CORK - Eastern Canadian 505 Championship

August 24-26th in Kingston, ON.

Contact Jeff Boyd.

Newport Regatta - Craig Thomspon

Ten teams made it to the annual Bacardi Newport Regatta, hosted by Sail Newport, on July 14-15 2012. This regatta also served as the 2012 Region I Championships and unfortunately, no boats from outside Region I made the trip to challenge for out-of-region bragging rights. The Newport Regatta is a large, multi-class event held at one of the best sailing venues on the US East Coast. Sail Newport is a public access sailing center which is very well aligned with the 505 Class. There is no fancy restaurant, no blue blazers, and no silly yacht club etiquette. Sail Newport is all about running first class one design races and making access to the water available for all. This type of event is a great opportunity to showcase the 505 class amongst a large number of sailors, including juniors.

The 505’s shared a circle this year with some unlikely company; Viper 640s, J22s, Stars, and Snipes. Needless to say, managing traffic on the race course was an important component of the racing. Also, in atypical fashion, the 505s used conventional line-starts along with the other classes on the circle. The Viper class served as a reminder why gate starts are the preferred starting method in the 505 class; virtually every Viper start resulted in at least one General Recall. The racing area was in Potter’ Cove, north of the Newport Pell Bridge on the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, tucked up against the shore of Conanicut Island.

The first day of racing was delayed due to lack of wind at the start time. The breeze finally filled in lightly from the southwest, allowing the start of the first race. It became quickly apparent that the right hand side of the race course, adjacent to shore, was the place to be at the top of the beat. Buttner/Zagol quickly picked up on this and led Race 1 wire-wire to take the early lead. The second race saw more wind as the sea breeze began to pulse, but the velocity peaked around 12 knots with a mix of wire and sit running in races 2-4. Breton/Breton held the lead for the first two legs of Race 2, but were eventually reeled in by Buttner/Zagol who took their second race win. Race 3 again saw Buttner/Zagol out in front, but Marks/Thompson were able to find a passing lane on the final run to take the win. Gerson/Ferrarone were also in the mix on the final leg, netting their second 3^rd of the day. The final race of the day came down to the final minute; Gerson/Ferrarone, Buttner/Zagol, and Marks/Thompson all led the race at one point on the final beat. However, Marks/Thompson found themselves in a fortunate position for the final tack towards the finish. Gerson/Ferrarone made contact with Buttner/Zagol when ducking, and had to do a penalty turn, allowing Carney/Komar to grab the 3^rd place; their highest finish of the day. Burd/Duncan had a solid day, showing speed and consistency, but were not able to break into the top three.

The second day of racing got started on time in a similar breeze velocity and direction as Saturday’s racing. At the start of Race 5, it appeared that the right side may not be getting the big shift that was present for most of the prior day, and the regatta leaders found themselves on the outside of a big right shift on the first beat of Race 5. Schulter/Dienhardt had an impressive first beat and led by a significant margin at the top mark. Gerson/Ferrarone did a good job working the right/middle of the race course and rounded in second with Buttner/Zagol in third. Schulter/Dienhardt led for most of the race, but Gerson/Ferrarone were able to sneak by them on the final run for their first race win of the event. Race 6 again proved to be a battle for the right side, and Buttner/Zagol made it look easy after tacking out and taking several transoms off the starting line. On the second beat, Marks/Thompson were able to hitch into a slight lefty at the bottom of the course, moving into second place. However, Buttner/Zagol had superior speed and decision making, which they turned into another race win. Burd/Duncan were consistently in the mix throughout the regatta, and were able to break into the top three in Race 6. Carney/Komar had another solid showing in Race 7, but were narrowly beat by Gerson/Ferrarone right at the finish.

Overall, the regatta was a great success. Particularly impressive were that 3 of the top 5 teams at the regatta had both Crew/Skipper under age 30. It is great to have young guns like Burd, Komar, Duncan, Marks and Carney out there racing 505’s. The event had all the other bells and whistles including open bar, great food, and great company. Everyone should make sure this event is on next year’s calendar. Congratulations to Mark Zagol and Drew Buttner on the decisive victory and Region I Championship.

Results

Paid 2012 American Section Members

As a reminder, all participants in the World and North American Championships need to be current and paid class members.  American Section Treasurer Macy Nelson has provided the below spreadsheet showing those members that have paid dues as of 7/2/12. If you have not paid dues, please get your checks in Macy.

TT Interviews Macy Nelson

Tank Talk had the opportunity to sit down with class stalwart and long time Treasurer Macy Nelson to hear a bit about his history in the class, his thoughts on making a team work and on the growth of the class.

