Some "old" sea dogs found the blustery conditions a bit willing in an all-star reunion of Finn sailors. Many of the world's best sailors were left a little worse for wear after yesterday's all-star Finn-class regatta in Auckland.

In choppy conditions, leading sailors such as Dean Barker and Russell Coutts, along with Olympic medallists Craig Monk, Brian Ledbetter, Jochen Schuemann and current world Finn champion Sebastian Godefroid, could all be excused for feeling totally exhausted after the event.

The 17 competitors were often left gasping for breath as they battled strong winds in four races off Hobson Wharf. For many of them it was the first time they had been in a Finn in a very long time.

"I haven't sailed a Finn since the 1984 Olympics," said Coutts, who won gold in that event. "You realise you are a lot older and maybe not as fit," he said. "The racing was great and I don't think anyone had huge expectations." Coutts finished thirteenth overall.

Barker, who finished 11th overall, also said it had been a long time since he set sail in a Finn. "It wasn't made easy in the breeze; it was quite gusty," he said. "I think everyone was out there to have some fun, which you did once you got over the initial pain."

Not surprisingly, Godefroid, from Belgium, won the event ahead of Ledbetter, from Seattle, and Stuart Bannatyne, a crewman on round-the-world yacht illbruck. "I think it was a really nice regatta. We should try and do it more often," said Godefroid. "Russell Coutts is a big name and to be racing in the same group as him was great," he said. Godefroid finished second in two races and third in another. "Until they called my name, I actually didn't know that I had won," he said. "Everybody in this race is a great sailor. I couldn't take for granted that I would automatically win."

New Zealand Finn sailor Clifton Webb organised the regatta, thinking it would be a good idea to make the most of the presence of some of the world's top sailors in Auckland. "It is the first time the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race have been here at the same time so we thought it would be good to organise an event," said Webb. "I think it has gone really well but I hope the sailors are still my friends after what I have put them through!"

Results :

1. Sebastian Godefroid 16 pts
2. Brian Ledbetter (GBR Challenge) 18 pts
3. Stuart Bannatyne (Illbruck Challenge) 19 pts
4. Craig Monk (OneWorld Challenge) 21 pts
5. Richard Clark (Illbruck Challenge) 22 pts
6. Stig Westergaard (Djuice Dragon) 27 pts
7. Anthony Nossiter (Djuice Dragon) 28 pts
8. Joe Spooner (TNZ & News Corp) 29 pts
9. Jochen Schumann (Alinghi) 31 pts
10. Dean Barker (Team NZ) 35 pts
11. Glenn Bourke (Illbruck Challenge) 39 pts
12. Peter Lester 39 pts
13. Russell Coutts (Alinghi) 44 pts
14. Tony Mutter 44 pts

Former Black Boat skipper Russell Coutts and his successor Dean Barker next Sunday will stage their first battle off Auckland since the America's Cup schism in Team New Zealand. The pair will switch from helming Cup boats to racing Finns when they join a who's who of the small-boat class on the Waitemata Harbour.

Ever since Coutts quit the New Zealand Cup campaign and became the power behind Team Alinghi, the possibility of a Cup showdown between the super sailor and his protege has been a mouth-watering prospect.

It had been hoped Coutts and Barker would clash when next month's Road To The America's Cup regatta was held in Auckland but Team Alinghi, backed by Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, wasn't happy with the set-up. Instead Clifton Webb, New Zealand's Sydney Olympics representative in the Finns, has pulled off a coup by getting the former Black Boat teammates in his 17-strong fleet.

Coutts was a Finn gold medallist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games when he had to overcome boils on his bottom and survive a dramatic re-weigh before being crowned champion.

Barker has also experienced his own Finn drama. In the New Zealand selection trials ahead of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Barker had the nomination all but sewn up. But his arch rival and the Finn bronze medallist at the 1992 Olymics Craig Monk came from nowhere to snatch the selection.

Monk, the former Team New Zealand grinder who has switched to American syndicate OneWorld, will also be racing next Sunday while Webb is also hoping to contact John Cutler. If Cutler lines up, New Zealand's three Olympic medallists in the Finn will be sailing in the same fleet.

The mix of having the America's Cup syndicates and the Volvo Ocean Race teams in Auckland at the same time has allowed Webb to assemble an outstanding field for the regatta which will raise funds for his 2004 Olympic Games tilt. He said the sailors he approached had been enthusiastic about racing. They love the smaller boats, he said, but it is the bigger campaigns which pay the bills.

Webb is delighted to have Coutts and Barker - the biggest names in New Zealand yachting - while he describes the fleet as "pretty amazing". "I am pretty happy they are both doing it," he said. Webb said Coutts had needed some convincing but only because of his weight. A slimmed-down Coutts tips the scales at around 80kg whereas most Finn sailors are between 95 and 100kg and the heavier sailors will definitely have an advantage if the wind is up.

Webb said the sailors will be given the opportunity to practise next Saturday. Monk has already slipped in some sly training sessions. The sailors will go into a ballot for boats ahead of the four races. Webb is unsure whether he will be able to rustle up enough Finn boats to allow him to do the regatta.

Heading the overseas stars in the fleet is three-time Olympic gold medallist Jochen Schumann who is an Alinghi team-mate of Coutts. The current Finn world champion Sebastian Godefroid of Belgium is also a starter. Godefroid won silver in the Finn at the 1996 Olympics.

Swede Freddy Loof is one of the round-the-world sailors in the event. He was Barker's training partner in 1996 and is a three-time winner of the Finn Gold Cup.

Americans Peter Holmberg and Brian Ledbetter are other Olympic medallists in the Finns while Denmark's Stig Westergaard, who is sailing aboard djuice dragon in the Volvo, is a two-time winner of the Finn Gold Cup.

Confirmed competitors

Dean Barker (Team NZ) NZL
Russell Coutts (Alinghi) NZL ('84 Finn Gold)
Jochen Schuman (Alinghi) GER ('76 Finn Gold)
Craig Monk (OneWorld) NZL ('92 Finn Bronze)
Sebastian Godefroid BEL (Finn World Champ/'96 Silver)
Peter Holmberg (Oracle Racing) USV
Glenn Bourke (Illbruck Challenge) AUS
Peter Lester NZL
Joe Spooner (TNZ & News Corp) NZL
Tony Mutter (Team SEB) NZL
Stuart Bannatyne (Illbruck Challenge) NZL
Anthony Nossiter (Djuice Dragon) AUS
Stig Westergaard (Djuice Dragon) DEN
Brian Ledbetter (GBR Challenge) USA ('92 Silver)
Richard Clarke (Illbruck Challenge) CAN