MANY INCENTIVES FOR FINN CLASS SKIPPERS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 11

MANY INCENTIVES FOR FINN CLASS SKIPPERS

rpHE 1966 New Zealand Finn class championship for the Rothmans Silver Helm to be held at Charteris Bay. starting on Monday, promises to be a most exciting and spectacular event Forty-seven of the country's top monotype skippers with Olympic aspirations have entered and they will be severely tested over the seven-race series. There

will be many past and present champions competing and the outcome is liable to be in doubt right up to the final race.

The seven-race series is one of the most difficult to compete in because the accent is always on consistent placing rather than a few very high and very low placings. To achieve consistently high placings in a fleet of 47 racing yachts requires skill and concentration of a high order. One of the major attractions of this year’s contest —

and a reason for the large number of competitors—'is that the first four placegetters will qualify for a subsidised trip to the Pacific Finn Cup to be held on Botany Bay at Easter. The winner also is awarded the Rothmans grant to compete in the world championship series in France. In addition some of the provincial Finn owners' associations are subsidising further members to the Botany Bay contest. So far Auckland will send two, Gisborne one, Nelson one, and

Canterbury two. In this series then there will be plenty of incentive to gain a place in the first dozen. A past champion and 1960 Olympic representative, R. H. Roberts, will be a difficult man to beat But he will face formidable opposition from a group of equally good skippers. Among these will be T. J. Speed, C. A. Roberts and P. H. Letcher, from Auckland; A. J. F. Ballintine from Hamilton: the new South Island champion, J. T. Farmer, from Rotorua; the former “R” class champion, G. W. Gibbs, from Wellington, and a very strong Christchurch team headed by B. G. de Thier, J. S. Wearn, B> E. Treleaven, P. F. Pritchett and R. D. Eastmond.

An invitation race will be sailed tomorrow afternoon with the contest proper starting with two races on Monday. There will also be two races on Tuesday and one in the afternoons of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.