INTERNATIONAL 505 CLASS 43rd WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Fact Sheet

Updated September 10, 1998

RACE:
43rd International 505 World Championship (and North American/pre-World Championship)

DATE:
North American Championship and Pre-World Championship

Registration - September 12, 1998
Practice Race - September 13, 1998 - 2:00PM
Competition - September 14 - 17, 1998

World Championship

Registration/Measurement - September 18, 1998
Competition - September 19 - 25, 1998

TIME:
12:00 noon race start each race day (weather permitting)

CLASS:
International 505 - The premier high performance two person racing dinghy around the world. One of the most widespread - if not the most widespread - high performance dinghy. The boat preferred by many of the Worlds top dinghy racers.

SPONSORS:
Title sponsor: Sea-Land
Other sponsors: McLube, Ronstan, North Sails, Ullman Sails, Heineken, Chester's Cider, Ipswich Ale, Grey Goose Vodka, Barcelo Rum, Heineken, 505 Region 2, Baxter's Boathouse - Sam Baxter, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Cape Cod Cranberry Cookie Co., Nantucket Gold, Ocean Spray, San Pelligrino, and Coca Cola of Cape Cod.

RACE COURSE:
Location - off Hyannis, Cape Cod, MA
Length - 13-15 miles
course diagram

FORMAT:
World Championship - Seven races with the worst finish discarded.

RACE HEADQUARTERS:
Hyannis Yacht Club, Hyannis, MA, USA

PARTICIPANTS:
Over 100 two-person teams from at least nine countries on four continents.

TEAMS TO WATCH:
Mark Upton-Brown and Ian Mitchell (Great Britain) - Upton-Brown/Mitchell won the 1997 International 505 World Championship held in Denmark. They have dominated the 505 European Cup events, and more recently won the very competitive 505 UK National Championship.

Ebbe Rosen/Olle Wenrup (Sweden) - Rosen/Wenrup nearly won the 1997 505 World Championship, finishing less than one point behind the winners. This same team was 3rd in 1995. Olle Wenrup previously won the 505 World Championship twice, crewing for Krister Bergstrom. The Rosen/Wenrup team are fast in all conditions, and are hungry for a win.

Howard Hamlin and Mike Martin (USA) - Hamlin has finished in the top five numerous times, and nearly won the '94 505 European Championship, and also came very close at the '96 and '97 World championship, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Mike Martin is a past Laser North American champion. Hamlin/Martin are the top ranked US West Coast team.

Ian Barker/Cripps (Great Britain) - The 1993 505 World Champions were a close second at the '94 World Championship, but had a disasterous 1995 Regatta, finishing well out of the top ten. They finished 3rd at the '96 World Championship. Ian has been racing the Olympic 49er - very recently winning the UK 49er National Championship - but was able to have a new 505 built and shippped to Hyannis for this event. Apart from 505s and 49ers, Barker has also won the Enterprise World championship.

Nick Trotman/Mike Mills (USA) - Trotman was on on the Team Racing World Championship team in 1997, and has been racing 505s with Mills for over five years. They were 9th at the '95 World Championship (their first 505 World Championship), and have been one of the top two or three teams on the US East Coast for the past two years. They narrowly missed winning the 1997 North American Championship, won the 1998 Canadian Championship, and were a very close second at the 1998 East Coast Championship.

Mike Zani/Peter Alarie (USA) - Zani/Alarie have been improving steadily since getting together as a team. They won the hotly contested 1997 North American Championship, and have been one of the top three East Coast teams for the past two years. Peter Alarie has won the 505 NAs three times. Both Zani and Alarie are very active - and successful - team racers, and are in great demand to sail in other classes.

Phillipe Boite/Jean-Luc Muzellec (France) - Boite/Muzellec have dominated the French circuit for years, and won the first - and largest - 505 European Cup event this year. They also had a near miss at the recent UK National Championship. Boite/Muzellec were 2nd in the 1990 World Championship.

Tyler Moore/Scott Ikle (USA) - Moore was fifth (with Ryan Cox) in his first 505 World Championship in 1995. After Moore/Cox finished their 470 Olympic campaign they each bought new 505s and Tyler teamed up with long time 505 crew and coach at Hobart William Smith college, Scott Ikle, who also had top five Worlds finishes to his credit. This team were second at the pre-world championship in 1997 in Denmark, but faltered somewhat in the World Championship, finishing 8th. They have been one of the top three US East Coast teams in 1997 and 1998. Another season of practice, and sailing on Tyler Moore's home waters off Hyannis may make Moore/Ikle the team that takes it all this year.

