After two more races on Wednesday, Brendan Casey from Australia continues to lead the Porsche Centre Brisbane 2026 Finn World Masters at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. Rafa Trujillo from Spain is in second place, followed closely by Karl Purdie from New Zealand. Race wins were claimed by Casey and Purdie, with 107 Finns from 16 countries competing in the event.
Initially, two races were set for the day to catch up on a previously lost race due to poor conditions. Race 4 proved to be challenging, with those on the edges of the fleet making significant gains. Casey managed to maintain a comfortable lead, followed by Australia’s Matt Visser and Fabian Lemmel in third place. Most sailors favoured the middle-right on the second upwind leg, though the top three networks remained the same throughout the race.
A prolonged wait ensued before the next race commenced as the wind shifted through 50 degrees, resulting in the committee boat being repositioned multiple times. Eventually, the race proceeded just before sunset. Rob McMillan from Australia rounded the first turn ahead of New Zealand’s Purdie and Filipe Silva from Portugal. Purdie successfully held off Trujillo at the top to secure the win, while event leader Casey had a difficult race, finishing in 15th place.
With two races scheduled for Thursday, forecasts suggest strong winds, raising concerns that racing could be impacted. The event concludes on Friday.
Britain’s Lawrence Crispin experienced mixed results on the day, finishing mid-fleet after a good start soured due to a poor tactical decision. Meanwhile, Kerry Spencer, sailing the only wooden boat in the fleet, expressed his joy in competing with his vintage Raudaschl Finn, sharing how it surprisingly outpaced modern boats during the day’s races.
The annual Masters Meeting held Wednesday confirmed Pula, Croatia, as the venue for the 2028 Finn World Masters, marking a significant return for the Finn class in the region after several years of inactivity.
Results after five races show:
1. AUS 11 Brendan Casey 5
2. ESP 100 Rafael Trujillo 9
3. NZL 111 Karl Purdie 16
4. GBR 74 Lawrence Crispin 22
5. POR 21 Filipe Silva 25
6. GER 501 Fabian Lemmel 28
7. ITA 40 Marko Kolic 32
8. GBR 790 Nick Craig 38
9. AUS 221 Anthony Nossiter 39
10. NED 148 Peter Peet 40
More details can be found on the official results page.
Follow the event with the hashtag: #finnsailing #fgc #finngoldcup #finnclass #finn #sailing #worldsailingofficial
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