Falmouth is famous for its harbour. Together with Carrick Roads, it forms the third deepest natural harbour in the world, & the deepest in Western Europe. It is also famous for being the start or finish point of various round-the-world record-breaking voyages, such as those of Sir Francis Chichester and Dame Ellen MacArthur. Triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, who learned to sail in and around Carrick Roads.

The selection of London / Falmouth Cornwall as the venue for the 2012 Olympics Games has brought about many exciting opportunities for the United Kingdom and for competitors and visitors planning to attend the Games.

Cornwall is one of the most beautiful regions of the UK and yet with only one land boundary is virtually a separate country. One of Cornwall’s finest natural gems is the Fal Estuary, the third largest natural harbour in the world and a haven for marine activities of all descriptions but with a firm emphasis on sailing.

Falmouth has been a spiritual home of sail since the days of Tall Ships and Square Sails and the Post Office Packet Service of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Falmouth for Orders” were the sailing instructions for hundreds of sailing vessels as European merchant ships made their homeward journeys up the Western Approaches to
mainland Europe. With the advent of steam and the railways the commercial importance of Falmouth diminished and the marine activities now centre on recreational watersports.

The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club was the founded in 1871 and is the premier Yacht
Club in the Port and has hosted sailing regattas from its inception ranging from the J Class in the 1920’s right up to the J80 Worlds in 2005. In 2012 Falmouth Town Council and the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club would like to host the Finn Gold Cup and accordingly seek the approval of the International Finn Class Association to grant the Town and Club permission to run the event as part of a Falmouth Finn Festival to be held in May 2012.

Due to Falmouth Bay being comparable to Weymouth Bay, the sailing venue for the 2012 Olympic Games the organisers would like to propose the event is also the 2nd Olympic qualifier for the Finn Class.

The draft itinery for the event is for the UK Finn Class Association to host the UK Nationals to start the Festival followed by several days training and development before the Gold Cup itself.

introduction:
The Gold Cup will be the largest international event taking place in Cornwall in 2012. It will be the star attraction and will dominate Falmouth to a much greater degree than any of the recent Gold Cup venues where the spotlight has been shared by other events or regattas.

It will be an intimate venue where competitors will become members of the community during their stay.


Falmouth and indeed the entire Cornish Community would like to offer the Finn Class the opportunity to spend the whole of May in Cornwall. Arrangements are in hand to offer competitors, coaches, friends and family cheap accommodation throughout the Finn Festival and this can be extended for longer upon request.

This will give sailors the opportunity to establish a training base in Cornwall in the lead up to the Games. Plymouth is within 90 minutes drive and allows easy access to the Continent for Hyeres and Medemblik whilst Weymouth and the Sail for Gold regatta are equally accessible. Falmouth offers an economical base for sailors coming over to Europe for the summer with sailing waters identical to Weymouth in relation to winds and tides.


In the build up to the Olympics a base is a prerequisite and we believe Falmouth provides a practical solution without endless motorway journeys and treks to various regattas.

Competitors at the Falmouth Finn Festival will have the options of competing in Europe or remaining for training prior to the Sail for Gold regatta and the Games.

Self Catering Accommodation for the Olympics Falmouth Cornwall 2012



Accomodation