Phinn Phun

Apparently there is some friendly rival in the UK between the sailors in two classes of single-handed boats -- the Phantom and the Finn. The Finn class magazine has a page dedicated to Phantom bashing and the Phantoms actually have a page on their website devoted to "Phinn Phun". Both classes seem to believe that their opposite numbers are "a bit thick".

Yachts and Yachting report that the two classes are to meet for some challenges over the next few weeks -- some racing at Northampton and my old stomping ground, Rutland, followed by arm-wrestling and beer drinking at the RYA Dinghy Show in March.

Phinn Phun has a whole bunch of jokes at the expense of Finn sailors, most of them variations on the classic Irish, Polish or blonde stories. Here's my favorite ...

There are three Finn sailors washed up on an island. Suddenly a genie appears and offers to grant each one of them one wish.

The first asks to be intelligent. Instantly, he is turned into a Laser sailor and he swims off the island.

The next one asks to be even more intelligent than the previous one, so he is turned into a Contender sailor. He builds a boat and sails off the island.

The third Finn sailor asks to become even more intelligent than the previous two. The genie turns him into a Phantom sailor and he walks back across the bridge.