Jeff Boyd/Martin tenHove (Canada) - Boyd/tenHove have been the dominant Canadian 505 team for years. They have consistently finished at the top of the fleet at North American, Canadian and East Coast Championships. Boyd is a past Laser Canadian Champion, and was helmsman and tactician on Canadian 12 meter challenges for the America's Cup. He coached the Korean sailing team in the years leading up to the Olympics in Korea. tenHove represented Canada at the Olympics in the 470 class.

Ethan Bixby/Cam Lewis (USA) - Bixby/Lewis won the 505 World Championship in 1981. Lewis won again with Gary Knapp driving in '82. In the intervening years, this team was only able to get on the water for a few events, but they won the '87 North American Championship, and were in contention to win the '90 Worlds going into the final race. Bixby was on the World Championship winning ILC40 and is also a top Snipe and Windmill sailor. Apart from 505s, Lewis won the 1980 Finn Gold Cup, was on the first sailboat to go around the world in under 80 days - winning the Jules Verne trophy, and raced in the recent Whitbread round the world race. Bixby/Lewis are racing the same 505 that they raced in 1981.

PRESS BOAT/HELICOPTER:
A Press Boat leaves the Hyannis Yacht Club daily during the event.

CONTACT:
Joe Hoffman
Information Director, 505 Worlds
508 790 4800
508 790 1322 (fax)
800 347 8057

A Closer Look at the International 505 Dinghy

History
The 505 was designed by John Westell in the early 1950s. The 505s flared sides, long spinnaker pole, large spinnaker, and use of the trapeze from the beginning, made it quite unique. The boat quickly became popular in many countries, and became an IYRU (now ISAF) International Class. The 505 is a one design class, as boats must meet a strict set of measurement rules to race as International 505s. No significant changes have been made to the 505 measurement rules, as John Westell clearly "Got it right the first time!". A more detailed 505 history is available.
Technology
The 505 is a leader in technology and construction. It has evolved from moulded plywood construction to honeycomb and foam cored Kevlar, carbon fiber, and glass cloth, using epoxy resin. The 505 class pioneered the use of the spinnaker launcher.
Longevity
The use of hi-tech construction materials allows builders to build very strong, light and stiff 505s that have extremely long competitive lives. Many fifteen year old boats are completely competitive at a World Championship level, almost unheard of in high performance dinghies.
Adjustable Rig and Wide Crew Weight Range
The 505 has a very adjustable rig, and sailors can use whatever mast and sails they want, provided they meet the 505 measurement rules. This has allowed 505 sailors to set up their boats to suit a very wide weight range. Top teams at a World Championship frequently range in weight by 100 pounds! This wide optimum crew weight range encourages women as well as large men to race 505s. Women have had considerable success racing with the men in the 505, with several top ten finishes at World Championships, and two North American Championship titles.
Raced by Top Sailors
A list of past and current top 505 sailors reads like a "Who's Who" of International Yachting. The famous Danish sailor, Paul Elvstrom raced the 505 extensively - it is his favorite boat - and won the 1958 and 1959 World Championship, and finished a close 2nd in 1966. He was still racing 505s as recently as the 1985 World Championship! The man who defeated the Great Dane at the '66 Worlds was Jim Hardy - now Sir Jim Hardy - of Australian America's Cup Challenge fame. French America's Cup campaigner Yves Pajot was a long time 505 racer, winning the 1974 World Championship with his brother. Other America's Cup sailors with 505 backgrounds include Paul Cayard, Cam Lewis and John Marshall. A number of 505 sailors raced in the recent Whitbread around the world race including: Roy Heiner, skipper of BrunelSunergy; Gunnar Krantz skipper of Swedish Match; Magnus Olsson; Gunnar Krantz; Paul Cayard, the winning skipper; Lawrie Smith, skipper of Silk Cut.

Other well known International sailing stars and Olympians include: Steve Taylor, Steve Benjamin, Gary Knapp, Dick Deaver, Debbie Jarvis, Carl and Carol Buchan, Jonathan, Charlie and Bates McKee, Sally Lindsay, and Allison Jolly. Marcel Buffet, winner of the 1959 and 1960 505 World Championships, and French Olympic representative in the Flying Dutchman class has raced almost every 505 World Championship. He is currently 76 years of age, and is racing once more in this World Championship.

Raced in Extreme Conditions
The 505 is virtually unique in the wide range of conditions it can handle. Races may be cancelled for too little wind, but rarely for too much! The 505 Class Rules allow races to be started in up to 35 knots! If the wind strength exceeds that during a race, the race continues at the discretion of the Race Committee. Races may also be postponed or cancelled due to bad fog.
Large Regatta Turnouts
The 1995 505 World Championship had 106 teams from 14 countries, while there were 170 505s at the Pre-Worlds, making it the largest high performance dinghy event in several years. The USA being rather far from Europe, Asia and Australia, the turnout for the '98 pre-worlds and World Championship will not be as high.