On Thursday, January 14 2011,  Georges Oser, honorary member of the Swiss Finn Association, died, age 75

Dear finn friends

On Thursday, January 14 2011,  Georges Oser, honorary member of the Swiss Finn Association, died, age 75. We have lost in him one of the pillars on which our class is built. He was one of the outstanding personalities among the finn sailors of Europe and enjoyed the highest reputation from sailors of other classes.

Georges was a Finn sailor with heart and soul, known for having participated in all regattas he could reach. Together with his wife Marianne he traveled all over Europe in a VW camper. And even though most of his fellow finn sailors preferred to stay in the hotel, at the end they always partied with him around the camper. Georges was well known for his friendly nature and his own sense of humor. He sailed the legendary Z1, in the early days always with a hat. Later on he was the first finn sailor who started wearing a helmet.

His sailing achievements are outstanding: winner of the Finn World Masters in 1977, 1980 and 1982 and a second place in 1981. He finished among the top five at Kiel Week and achieved a number of other great results. His contribution to the finn class was the creation of the „Veterans“, today's World Masters Championship. He was the  first masters president. If we sail today in huge fleets at the World Masters Championship, we should remember that this is the result of the work of Georges Oser!

After the death of his wife Marianne, his companion for all his Finn travels, Georges stopped finn sailing. He spent his free time with his new passion of riding motorcycles. He lived in Gelterkinden in Northwestern Switzerland and  kept up his contacts with his finn friends throughout Europe. On Thursday, January 14, he passed away in full health.

The funeral took place on Friday  January 21 in the Catholic Church of Gelterkinden.

In memory of a great finn sailor

Jiri Huracek
President of the Swiss Finn Association

 

Georg Oser - February 1 1935 to January 14 2011

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