PRO John Potter and the Severn Sailing Association Race Committee did an outstanding job on the water; everyone enjoyed the on-shore activities. Bill Ball won one of the last two bottles of Mount Gay rum, while the "let's get the band back together" team of Tom Kivney/Todd Johnson won the other. The last of the sponsor-provided items to be raffled -- a discounted new North Sails jib -- was won by Dave Dyson. Thanks to all the sponsors, North Sails St. Petersburg, West Marine, Layline, APS, Mount Gay Rum, Spinsheet Magazine, McLube, Harken and Team Spot and to event coach Peter Alarie for helping to make this as fun as successful an event as it was.
Once again the 505 class gate starts worked perfectly. The rumor is that many of the SSA Race Committee were impressed by what they saw. We had one recall which may have been simply to give several competitors who were late getting to the starting area a chance to be there for the re-start. There were no OCS, no starts HAD to be recalled, there was only one protest filed, and it did not have to be heard, as the protestee retired from the race. Competitors were fed Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday after racing, there was free beer and rum Friday and Saturday evenings. Breakfasts each day were included.
Further information is available on the 505 ECC web site at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/
Complete Results are at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/results.htm
Photos should be up at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/images.htm within a day or two.
Ali Meller
VP International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association
Conditions were slightly windier than Saturday, ranging from marginal trapezing to sitting in the boat on the upwind legs; most of the reaches were trapezing.
Conditions were lighter today, mostly sitting in the boat, though with some trapezing in the puffs.
Lauren Abramson, racing her beautifully refinished Lindsay, 6987 (build in 1979) with crew Bill Ball (who has returned to the 505 class after not racing them for years. Bill is a past 505 North American Champion), led race 4, after working the right side of the first beat. Though never far ahead, they led at every mark in the modified 505 worlds course (beat, tight reach, tight reach, beat, run, tight reach, tight reach to finish, but lost Ali Meller/Fiona Lockwood and defending 505 East Coast Champions Tim Collins/Bill Smith in a last minute gybing duel for the finish after all three teams ended up slightly up-current of the leeward mark/finishing line.
Meller/Lockwood - the rabbit - took the race with Collins/Smith 2nd Abramson/Ball 3rd, the Amthor brothers 4th, and Neal Fowler/Dave Dyson 5th.
Meller/Lockwood punched out in the 5th race, leading around the course until Collins/Smith passed them gybing on the run. The two teams were caught too far right up the next beat as the the wind went left, and died on the right, remixing the fleet. The top Canadian 505 team of Jeff Boyd (also past Laser Canadian Champion and Canadian 12 meter (True North) helsman/tactician)/Martin tenHove (also 470 Olympian) emerged from the left side, and drifted around the windward mark first, and held the lead down the last two reaches to take the win. Barney Harris (multiple time Albacore US National, Canadian National and North American champion)/Jesse Falsone were 2nd, quite a recovery from their 16 place finish in today's first race. Three time 505 North American champion Macy Nelson/Art Gleason were 3rd, Tim Collins/Bill Smith hung on for 4th, with Chris Fowler/Steve Yates 5th.
This leaves Collins/Smith leading the event with 7.00 points (after drop), with Boyd/tenHove 2nd with 12, Harris/Falsone 3rd with 14.00, Nelson/Gleason 4th with 16.00, Amthor/Amthor 5th with 16.00 also, Fowler/Dyson one point back at 17.00 and Meller/Lockwood 3 back at 20.00
Once again the top finishers explained their strategy, tactics and boat setup at the debriefing after racing.
With two more races scheduled, the event is still wide open for any of the top teams to win.
Further information is available on the 505 ECC web site at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/
Results are at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/results.htm
Ali Meller
VP International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association
The SSA RC set perfect courses, with awesome pole-on-the-forestay warp-speed reaches.
Multiple time 505 North American champion crew, Peter Alarie, ran a coaching session on Thursday for many of the competitors, and also coached on Friday during the racing. Though competitors range from 30+ years experience to newcomers-to-the-505, everyone could learn from Peter's comments and the post race debriefing, with the top finishers in each race explaining why they went they way the did, and what their tuning setup was.
Prizes, bottles of rum - courtesy of one of the event sponsors, Mount Gay Rum - were awarded to the two teams that travelled the furthest, to the team that made the biggest mistake (a team who gave up a 42 second lead at the weather mark by sailing too high on the run), to a crew who was forced to race part of the second race and all of the last race without a shoe as she had lost her left sailing shoe overboard at a gybe mark, and to the team that capsized the most times (three).
Defending 505 East Coast Champions Tim Collins/Bill Smith of Rhode Island are leading the ECC wtih finihses of 1,2,2, and have a 7 point lead over a four way tie for second between brothers Henry and Douglas Amthor of Hampton VA, Jeff Boyd/Martin tenHove of Kingston, Ontario, Neal Fowler/Dave Dyson of Hyannis MA and CT, and Barney Harris/Jesse Falsone of Arlington VA/Annapolis MD. Three time 505 North American champion Macy Nelson, racing with Art Gleason is one point back is one point back (13) in 6th place.
With four more races scheduled, the event is still wide open for any of the top teams to win.
Further information is available on the 505 ECC web site at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/
Results are at URL: http://www.int505.org/ECC99/results.htm
Ali Meller
VP International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association