather than compete in the major events. Numbers at all events this year have been down with groups training in Cadiz, Valencia, Palma and other venues with only the Princesa Sofia regatta in Palma attracting the bulk of the top ranked sailors. In addition, the Europeans and Palma were generally very light while Hyeres was very windy.

Last week's UK National Championships provided a brief indication of form. Though (GBR) won the event, one man who arguably has some unfinished business next week is the five times world champion (GBR). After being denied a possible sixth title in Perth last December, he will be keen to rectify matters, in what could potentially be his final Finn Gold Cup.

Ainslie said earlier, “For me it's great to be sailing back in Cornwall where I grew up. I've never really raced here so I am learning a lot . It will be tough and I'll have to raise my game a little bit. It will be easier without Giles there, though it's still incredibly tough out there to win these races.”

Current world champion Scott is not able to defend his title next week due to a clash of dates with the the AC 45 event in Venice and his commitments to Team Korea. Scott explained, “I am sad that I'm not sailing the Gold Cup, but as much as I like Finn sailing, it is quite a good year to go off and do other things and get some new experiences."

Other former world champions (GBR), (ESP) and Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) will also be in contention, as will the 2008 Olympic silver medalist Zach Railey (USA), who also picked up the silver medal in Palma earlier this year.

However Ainslie's main threat will probably come from the last year's runner-up, Pieter-Jan Postma (NED). Having won two races last weekend, he is clearly on form and should revel in the conditions if the wind and waves are up. Ainslie famously denied Postma the silver medal at last year's test event and Postma is determined not to let that happen again, coming back more focussed and prepared, and promising to race harder than ever before.

The silver medal at the test event went to Jonathan Lobert (FRA), who is another favourite next week. Double European Champion Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) is also likely to figure highly. He won the last windy race at the UK Nationals and is one of the most focussed sailors on the circuit. Historically he has always performed better in light winds, but now seems to have overcome that and looks to be equally as quick when the breeze is up.

Kljakovic Gaspic said, "Getting ready for the Gold Cup I feel really good. I seem to have more speed especially in stronger winds which was a problem for me for a couple of years. So I am now quite competitive and I can't wait for the Gold Cup to begin.”

Other race winners or top performers could include Deniss Karpak (EST), Andrew Mills (GBR), Mark Andrews (GBR), Daniel Birgmark (SWE), Dan Slater (NZL), Chris Cook (CAN) and Brendan Casey (AUS), who recently won the Hyeres regatta.

We asked Scott for his predictions next week. “I would say Ben is the favourite. And then when it is windy PJ [Postma] will be quick. There are maybe four or five others who I couldn't decide between for the medals between, such as Ed, Jonas, Ivan and Jonathan, but for the win, Ben would be the safe money, going on history.”

Media A wide ranging media package is being rolled out during the championship courtesy of the main sponsor JP Morgan Asset Management as well as the International Finn Association including:

 Live race tracking with one of the industry leaders, TracTrac.  Daily live blog with on the water Twitter feeds and viewer comments  Photography by Mark Lloyd, the Finn class and others  Daily YouTube video round ups of all the day's action  TV highlights feed via download

All this can be found through the event website at: www.falmouthfinnfestival.com

Schedule

The opening ceremony will be held at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, adjacent to the regatta venue, on Saturday 12 May. Then, racing begins on Sunday 13 May with two races scheduled each day at 12.00 through until Thursday 17 May. On Friday 18 May the event will conclude with the medal race for the top 10 and the 11th race for everyone else. Saturday 12 May, Events Square, Falmouth 10.30am – 11.15am Meet the competitors, opportunity to interview and photograph competitors prior to the Gold Cup starting on Sunday 13th May

Saturday 12 May 6.30pm, Opening Ceremony at the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth.

Friday 18 May after racing (around 4.00pm) and at 8.00pm Prizegiving and Closing Ceremony at Festival Marquee at Events Square, Falmouth.

Fantastic maritime setting for the opening of the JP Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup Major Championships 2012

History, tradition and style are an inseparable part of the Finn class, so it was only fitting that the JP Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup 2012 was opened amid the wonderful exhibition of British Olympic heritage in the stunningly modern and stylish National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

Registration and measurement is now concluded and the event is the largest Finn Gold Cup for seven years with 98 boats entered. Around 60 boats today took part in the practice race in beautiful conditions, with a northerly 12-14 knots on the race area. In a break with tradition, one boat actually sailed the full course with Mark Harper (GBR), taking the winner's gun. The forecast for the coming week is for a range of conditions which should give the fleet a challenging week of sailing.

At the opening ceremony tonight, Peter Collett, Commordore of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club said, “This is a wonderful moment, not just because the sun is shining but because we have Finn sailors for the most competitive event in here, so Finn sailors, thank you for coming to Falmouth.”

“Four years ago this event was in our minds. The late Andy Tyler came and sat in my office and said, “What about doing the Finn Gold Cup?” So it's taken four years of planning to get to this point. Unfortunately Andy passed away last year, but this is his legacy, bringing this event to the best sailing waters in the UK.”

Balazs Hajdu (HUN), President of the International Finn Association replied by saying, “It is a great privilege for us to have our Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth and we would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation and preparation. I hope you all have a great and fair week's sailing and may the best man win.”

Following the speeches by Peter Collett, Counsellor Chris Ridgers, the Portfolio Holder for Economy and Regeneration from Cornwall Council, and Balazs Hajdu, Robin Taylor declared the event officially open.

Blog and tracking There will be a large media presence throughout the week in Falmouth, which will be complemented by a range of online media options so sailing fans can follow each and every race.

There is a live blog for the event which is now up and running and can be found on the home page of the event website at: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/liveevent/C1. This will include five event specific Twitter feeds and well as the Tweets of many of the sailors competing here in addition to all the photo and video links throughout the championship.

Each day a video of the day's highlights will be posted onto the class’s YouTube Channel, TheFinnChannel at: www.youtube.com/thefinnchannel and also onto the class's Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pages/Finn-Class/110408332633.

