A 'classic' Finn

[bamamick]

Well, pending the working out of a couple of details I have a deal to buy a '70's model Teel Finn. Less than $1500 for the boat and dolly. Aluminum rig. The reason that I chose this one over the Newport that is also for sale is that the Teal has air tanks. The Newport actually looked better but that can be fixed.

The idea is to sail this boat for two years and then buy a new boat, as in brand new boat, if everything is o.k. with the world at that time. This'll give me the chance to sail with my buddies again and practice with the Finn for awhile before moving on to a serious race boat. I have a couple of friends who sail their boats as 'classic' Finns, with the aluminum rigs and dacron sails, and I told my wife that that's what I will do with this boat. I am going to have it sprayed, get a new dacron sail and a cover and that'll be it. Just sail it for a couple of years.

I plan on keeping the Megabyte, and when I get a newer Finn I will probably keep this one as a loaner boat for the fleet. Hopefully by the time Sugar Bowl rolls around in December I will have the time and my 'classic' Finn will be lookin' good. I am pretty happy right now.

Mickey Lake

[bamamick]

Went ahead and sent him a check. The kicker was that a friend of mine in New Orleans decided to buy the other boat the guy had for sale and he offered to bring mine back with him. I could have made a side trip on the way to Mystic and picked it up, but this keeps me from having to turn a pleasure trip into a work trip so I can relax on my vacation. I did offer to pay for his gas on the way home.

This friend of mine is an interesting person. He had never sailed any small boat or any one design until the year before Katrina hit and we started the Finn fleet. There were four of us at that first regatta in New Orleans. Since then this guy has traveled countless thousands of miles to pick up boats for other people, owns something like five Finns, and has spent thousands of dollars of his own money and countless hours helping people get into the class and get out on the water. He is a very self-driven guy and has little patience for whiners or complainers and sometimes comes off as being a little caustic in his personality, but he will do anything for you if you need help. It's people like these that see a four boat fleet blossom into a 25 plus boat fleet in four years. That's what you've got to have for a class to succeed. In honor of his hard work and dedication USSA named him 'sailor of the month' at one point last year. A pretty good guy.

So, another boat joins the fleet. Amazing, innit?

Mickey Lake

[Noah]

Nice! It takes hard work to grow a good fleet. I'm impressed.

We have a local guy doing that with Lasers here - there are actually two of them who work as a team. They have built a greet fleet, and I believe hosted nationals last year because of it.

Congrats on the new boat.

[Jay Greer]

Great! Of all small boats the Finn is my favorite.
Jay

[UCanoe_2]

Congratulations -- I didn't think you would stay Finnless for long!