News

The week from Sunday 31 May to Friday 5 June was supposed to be a great celebration, a celebration of 50 years of the Finn World Masters. It was going to be a great party and a great regatta, but sadly it wasn't to be.

However we decided to keep the Finn masters spirit alive for everyone and will be running the "Not the 50th Finn World Masters" over the same dates with a series of events and activities to keep you all amused and entertained while we wait for things to go back to normal.

We would encourage you to all engage with as much of this as you possibly can and enjoy the week with your Finn Masters friends. With so many of you doing press ups all over the world, by then you'll all need a break.

Some of the highlights are below, but there will be much more to look forwards to. It all starts on Sunday 31 May at 18.00 UK time for the Opening Ceremony.

The International Finn Masters Committee is delighted to announce that the 2021 Finn World Masters will be held in Medemblik, The Netherlands.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 Finn World Masters at Port Zelande, and then the postponement of the 2021 Finn World Masters in Puntala, the Dutch Finn class immediately began to work on finding a venue for 2021 to complete their commitment to host the Finn World Masters.

It will happen 13 years after the last time the Finn World Masters was held in Medemblik. In 2008, many Finn Masters will remember a week of amazing tropical weather, great racing and wonderful hospitality.

The dates will be the traditional Masters week of 21-28 May. Planning is already underway and more details will be published as soon as they become available.

President of the Finn Masters, Andy Denison, said: “We are very happy that Finn Club Holland has stepped up and made this great offer in these uncertain times. We know we can rely on their enthusiasm and the experience of the Royal Yacht Club Hollandia to put on another great event for us. We have to wait longer to visit Puntala again, but I also know that will be well worth the wait.”

“We look forward to working with Finn Club Holland and Royal Yacht Club Hollandia over the coming year to plan what will now be our 50th Finn World Masters.”

The 2020 Finn World Masters was supposed to be the 50th Anniversary event, but all the celebrations have now been put back to 2021.

“I am sure that Medemblik 2021 will be a great party and as many Finn Masters as possible from all over the world will be able to take part.”

Chris Frijdal, President of Finn Club Holland, writes: “Dear Finn friends, of course we are very sorry that we cannot go to Puntala in 2021 as many Dutch Finn sailors have really good memories of the Masters in 2011. But we understand the extreme difficulties our Italian friends are facing, so we are happy to be able to take over from them.”

“We hope to welcome you, Finn Masters from all over the world, in Medemblik in 2021. Many of you will remember Medemblik as a great place to sail with often very nice conditions. Apart from the Finn World Masters in 2008, two Gold Cups and three European Championships were sailed in Medemblik. And of course many of you competed in the yearly SPA-Delta Lloyd-Breitling-Medemblik regatta. So many of you will feel at home in one of the best European sailing areas.”

“The very experienced Royal Yacht Club Hollandia will be our host again. So if the weather is like it was in 2008 and if the COVID-19 disaster is behind us we will have a fantastic FWM2021.”

“Hope to see many of you next year in good health.”

The 2008 Finn World Masters in Medemblik was the biggest fleet up to that time with 229 entries

Dear all Finn Masters,

It has been a challenging time for all of us both in terms of our normal lives as well as our Finn sailing activities. I hope you and your families remain safe and well.

For the Masters, the committee has been busy with schedules and planning for the future. Therefore we have a number of updates that you should all be aware of as we wait for restrictions to be lifted.

2020 Finn World Masters
I would like to start by thanking Jan Zetzema and his team for the amazing amount of effort and planning that went into the 2020 Masters, which was supposed to be our 50th Anniversary Masters. I cannot imagine the anguish it caused for them to have to cancel, but there was really no other decision to be made and we are grateful it was made so early. I realise some you had issues with Centre Parcs in getting refunds, but I do know that Jan was working very hard on your behalf to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.

2021 Finn World Masters
The 2021 Finn World Masters was supposed to be in Puntala, Italy. Unfortunately, due to the extreme effect of COVID-19 on Italy and the economy there, they felt unable to run the event in 2021 and requested a delay until 2024. We have granted this request, so the 2024 Finn World Masters will now be in Puntala. I know many of you will be disappointed, but we took this decision because we know how many of you want to sail there. It gives them time to get back on their feet after the devastating impact this year.

In the meantime we are investigating into the possibilities for an event in The Netherlands for 2021 and will come back to you as soon as possible on that.

2020 Annual Masters Meeting
While we clearly cannot hold our AMM this year and having an online discussion is not possible for so many people, we will hold a virtual meeting with a voting form. This will be released on Wednesday 3 June, when the AMM should have been held and voting will remain open for a short period to allow everyone to take part.

NOTE: Only those who entered, or intended to enter, the 2020 Finn World Masters are eligible to vote. If you were planning to come to Holland but had not entered, then please let Robert know on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 15 so he can add you to the list.

However the only vote of any substance will be for the 2022 Finn World Masters, for which there is only one bid, from Helsinki. We will keep the agenda as short as possible to cover the basic needs.

2020 Finn European Masters
At the time of writing this is still scheduled to take place. Everything is in flux at the moment, and we will keep options open for as long as practical. Robert is in regular contact with the organisers and some decisions will be made during the coming weeks.

Future bids
While the future remains uncertain, we are still waiting for bids for the 2023 Finn World Masters, which will be voted on in 2021. The 2021 European Masters is at Tihany on Balaton, but after that the planning is unsure.

I will address you all again in the Masters week, but until then, please stay safe and stay well and hopefully we can all get back out onto the water as soon as possible.

Andy Denison
President, Masters