In addition, from Sunday, every boat will be tracked online using the TracTrac system which is available through a button on the home page of the event website,

Annual meeting

On Friday night the class held its AGM. Amongst a range of proposals, the meeting heard about the developments in the class over the past year and the challenges ahead. As usual the class received a wide range of bids for future championships with La Rochelle, France provisionally selected for the Europeans in 2014 and bids from New Zealand, France, Turkey for the 2015 Finn Gold Cup.

Various working parties led by some of the classes top sailors are also putting together long term strategies for fleet development worldwide, developing new formats for racing and holding development clinics in new nations. The used gear pool is gathering strength and will be used to help build fleets in nations where the Finn currently has no presence.

The online certificate database is now up and running and linked through the class website, while the class also discussed moving to more paperless solutions for its administration and certification processes, including membership checking at regattas. The overriding feeling of the meeting was that the class should adopt electronic processes wherever possible.

Festival

There are a lot of complementary activities happening in Falmouth as part of the Falmouth Finn Festival apart from the sailing. Events Square outside the National Maritime Museum Cornwall is the centre for most of the activities, but much of the local community is also getting involved.

- Kernocopia, an explosion of Cornish sporting treasures, explored through words, music, dance and performance, at 2pm in Event Square, free for all.

- The National Maritime Museum Cornwall is hosting the Royal Yachting Association’s Olympic and Paralympic exhibition ‘Our Sporting Life – Sail for Gold’ including a new interactive display, on behalf of Ben Ainslie, triple Olympic gold medallist. Entry charges apply.

- The sailing ship 'Matthew'- a replica of John Cabot's ship that discovered Newfoundland 500 years ago - will be berthed alongside the museum for the week.

- A free end of regatta party will be held in the marquee in Events Square following on from the Closing Ceremony through to 11.30pm with live music from local band Area 51, before the Finn Festival grand finale firework display at 10.00pm, co-sponsored by Falmouth Harbour Commissioners. - Finn sailors will welcome the Olympic Torch in Falmouth on Saturday 19th May on day one of the Relay around the UK. A host of activities are on offer ashore, many of them free of charge, to really embrace the Olympic spirit of friendship through sport including a 15 feet high replica flame at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, a RNAS Culdrose Sea King helicopter flypast, a display of more than 30 Cornish Gig boats around Custom House Quay, ending with the Falmouth Flame Party on Events Square, with free live music at 7pm.

More details can be found on the event website.

Racing

Racing at the JP Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup 2012 is scheduled to begin at 11.00 on Sunday with two races scheduled each day through until Thursday 17 May. On Friday 18 May the event will conclude with the medal race for the top 10 and the 11th race for everyone else.

Tricky opening day at J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup

Day 1 Major Championships 2012

The opening day of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK produced a mixed bag of results for many sailors with a shifty offshore breeze. After two races Ed Wright (GBR) leads Ben Ainslie (GBR) and Deniss Karpak (EST), while many sailors picked up high scores in the tricky conditions.

The fleet was initially held ashore but there was a further delay on the water as the wind clocked round to the west before a line was set. The first race finally got going under black flag at around 14.00 with one boat disqualified; Egor Terpigorev (RUS) led at each and every mark but unfortunately for him he crossed the finish line in silence as the winner's gun went to Ben Ainslie (GBR).

Terpigorev led Dimitar Vanelov (BUL), Ainslie and Ed Wright (GBR) round the top mark and though Ainslie moved through to

second on the first downwind he couldn't pass the Russian. Wright moved up to third across the line to place second in the race behind Ainslie, while Rafal Szukiel (POL) climbed from fifth at the first mark to end up third.

The second race was started very promptly with another black flag start following a general recall. Wright, along with (BRA) and Timo Haggort (NED) started on port tack from the pin end while Jonathan

Lobert (FRA) started at the committee boat.

At the top mark Wright just held the lead from Lobert with Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) and Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) close behind. On the first downwind Wright and Lobert had a great battle, made more exciting with the Oscar flag up for free pumping. Wright rounded the gate ahead of Lobert and these two extended on the second beat to build a nice lead.

On the final downwind Wright extended even further for a comfortable win with Ainslie moving into third and putting some pressure on Lobert in the closing stages. Zarif had a great race crossing in sixth. Ainslie commented, “It’s great to be racing in Falmouth on home waters in an event as important as the Finn Gold Cup. We had a great day on the water with good breeze. However, it was coming off the land so it was quite difficult and hard work tactically to take the right side of the course. Overall, I’m pleased with my day, the first race I managed to get near the front of the fleet and had a great race with the Russian sailor. Unfortunately, he was over the line at the start so he was disqualified from the race, but it was a good race and he sailed very well.”

“As you’d expect with the World Championships it’s a very tough level of competition. There’s quite a big range throughout the fleet; it’s great to see some of the older sailors from the UK racing, and also the younger sailors coming through for the future. Then we have a lot of the Olympic sailors who are training or competing here with half an eye on the Olympics in a couple of months’ time.”

“We’ll see what the conditions are like tomorrow; but potentially we might have some more wind, which will be quite physical. There’s a long way to go so we just keep looking forward and try to get some good races in.”

Second over the line in race two, Lobert summed up his day, “Today was a pretty good day, the first race was so so, I had a crash in the first start but I managed to come back pretty well after the first beat and the first lap. I then lost out again in the second beat so it was really up to the second race for me to do well to make up for it.”

“In the second race I started from the committee boat, I went to the right and tried to be as fast as possible to get to the top mark just next to Ed. From there we had a big fight on downwind which was good fun before the second upwind where I tried to pass him, but the timing wasn't perfect so he gained some distance and got away. For the rest of that race I was just managing to keep my second place, but I'm pretty happy with that.”

“It was great sailing out there; it was windy and really sunny so perfect conditions for sailing, the course was really well organised so we had a lot of fun. I hope to have good races this week, that's the plan, but I will take it day by day and and try to do my best every time.”

“I started at committee boat Ed at the pin end. Ed was really surprised after racing when he found out I started at the committee boat and tacked across immediately; it just shows that the wind is pretty shifty and you have to make the most of where you are to do well.”

