J.P. Morgan Asset Managment FinN Festival 2012. Falmouth

The World’s press will be focused on Falmouth for the J P Morgan Asset Management Finn Nationals and Gold Cup in May this year. The event will be the final qualifying opportunity for nations and individuals for the London 2012 Finn Class sailing event in Weymouth and will provide valuable pre-Olympics practice for up to 120 elite sailors.

Falmouth’s waters will be alive with the energy, excitement and drama of racing the festival, but what many might not realise is that there’s just as much energy happening behind the scenes. National Maritime Museum Cornwall (NMMC) will be witnessing this first hand as its stunning corporate facilities are being put to full use during the event, acting as a media centre for the world’s press descending on Falmouth.

The Learning Centre, with its floor to ceiling windows offers a taster view of activity on the water and will act as a conference and media centre alongside the Museums 100 seat Lecture Theatre. And, of course the best view in town is from the top of the Museum’s 29m tower which we’re expecting to be used as a ‘money can’t buy’ aerial photo opportunity to view the Finns as they slip into the waters from the Watersports Centre.

Tamsin Loveless, Head of Communications at NMMC, says: “We’re delighted to be able to support the JP Morgan Asset Management Finn Festival in this way. It’s an honour to be a partner and to be involved in such a major event for the town. From the opening ceremony party in our main hall to the very last day, we’re here to support the team, the press and to help Falmouth be seen as one of the world’s best sailing destinations.”

The Maritime Museum has also been successful in attracting the RYA exhibition 'Our Sporting Life – Sail for Gold' to Falmouth, as one of only six locations in the country. The exhibition celebrates Great Britain’s place as the world’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic sailing nation. There will be captivating anecdotes, photographs, keepsakes and boats of those heroes who made sailing history. And links our heritage with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing regattas taking place on the waters of Weymouth and Portland.

Triple Olympic gold and silver medallist Ben Ainslie said of the exhibition: “It is hugely inspiring. As a child growing up you heard about your heroes, but to see all the photos and memorabilia is hugely inspirational. It gives you a lot of pride in our sailing heritage which is important, especially for the younger generation to see what support the sailors now have in particular compared with how it was in the past.”

“With 25 nations already requested entry information for the Finn Championships, the event is shaping up to be the most prominent and competitive regattas ever to be hosted in Falmouth. The world’s press will be focussed on Falmouth, with announcements for the nations yet to qualify for the Olympic Finn sailing event “ commented Malcolm Bell, Head of VisitCornwall, at Cornwall Development Company. “The media facilities provided at NMMC are ideally placed, right in the heart of the action, to host the many national and international journalists who will cover the event.”