The most physically demanding boat in the world: the Finn.

“Sailing is a sport which required precision timing and accuracy. Make one error and it can cost you big time.”
“Sailing is part of who I am. It’s an addiction. It’s in my blood. My Name is Oli Tweddell, and I sail for Australia.”

Based out of the Sandringham Yacht Club in Victoria, Oli sails what he calls the most physically demanding boat in the world: The Finn.

Designed in the 1940’s, for the 1952 Olympics, the Finn isn’t what you expect when picturing a high performance sailboat. But extracting every gram of performance out of an old design is what makes it such exciting sailing, and just one of the reasons the Finn is the longest running Olympic class ever.

Carbon masts, kevlar sails; these boats aren’t cheap, despite the hull design remaining unchanged since the 50’s. They aren’t light either, weighing in at 107kg for the hull. Add the 100kg bloke required to sail it, and we’re talking some serious racing here, and Oli Tweddell is one of the best.

“Sailing is a sport which required precision timing and accuracy. Make one error and it can cost you big time,” says Tweddell, as the Finn he’s sailing rolls onto its side. Just watching this kind of sailing gets the heart pumping a little faster!

Thanks to Ben Hartnett, who made this short film for his final media studies project, we get to see inside the life of a Finn sailor. You’ll see what it’s like to sail the most physically demanding boat in the world, what it takes to prepare for every race, and how far these athletes push themselves in their bid for Olympic Gold. That’s the goal for Oli, because the Australians have never, not ever, won a Gold Medal in the Finn class.

Check out the exceptional movie below.