This champion is the Olympic selection trials for many sailors, including the Canadians. After twio races, Chris Cook (CAN) sits in 6th place, while maain rival Greg Douglas (CAN) is in 19th, though he did pick up a useful seventh in the second race. He said, “Today I had a good second race - the first race was not so good. I got a little stuck in the fleet. It was a big fleet so it was tough to get out of it, but the second race went really well, I finished seventh so I'm really happy with that.”

“In the second race the pumping flag went up, which plays to my strengths, so I was really happy with that. I got a good start and tacked on the first shift, which made it easy. The tide I think was pretty slack today at the time we were sailing, so it wasn't too much of an issue. The shifts were pretty even, I think it was more from the pressure, you could see the big pressure lines coming down out there.”

“I'm happy with today overall, one good race, one bad race, so I can't complain. This is the trials so every point counts really, we're working hard, the top boat goes so we'll see how it turns out in the end.”

World number 2 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) didn't have the best day. However despite placed 26 and 16 today he was upbeat about the rest of the week. “It’s still just the beginning. Two races are just the beginning of the week. The rest of the week I think is going to be interesting and anything is possible. Same way like I did today, anybody else can do a bad day so we can see also some other good sailors have bad days. I think it just the beginning so I’ll clear my head, tomorrow is a new day so I’ll wake up in the morning and go for it.”

“It was difficult, extremely difficult. From the beginning it was just going bad, the decisions that I took were questionable, it turned out quite bad so I hope it’s going to be my worst day.

So after two races, the 2010 world champion Ed Wright leads the five time champion Ben Ainslie by one point, with the new world number five Deniss Karpak, who scored two fifth places, ending the day in third.

Racing continues Monday with two more races scheduled from 11.00, and with stronger winds forecast, it should prove to be another great day of racing in Falmouth.

Top 10 after two races 1 GBR 11 Edward Wright 3

2 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 4

3 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 10

4 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 12

5 POL 17 Piotr Kula 19

6 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 20

7 POL 7 Rafal Szukiel 23

8 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh‐Christensen 23

9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 27

10 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 28

Full results: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/goldcup-results/C1

Ben Ainslie leads British top three at J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup

Day 2 Major Championships 2012

It was a great day for the British sailors on the second day for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. Ben Ainslie (GBR) won the opening race to take the overall lead while Ed Wright (GBR) dropped to second and Andrew Mills (GBR) had another good day to move up to third. The second race of the day was won by Chris Cook (CAN).

The big question for the sailors today was whether to favour the left or the right. With dark clouds, moderate to strong winds and intermittent rain all day, there were some big gains to be made by choosing the correct side. Race officer Peter Reggio was delighted that the 94 boat fleet got away cleanly on both starts at the first attempt, perhaps an indication that they didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary in the inclement conditions.

The left side was favoured on the first beat with overnight leader Ed Wright (GBR) leading round the top mark from Andrew Mills (GBR) and Anders Pedersen (NOR). Jonathan Lobert (FRA) then found more pressure on the right on the first downwind to take the lead at the gate from Ainslie and Wright.

On the second upwind, Ainslie and Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) favoured the right side and rounded the top mark in the lead.

Mills moved from third into second on the final downwind with Ainslie extending for a second race win to the the overall lead of the championship.

Race four started very quickly with the left side again proving popular. This time Mark Andrews (GBR) led Ainslie round the top mark, but they went the wrong way on the first downwind, while Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) found more pressure in the right to round the gate ahead of Lobert and Chris

Cook (CAN).

The second upwind sealed the fate of many with a big right hand shift as the clouds cleared. Cook was just under the leading bunch and lifted up to the mark to lead down the final run. Lobert went high and Postma went low, but Ainslie found a way through in third. At the finish, they were separated by no more than 20 boat lengths, with Cook taking a well deserved win from Lobert and Ainslie.

Ainslie said, “It was really tough out there today, it was quite windy, a lot of rain and low visibility so it was a difficult day for everyone and physically a real challenge. In the first race a front came through with quite a big wind shift to the right hand side, and made it a little bit difficult, but that’s part of the challenge of sailing in these conditions. In the second race I went the wrong way, there was a big clump down the right hand side and also the wind shifted a little bit to the right. It was a difficult run but I managed to contain the loss and then catch up with the rest of the race so I overall I’m happy with my day. It was great racing out there despite difficult conditions.”

After a good day, Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) moved up to fourth overall. “It was pretty shifty out there, but actually pretty good racing. In the last race we got a big shift in the end and that kind of ended the race for most but I think pretty much the both races were fair. I got a terrible start in the first race but I managed to claw my way back and finished in fourth. The second race was pretty much the same story, but I lost a couple because of that big shift and had a sixth so it was a pretty good day, could have been a little better, but I’m pretty satisfied.”

Someone who also had a better day was Postma. “Today we had two good races; it was interesting. I haven’t found my rhythm yet, but today was better. On the last run I let Ben through, sometimes you have to be gentleman! When the wind changed they put a change of mark but it was not clear where we should go so it was not really clear where the finishing line was, so I had a little bit of difficulty to find it.”

Race four winner, Cook said, “On the first beat I thought that the right side was going to have something in it, I think it’s the typical thing that’s been happening in all the races is a little bit of left and a little bit of right, it’s just how you play your side. So I got to the top in decent shape, and I got to the right side of the run as fast as I could and the pressure filled in from there and it sort of set up the opportunity to round with the top guys. Then the second beat again I was worried about the right side and I was forced to the left gate, I was up quite a bit on the right so I just had to wait. I got in front just in time for that big right shift and then it was a nice easy reach on the way in.”

Lobert is up to fifth overall, “In the first race I was leading at the downwind mark and on the second beat I didn’t manage very well. I lost a lot of places so I finished sixth. In the second race I was leading again, so I said this time I need to take care and not miss the shift, so I was playing more on the right hand side. I saw this rain coming on and then this light, stopping the rain so it means that usually it’s going to the right hand side so I was playing more on the right. But I was a little bit too much on the right so two guys managed to pass me at the top mark, then on the last downwind it was freaky because we didn’t see the finishing line so we were all looking around wondering where the finishing line was. I managed to end up second though so I am very happy with that.”

