 |
 |
 |
|
| The 505 amidst the other class association displays |
All the class association stands. The telephoto lense foreshortens this view, making the boats look closer together than they are |
We heeled the boat to fill the sails | |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Another view |
Key images and literature on an easel-type stand. Extra Tank Talks, SAIL Magazines, and Sailing World magazines on the table behind the 505 |
Key Organizer Fred Liesgang checking out used 505 information during a quiet moment |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Fred checks used boat information. The "all-bild.htm" file has information on 505s built by all 505 builders ever. A good place to check when considering (say) a used Kyrwood, a used Rondar, or a used Parker |
Jet 14 class members talk to each other |
Nobody at the Blue Jay stand | |
The Thursday and Friday of the show have rather less traffic than on the weekend, but may be more valuable to the 505 class than other one designs, as rather than targeting relative newcomers as some of the other classes do, we target more experienced sailors, like virtually everyone working the show instead of visiting. The Thursday and Friday are excellent opportunities to chat about 505 racing with sailmakers, people selling boats for Vanguard and other strong prospects for the 505 class. Two young sailors who work for Moorehouse Sails (a Vanguard dealer) in Medford NJ, who were working in the Vanguard stand, were particularly enthusiastic. We were able to show them the local schedule and explain that even though we did not have a fleet in New Jersey, we had active fleets only a short drive away from them.
8776 has only one mainsail, a used North 3DL, so that is what we put up. It seemed to us that 3DL sails were a better fit on the 505 than they were on the non racing oriented Nomad (a boat intended to compete with boats like the Flying Scott and Frontrunner) across the aisle in the Vanguard stand. The 3DL mainsail, pole launching system and other control systems were quite interesting to many of the sailors wandering by.
A number of ex 505 sailors from the 60s stopped by to chat, find out how we were doing, and to express their support, including past US Class President, Chuck Angle, and John and Jacquie Cutting, who raced 505s out of the Palo Alto Yacht Club in 1961, and who very pleased to hear that Pip Pearson was still racing 505s.
We couldn't resist pointing out to the older sailors who muttered that they were too old for 505s, that they were all younger than Marcel Buffet, who is still racing them.
In the early years of this boat show, the organizers tried to make it a very interesting boat show for one design sailors (for some reason, the phrase one-design is used more frequently in the USA than dinghies, and one-design includes small one-design keelboats). The show no longer draws as many class associations as it originally did, but it is still one of the shows that has a noticeable one design section. This year the other class associations participating were the Lightning, Flying Scot, Jet 14 and Blue Jay classes. Various Hobie Cats, Laser, Vanguard 15, Club 420, JY15 and a couple of other dinghy classes were represented by dealers or by Vanguard, rather than by class associations.