So after day two in Falmouth, The British team fill the top three places, while behind them the form is beginning to establish itself. Several top sailors had better results today so there could be a significant change after Tuesday's two races, again scheduled for 11.00. The forecast is for some sunshine, and strong winds. At least some in the already tired fleet will be thankful for the sunshine,

VIDEO ADVISORY

The daily highlights from day one is now available on the Finn class YouTube channel, TheFinnChannel. Day two highlights will be posted shortly. Day one: http://youtu.be/qTW1sHVzL8c

Top 10 after four races 1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 8

2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 15

3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 25

4 DEN 2 Jonas High‐Christensen 33

5 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 35

6 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 37

7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 42

8 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 45

9 NED 842 Pieter‐Jan Postma 51

10 AUS 1 Brendan Casey 54

Full results: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/goldcup-results/C1

Day 3 Ben Ainslie dominates 'brutal' day three at J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup

If any proof is needed that Ben Ainslie (GBR) is at the top of his game, then today was proof indeed. After dominating and winning both races in the brutal environment of the cold and windy Falmouth Bay, he now takes a 10 point lead over Ed Wright (GBR) and Andrew Mills (GBR) at the half way stage of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup.

Tuesday was always going to be the big wind day in Falmouth and it didn't disappoint though it wasn't the epic day many were forecasting. However, with temperatures plummeting in the northerly winds, the

16-20 knot wind felt like a lot more. The sea remained relatively flat for the wind speed, with the wind coming off the land and making the racing tricky and very tactical with large shifts as the fleet approached the windward mark.

Most of the fleet favoured the left side on the first beat of race five, with the leaders crossing tacks several times before they rounded. Rafael Trujillo (ESP) rounded first from Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) and Ed Wright (GBR). Ben Ainslie (GBR) rounded in fifth but had moved up to second behind Høgh-Christensen at the downwind gate. The two traded tacks on the second beat, before Ainslie sailed further to the right and found a way through. Ainslie rounded the top mark clear ahead ahead while Piotr Kula (POL) had sailed a great second beat to move up to third.

The race ended with two fast and thrilling reaches down to the finish. Ainslie and Høgh-Christensen extended on the fleet by several hundred metres, while Kula capsized and lost ground. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) took advantage of that and crossed in third.

The race committee was keen to get things moving fast as by now everyone was extremely cold. Høgh- Christensen was again in good form, rounding the top mark ahead of Mark Andrews (GBR) and Ainslie. Ainslie was impressively fast down the run sailing past his

rivals to round the gate with a 50 metre advantage. From there he played the shifts on the left on the second upwind to lead down the reaches for a substantial win.

Høgh-Christensen had dropped back on the second upwind as it became a battle of perseverance in the tough conditions. Finally Tapio Nirkko (FIN) emerged into second with Andrew Mills (GBR) in third. Nothing much changed down the reaches and they finished in that order.

At the half way stage Ainslie has yet to put a foot wrong with nothing below third place in winds from 8

to 22 knots. He is already looking hard to beat. Ed Wright continues to be consistent enough to maintain second while Andrew Mills is able to discard his 21st from race five today to remain in third overall. However with the discard kicking in the points are getting closer. Høgh-Christensen is just one point behind Mills while the next four boats are all within six points of each other. The race for Olympic selection is increasing its pace now for the six nations that will qualify here. Top performer so far is Piotr Kula who picked up a 12th and a fifth today to end up in seventh overall, ten places ahead of his main rival Rafal Szukiel (POL) who didn't have such a good day.

Other nations currently in qualifying positions are Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, China and Turkey. While Germany and Austria have lone sailors here, China, Czech Republic and Turkey have several here and those trials also need to be decided.

Despite his capsize in race five Kula still sailed a counting race. “I was in third place at the time, actually it was my mistake because I didn’t see the gust coming and my boom just touched the water and I capsized. I lost quite a few positions but I gained them back in the next race because I finished fifth in the last one, I’m really really tired, but happy.”

“It’s been going really well so far, there’s been three days of sailing and I’ve had four races in the top ten so this is really good. We’ve already had two trial regattas for the Olympics, in Majorca and Hyeres, and after Hyeres I was leading with one point over my colleague, Rafal, so far I’m keeping this so hopefully it will stay like this.”

Second overall Ed Wright summed up his week so far, “I got a first on the first day, then slipped to second over the last couple of days. Ben’s been sailing pretty well, and I’ve been struggling with the tactics on the last couple of days. I’ve been rounding the top mark always pretty good but then the second beat is not so great. But I’m pretty happy with the way I’m sailing. They are great conditions out there and I’m really enjoying being in Falmouth and racing against these guys; it’s tough competition.”

“Today it was pretty windy and upwind I was going pretty fast but I’ve only done a small amount of sailing this year and I just pretty much went into survival mode on the run. I slipped a little bit on the run actually but I did come out today with a fourth and a fifth and I’m really happy.”

Hoegh-Christensen said, “The first race was quite tricky. I didn’t get a good start but I managed to fight my way back and sail a very good first beat and got back up to second, rounded in second and passed Rafa down the run and I was first at the bottom, and then I was duking it out with Ben all the way up the beat and I did a small mistake and he passed me.”

“In the second race I led around the windward mark by quite a bit and it was looking pretty good all the way round, then I got into a bit of a hole down the first run and Ben and Mark Andrews passed me and then on the second beat I couldn’t hit a shift to save my life and I ended up rounding in tenth so it was a total catastrophe. I got back up to eighth. I think there’s a good chance I could climb back up the leader board. I got a little closer to Ed and Mills so there’s a good chance I can hopefully pass them tomorrow.”

Another sailor having a great regatta is Tapio Nirkko, currently in seventh overall. “Today was a really brutal day, conditions were extremely tough, the temperature is quite low and it’s quite gusty and windy today so it was challenging for everyone. In the first race I had some troubles in the first upwind, my tactics were quite bad and I was completely in the wrong corner but it was a good recovery and decent result. In the second race I started better and I got perfect lines right from the beginning. I was pretty much picking up places the whole race until the end so I’m quite happy with that. It’s challenging and it’s the same for everybody, but that’s why we are here.”

Mark Andrews has improved his position every race, ending up with a seventh and sixth today to sit in 11th overnight. “The regatta started off pretty bad for me but it seems to be getting better and better as each race goes on so that’s good and hopefully I’ll be somewhere near the top of the pile at the end of the week. Obviously Ben’s got a good lead at the moment but I hope to be somewhere near the top five, and a chance of a medal would be good.”

The final word today comes from regatta leader Ben Ainslie, “It was a great day and really awesome sailing but hard work. Tactically it was hard and physically it was harder but I had a good day. It was mainly about getting the shifts right but the left played well at the top of the beat. There were quite a lot of shifts out there so I was just trying to be on the right side of the big ones.”

There will hopefully be some respite for the sailors tomorrow with very light winds forecast. There are just four more races before the split for the medal race on Friday. Wednesday's two races are sheduled to start at 11.00 and you can follow the racing every day on the event blog at: http://falmouthfinnfestival.com/liveevent/C1

A highlights video from day three will soon be posted on http://www.youtube.com/thefinnchannel

Top 10 after six races (one discard) 1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 7

2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 17 3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 28

4 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 29

5 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 41

6 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 42

7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 44

8 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 47

9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 51

10 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 54

Full results: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/goldcup-results/C1

No racing on day four in Falmouth

Day 4 Major Championships 2012

There was no racing on day four of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK, after the wind spent most of the day spinning circles around the race committee. Three races will now be sailed on Thursday, to conclude the opening series, before Friday's medal race and final race.

Lights winds forced an early postponement ashore and the sailors waited. AP was lowered at 11.15 with 6-7 knots out of the race course and the boats were sent out hoping for at least one race. However, as the soon as they arrived the wind dropped, shifted picked up, shifted, dropped and finally set in at around 10 knots. The race team got as far as setting a course before a 90 degree shift through west turned the course on its head.

With further changes to the wind strength and direction the race officer pulled the plug and sent the fleet home early to enjoy the daily pasta, supplied by Sainsbury's, and served in the dinghy park straight after racing.

Principal Race Officer, Peter 'Luigi' Reggio, described the day, “We were planning to hopefully get started after 12.30 looking at the breeze starting to build up earlier in the day. The forecast was never brilliant and the day certainly proved it, starting out due south before going round to the north west, west and then it went south east, we moved the committee boat and it was starting to look good for a while. We started to lay the start line but the pin end was directly downwind so that wasn't going to work, after trying to get back to the west the breeze finally died, we had about 7-8 knots for 20 minutes and then that was the end of it. It had changed so many times throughout the course of the day, that when it died down it was time to pull the plug.”

Asked why he enjoys coming to Finn regattas, he said, “It's the people. From the organisation down to the sailors, the people I get to work with are fantastic. The sailors are a really tight bunch of guys and they have a lot of fun in what they do. They are really serious out there and sometimes pretty brutal. It's a tough bunch of sailors, but you get somebody new in the class and instantly they are helping them. It's fantastic to see. They are really a fun bunch to work with.”

One of the sailors here looking to qualify his country and gain selection for the 2012 Olympics is Matthias Miller (GER). So far he has sailed a good regatta and sits in 22nd place after six races, well within the qualification zone.

“My regatta is going well. It was strong winds yesterday I had a good day and my boat speed felt very fast and then we had light winds today with no racing, but it will be strong winds again tomorrow so hopefully we will get three races in. For me the conditions we have had here haven't been too much of a challenge. I'm quite a good all round sailor. I felt fast in the strong winds so hopefully tomorrow I can get a couple of good races in.”

On qualification, “I have to be in the top ten nations here to qualify for the Olympics, at the moment it's quite hard to get in to this position but with three more races it is defiantly possible.”

Though there is no junior championship here, there is still a tense battle to be leading junior at the world championship. The leading junior is Jorge Zarif (BRA), the 2009 Junior World Champion in 28th place. Martin Robitaille (CAN) is close behind in 35th while Anders Pedersen (NOR) is further adrift in 40th.

So there will be three races on Thursday, slightly shorter than normal and with a forecast of 20 knots from the east it could be the epic day everyone has been waiting for. Ben Ainslie (GBR) takes a ten point into the day and if it all goes his way, he could end the day with his sixth Finn Gold Cup virtually in the bag.

British coach Matt Howard (GBR) commented, “We've got one more day of fleet racing with hopefully three races. The forecast is 18-22 knots so there shouldn't be any reason why we can't get the three races in. The expectations are that the team will continue to do reasonably well, we're pretty strong in that kind of breeze. As a team we need to make sure we keep plugging away, ensuring we don't do anything silly like putting letters on score lines, so tomorrow we will hopefully be in a position to make things interesting in the medal race.”

“Tomorrow's forecast is no different from yesterday's where Ben got two wins. He's on really good form at the moment and he's going really well in both the light and in the breeze so I think he will be looking to have a steady day and have two races that count.”

Thursday's races, scheduled for 11.00, will decide the split for the medal race on Friday and you can follow the racing every day on the event blog at: http://falmouthfinnfestival.com/liveevent/C1

Top 10 after six races (one discard) 1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 7

2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 17

3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 28

4 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh‐Christensen 29

5 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 41

6 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 42

7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 44

8 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 47

9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 51

10 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 54

Full results: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/goldcup-results/C1

Photos by Mark Lloyd

Et pour se détendre un peu, à suivre la version “traduction google” en français :

Pas de courses sur quatre jours à Falmouth

Championnats Major 2012

Il n'y avait pas de course sur quatre jours de la JP Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup à Falmouth, Royaume-Uni, après que le vent a passé la plupart de la journée de filage des cercles autour du comité de course. Trois courses seront désormais navigué le jeudi, de conclure la série d'ouverture, avant la medal race de vendredi et la dernière course.

Vents Lumières forcé un report au début à terre et les marins attendaient. AP a été abaissé à 11h15 avec 6-7 nœuds sur le parcours de la course et les bateaux ont été envoyés en espérant au moins une course. Cependant, comme l'Dès leur arrivée, le vent tomba, décalé ramassé, décalé, a chuté et, enfin, mettre en autour de 10 noeuds. L'équipe de course est aussi loin que la fixation d'un cours avant un déplacement de 90 degrés par l'ouest détourné le cours de sa tête.

Avec d'autres changements à la force du vent et de la direction du préposé à la course tiré la prise et envoyée de la maison de la flotte tôt pour profiter de la pâte par jour, fournis par Sainsbury, et a servi dans le parc dériveur tout de suite après la course.

Directeur de Course principal, Reggio "Luigi" Peter, décrit la journée, "Nous avions l'intention de nous l'espérons démarrer partir de 12h30 regardant la brise commence à mettre en place plus tôt dans la journée. Les prévisions n'a jamais été brillant et le jour certainement il s'est avéré, en partant plein sud avant d'aller-retour vers le nord-ouest, ouest et puis il est allé au sud-est, nous avons déplacé le bateau comité et il a été de commencer à faire bonne figure pour un certain temps. Nous avons commencé à mettre la ligne de départ, mais l'extrémité de la goupille était directement sous le vent afin que cela n'allait pas de travailler, après avoir tenté de revenir à l'ouest de la brise finit par mourir, nous avons eu environ 7-8 noeuds pendant 20 minutes puis qui a été la fin de celui-ci. Il avait changé tant de fois tout au long de la journée, que quand il est mort vers le bas qu'il était temps de retirer la fiche. "

Lorsqu'on lui demande pourquoi il aime venir à Finn régates, at-il dit, "Ce sont les gens. De l'organisation vers le bas pour les marins, les gens que je reçois de travailler avec sont fantastiques. Les marins sont un groupe très serré de gars et ils ont beaucoup de plaisir dans ce qu'ils font. Ils sont vraiment sérieux là-bas et parfois assez brutal. Il ya un tas de marins difficiles, mais vous avez quelqu'un de nouveau dans la classe et ils sont instantanément les aider. C'est fantastique de voir. Ils sont vraiment un tas de plaisir à travailler avec. "

Un des matelots qui cherchent à se qualifier ici de son pays et la sélection de gain pour les Jeux Olympiques 2012 est Matthias Miller (GER). Jusqu'ici, il a navigué une régate bien et se trouve au 22e rang après six courses, bien au sein de la zone de qualification.

"Mon régate se passe bien. Il était vents forts hier, j'ai eu une bonne journée et ma vitesse du bateau se sentait très rapide et puis nous avons eu des vents légers aujourd'hui avec pas de courses, mais il y aura des vents forts à nouveau demain donc j'espère que nous aurons trois courses po Pour moi, les conditions que nous ont eu ici n'ont pas été trop d'un défi. Je suis tout à fait un bon marin tout rond. Je me sentais rapide dans les vents forts alors j'espère que demain je peux obtenir un couple de bonnes courses po "

Sur la qualification, "je dois être dans les dix premières nations ici pour se qualifier pour les Jeux olympiques, au moment où il est très difficile d'obtenir pour ce poste, mais avec plus de trois courses, il est possible de défi."

Bien qu'il n'y ait pas de championnat junior ici, il ya encore une bataille tendue à être à la tête junior au championnat du monde. Le cadet est leader Jorge Zarif (BRA), le champion du monde junior 2009 à la 28ème place. Martin Robitaille (CAN) n'est pas loin derrière la 35ème place tandis que Anders Pedersen (NOR) est en outre à la dérive dans 40 ans.

Donc, il y aura trois courses le jeudi, légèrement plus courts que la normale et avec une prévision de 20 noeuds de l'Est, il pourrait être le jour tout le monde épique a été d'attendre. Ben Ainslie (GBR) prend un point dix dans la journée et si tout va son chemin, il pourrait finir la journée avec son sixième Coupe de Finn pratiquement dans le sac.

British entraîneur Matt Howard (GBR) a commenté, "Nous avons un jour plus de régates en flotte avec, espérons-trois courses. La prévision est 18-22 noeuds de sorte qu'il ne devrait pas être une raison pour laquelle nous ne pouvons pas obtenir les trois courses po Les attentes sont que l'équipe va continuer à le faire raisonnablement bien, nous sommes assez forts dans ce genre de brise. Comme une équipe, nous devons nous assurer que nous garder à trimer, nous assurer que nous ne faisons pas de bêtises comme mettre des lettres sur des lignes d'entailles, si demain nous espérons être en mesure de rendre les choses intéressantes dans la medal race. "

«Prévisions pour demain n'est pas différent d'hier c'est là que Ben a eu deux victoires. Il est en forme vraiment bien en ce moment et il va vraiment bien à la fois dans la lumière et dans la brise alors je pense qu'il sera à la recherche d'avoir un jour régulière et deux courses qui comptent. "

Courses de jeudi, prévue pour 11h00, décidera de la répartition de la medal race, le vendredi et vous pouvez suivre la course tous les jours sur le blog événement: http://falmouthfinnfestival.com/liveevent/C1

Ainslie scores hat-trick in mammoth conditions in Falmouth Finn Gold Cup

Day 5 Major Championships 2012

Awesome is an overused word, but today it doesn't really come close to adequately describe the performance of Ben Ainslie (GBR) on day five of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. In the toughest, roughest conditions that much of the fleet have sailed in for many years he took three race wins and is now within a whisker of his sixth Finn World title. Ed Wright (GBR) remains in second while Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) moves up to

third.

The morning forecast was somewhat daunting as the fleet set out under the threat of 30 knots winds and big seas by the afternoon. Three races were scheduled to make up for those lost on Wednesday, and though 85 boats made the first start, by the third race there were only 53 boats left on the water. The wind rose from 15-16 knots for the first race of the day to 20-25 knots in the third, and the wave also built to reach 2-3

metres in height, providing for some stunning downwind sailing so even those who were having a bad day were also having a fantastic day.

Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) obviously liked the conditions and had his best day yet, rounding the first mark in race seven in the lead from Greg Douglas (CAN) and Mark Andrews (GBR). Tapio Nirkko (FIN) rounded in fifth and moved up on the downwind to round

level with Postma, but at the opposite gate. Postma still led at the second upwind mark, while Ben Ainslie (GBR) had moved up to second. Then on the final run to the finish, there were lots of position changes. Ainslie stormed through to the lead to win the race from Ed Wright (GBR) and Daniel Birgmark (SWE)

The conditions worsened (or improved depending on your viewpoint) for the next race with big rolling waves coming down the

course. Matts Coutts (NZL) was the clear leader at the top mark from Douglas and Andrews. Wright had moved to third at the gate and then took the lead up the beat to lead down the first reach. Ainslie had recovered from a poor first beat to third place, but was handed his second victory of the day on a plate when Wright capsized on the gybe and Douglas went wide. Ainslie slipped through the gap and screamed off to the finish. Douglas crossed in second with Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) in third. Wright righted his boat and crossed in 14th.

The final race of the day was an epic of big winds, big waves and downhill sleigh rides that needed nerves of steel. Ainslie now had the measure of the day and rounded the first mark with a nice lead which he extended on every leg to win by 200 metres at the finish. Wright was again in second for much of the race but slipped on the final reaches to fourth. Kljakovic Gaspic crossed in second with Zach Railey (USA) sailing his best race of the regatta into third to grab the final place in Friday's medal race.

Ainslie described the day, “It was a pretty big day, amazing conditions. There were massive waves. It was an amazing day's sailing for everyone I think. It is not often we race in conditions like that so it was great, I think there will be a lot of tired sailors but I think most people had a smile on their face most of the time.”

“It has been a good week and this event is important but really the main focus this year is the Olympics coming up. It is good with that in mind but of course it is a great achievement to win a Finn Gold Cup. This fleet is very tight, there are a lot of good sailors so I've still got to keep pushing and making improvements. Obviously I am very happy with the way this week has gone.”

Wright summed up his day, “Today was probably the craziest days sailing I've had for a long time. It was enormous waves, really windy and it built all day. It was really exciting probably my favourite day. I wasn't really sailing just trying to keep control, it was quite a nice feeling.”

“Today was even more about survival than Tuesday. Downwind was just survival, there were quite a few capsizes and in my second race on the last couple of reaches I was winning by quite a way relaxing in survival mode. I went in for the gybe and capsized. It was hard because I went in the water and after that pretty difficult to get yourself back up and into the boat so I probably lost about 10 places there. The good thing is I can discard that race. Going into medal race tomorrow it's going to be close racing but we will just have to wait and see what happens.”

Kljakovic Gaspic said, “It was a lot of fun out there. To be honest it was great rounding the mark and watching the other guys capsize behind and get in trouble on the downwind, watching as you pass them by it was a good feeling to be fast but cautious. Today was quite a good day for me I had two really unlucky moments today, the first and third start a really big wave broke on my deck and flooded my boat with water, so about 30 seconds after the start my boat was totally sinking and I was trying to get it out as quick as possible.”

“Tomorrow will be good experience for the future and for the Olympics. I hope it will be windy to take advantage of the guys that are tired from today's racing, maybe I am a bit fresher than the rest.

It has been quite a tough week but I'm fit and strong and I have confidence in myself. I don't doubt my fitness.”2

For Douglas, this event forms his Olympic trials and had a great day to move up to 14th overall, while his main rival Chris Cook (CAN) unfortunately fell ill and didn't complete the last two races, to drop to 27th and now too far back to catch up.

Douglas said, “I saw the forecast this morning and put a little post on Facebook that I was going to teach the old boys how its done today and the wind picked up, the waves got big, it was a really good one out there today. In the second race coming around the reach Ed capsized at the gybe and then Ben got inside me at the gybe, but getting passed by Ben Ainslie was not the worst.” Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) is the only dinghy sailor from Ukraine to qualify for the Olympics and his week hasn't gone quite to plan. He sits in 21st place. “To my mind it’s the most difficult start to this season. I was ready to take the challenge physically, yet in conditions I didn’t reach my target. Having said that I’m quite happy with the outcome and my results. My aim and the most important thing was to finish in the top 20 regardless, so I had pretty consistent results in today’s races.

“It’s quite important for me to get down to Weymouth as soon as possible. Because of lack of financial support I didn’t have a chance to compete in last years Skandia’s Sail for Gold, nor in the Pre-Olympic test event”

In Friday's medal race Ainslie just has to finish cleanly to win a sixth Finn world title. Wright also has to just finish to win the silver. The real interest is the bronze, where technically any of the next six boats can take it out of the hand of Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN).

Following the medal race, the 11th and final race will be sailed for the rest. For some this is an important race as will determine the final places at the Olympics. Poland has already qualified. Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, China and Norway currently occupy the next six places, though some are dependent on National Authority requirements.

The medal race will feature GoPro stern cameras on each of the 10 boats, so hopefully by the end of the day we will have a idea what it take to be a world class Finn sailor.

Results after nine races (1 discard) 1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 10

2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 30

3 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh‐Christensen 64

4 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 72

5 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 72

6 POL 17 Piotr Kula 80

7 GBR 88 Mark Andrews 81

8 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 82

9 NED 842 Pieter‐Jan Postma 85

10 USA 4 Zach Railey 93

Full results: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/goldcup-results/C1

Photos by Mark Lloyd

Ben Ainslie secures sixth Finn Gold Cup as Falmouth Finn Festival closes

Day 6 Major Championships 2012

It has been a week of extremes at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK and the final day was no different. Though a medal race was attempted, it was soon abandoned and an hour later racing was completely abandoned for the day as the wind disappeared. This left Ben Ainslie (GBR) as Finn World Champion for the sixth time. Ed Wright (GBR) took the silver while Jonas Hogh-Christesen (DEN) took the bronze.

The forecast for the day was never very encouraging but racing did look possible. After a short postponement, the medal race was started in 6-8 knots. However within five minutes it became clear that things were going wrong as the wind switched off on the left, leading to the race officer Peter Reggio pulling the plug. He waited another hour or so, but then sent the fleet in as the wind had all but gone and showed no sign of putting in

a late appearance.

As far as Olympic selection goes Poland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Turkey and China join he 18 nations that qualified in Perth and Great Britain as host. Many also have to satisfy national requirements so the final line up is not definite.

Ben Ainslie (GBR) was presented with the Finn Gold Cup for a record sixth time. He previously won the Finn crown in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. “Winning this year is the most special [of all six titles] for me personally because it's where I grew up and learnt to sail and I have so much history here. And with the Olympics just around the corner it's a great time to go out and win a world championship.”

Is it his last Finn Gold Cup? “That's a good question. There's a chance it could be. I have had 10 fantastic years in the Finn and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going at this level, but I haven't made any decisions yet on any future Finn racing. I will see how things go this summer and what else happens and make a decision then. But I would miss the Finn if I gave it up. It's a fantastic boat. It's a great fleet, great sailors, and great camaraderie. And I think it's a real true test of sailing, ability and fitness.” Silver medalist Ed Wright (GBR) said, “It was a great week out there. I really had a lot of fun. The sailing was exceptional yesterday it was amazing; an epic day. And I really really enjoyed it. I am happy to come away with the silver but maybe a tad disappointed I didn't win but Ben has had a great week and is sailing really consistently – first, first, first, first, first … that's hard to beat really, just great great sailing from him.”

Bronze medalist Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) said, “ I think I had a decent, good week. I sailed parts of pretty much all the races quite well but I did make a lot of mistakes. I averaged about eighth so I am quite surprised to end up with the bronze. But my consistency gave me the extra to be ahead of the other guys. Ben and I were actually quite close together in most of the races but then I would make a mistake and he would go and win the race. That's pretty much how it happened all week. He sailed an almost flawless regatta; it's impressive.”

Fourth placed Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) said, “For me it was a pretty tough week and difficult from day one. I had a messy start and I was hoping to play it a bit better later but every day I had one good and one bad result so it wasn't the best week for me. But in the end a lot of guys made mistakes and I ended up fourth which is not too bad but you can see that Ben is sailing very consistently and he is keeping the game simple, fast and doesn't make any mistakes, which is normal when you have such good speed, so I would be surprised if anything else happened regarding his performance. Truly an impeccable week from him and a good job from him, but hopefully for us he is going to make some mistakes in the future.”

Fifth overall Tapio Nirkko (FIN) said, “It was a tricky week, but beautiful sailing condition. Yesterday was a really extreme day. With the waves, it was so much fun. During the downwind Zach and I were laughing and screaming. So I think everybody enjoyed it very much and it was great sailing. I managed to keep quite consistent tactics and was sailing quite consistently this week, which was one of my goals for this event and managed to avoid all the disaster races which is my weak point. I could finally sail on my level all regatta and I am really happy with my results here. Of course the medal was still available today, but maybe that's something for the Games. Ben was amazing. A good week for him, but perhaps a little bit unbelievable how he managed to put that kinds of series together in those conditions. But I still think he can be beaten at the end of July so we'll see what happens.”

Sixth placed Piotr Kula (POL) both qualified his country and himself for the Olympics this week. “This was the perfect week for me, but it was a really hard week. Last year I had an issue with my knee. That's why I didn't go to Perth, and actually it hurt badly this week so I was glad there was no racing on Wednesday. But the racing was tough, all the guys did their best, it's Olympic year and there are no excuses. I am happy because Rafal, my colleague from the team, was a hard and tough opponent. I am very happy to be going to the Olympics. I will do my best, but everyone will be fighting hard though. We are all friends on shore but on the water we fight hard. I am really excited. All my family believed I could do it, and they are also very happy.”

Seventh placed Mark Andrews (GBR) said, “This week was pretty good for me good to be in the top ten. I haven’t been in the top ten since 2010 so it's great to get into the medal race. I didn't particularly start the week very well, but made a really good comeback as the week went on. It's good to get seventh, but a shame not to race today. Ben sailed a brilliant week, though he wasn't the fastest out there he was definitely the cleverest. It's good for him on the build up to the games and a good confidence builder going into it.”

Eighth placed Andrew Mills (GBR) said, “The week went well for me at the start but I had a bit of shocker yesterday with some settings and things and I had no speed all day, which was the complete opposite to the first few days. I struggled as a result of that. I am a bit disappointed with the final result but it was a good call from Luigi not to sail today. Ben was going very well though it was annoying on some of the windy days not be set up a bit better and given him a run for his money. But he's sailing very well, fast and confident.” Ninth placed Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) also met his national criteria for the Olympics this week, “It was a great week racing here in Falmouth. We did nine races but no medal race but it was a great week in a variety of conditions. For me the week was all right. I didn't have the feeling I could have, so I could do better. I qualified myself for the games this week so that is a relief. I had to meet the quota and its strict for us and only the absolute best will do. Ben did an amazing job and is in a different class to the rest of us. He sits in his boat, sails it really fast, looks comfortable, puts a lot of energy into it and makes the right decisions. Ed in second, without too much sailing this year also did a great job and Jonas in third is progressing and it will be exciting for the Olympics.”

Tenth placed Zach Railey (USA) said, “My performance for the week was very up and down. I never really put myself in a position to be successful on the race course. I was always digging myself out of holes. I was always deep at the first weather mark and never really got into a rhythm this week. But I trying really hard and always trying to get the best results I could. I just sneaked into the top ten, so it was a little bit of a success this week after the way it started when it didn’t look like I would be anywhere near the top ten. Overall I am disappointed, but our minds are focussed on the Olympic Games in two months and for me that's all that matters for me this year. Ben sailed fantastic. When someone goes out and sails like he did you have to compliment them. He did absolutely fantastic. He's always very hard to beat, we know he will be hard to beat, but you always look forward to the challenge. But this week he was very impressive.”

Final results after nine races (1 discard) 1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 10

2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 30

3 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh‐Christensen 64

4 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 72

5 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 72

6 POL 17 Piotr Kula 80

7 GBR 88 Mark Andrews 81

8 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 82

9 NED 842 Pieter‐Jan Postma 85

10 USA 4 Zach Railey 93

Full results: http://www.falmouthfinnfestival.com/goldcup-results/C1

Photos: Mark Lloyd