TT: You've been an active member of the class for several decades.  When did you first start sailing 505's? Where? Who or what got you into the class?

MN: My first look at a 5o5 was at New Bedford in about 1974. I walked up from behind was impressed by the shape of the wings. That was a radical design for a kid who had been sailing Blue Jays, Lightnings and 470s.

In 1976, I had a summer job in the Boston area and met Bill Salvo who sailed with the Marblehead fleet. YCYC was running an event and someone needed a crew so I went. At that time, the Patterson brothers were sailing separate boats. One had sailed in Europe and was discoursing on something I had never heard of – gate starts.  According to him, it was easy. Sometime you start early; sometime you start late. None of it made any sense to me. Then, Bill’s sailing partner, Moose McClintock, suddenly got seriously ill and Bill needed a crew for the Marblehead NA’s. I signed on. It was great. 67 boats. Rock and Roll music when the sun went down.  Boats from California. I think Jon Andron had a drum on his boom to adjust his outhaul. Ethan and Larry won in a Butler hull with Larry’s deck and tanks. It looked like Larry used a staple gun to affix the wood laminate for the tanks. I was hooked and haven’t looked back.

TT: Is there any regatta that sticks out in your mind as one of the best?

MN: There have been a lot of really good events over the years. If I must pick one, I’ll pick the Santa Cruz Worlds in 1992. We had Santa Cruz’s best conditions for the entire Pre-Worlds and Worlds. After the first day of racing, we sailed in past the sea lions and when we reached the dock, the PA system was playing the Rolling Stones’ “Flight 5o5.” It got better from there. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but the fleet had the old and the new. Jon Loveday was sailing. Peter Colclough was sailing with the tallest forward hand I had seen anywhere. John and I had a good first beat of the first worlds race. At the top of the run, two young Aussies sailed by on what seemed like a tight reach. John asked, “What do you think?”  I said, “They’re crazy. Don’t worry about them.”  I didn’t see them for the rest of the regatta. Those guys won the worlds with a race to spare. That was my introduction to wire running. Later, a Dane who won the worlds in Kingston claimed that he was the first to figure out wire running. Maybe he was. He finished second or third in Santa Cruz.

TT: You've sailed with many great crews over the years, most recently with Parry Barclay.  Can you comment on how you approach the relationship with your crew? What makes you and Parry such a competitive team?

MN: I have a lot of fun sailing with some really good sailors. Duncan Skinner was the tallest and the best sail maker. Mike Martin laughed at me the most. Peter Alarie was the most definite in his opinions. Mike Mills used the most abstract language to describe the boat. Jesse Falsone and Parry Barclay have a really good feel for the boat. I have sailed a little with Luke Lawrence, and I predict he will be the next great crew. There are others, too. Each is better sailor than I, and that is why I invited them to sail with me.

History teaches me that my performance is inversely related to how much I try to do while racing. The less I do, the better we do. For that reason I try to do as little as possible. The problem is that I respect all the people I sail with so my instinct is that I should do what they say all the time. But there are a few occasions when I cannot. A start is the best example. When the boats are that close, I take the lead in positioning the boat.

505s are rewarding but they have the potential to be expensive and a hassle.  I try not to discuss money with my teammate. Each contributes on terms that he finds acceptable. I try to have the boat ready so we can avoid a lot of boat work at the event. I try to be quiet in the boat. If racing the boat is no fun, no one should do it.

TT: Your son Nick Nelson has been an active member of the class (not as much recently!).  In your opinion, is there more we can be doing in the US to recruit and retain talented young sailors like Nick? 

MN: This is a really hard question to answer. Part of me says that we that we need to help people like Nick as much as we can. Another part of me says that if a young person cannot figure out that sailing 5o5s is a good way to spend one’s time and energy, nothing we do will change it. It’s all a mystery to me.  

We could probably learn from people like Whit Duncan, Mike Renda and Luke Lawrence. After Whit sailed USA 9005 in 2011, I was told that he was thinking of getting out of the class. Hearing that frustrated me because Whit is the type of person we need and want. Then something changed. He bought USA 8012 and seems committed. We should speak to him to learn what we can do to encourage his peers to sail 5o5s. Mike, too, is a guy we want and need. He bought a boat and is keen to sail even though he has a demanding job and is getting married. We should ask him what motivates him. Luke Lawrence is another young guy we cannot afford to lose. Our problem is that he wants to sail professionally so that will limit his time. Our only hope with Luke is to keep the sailing fun and rewarding so he makes time to do it.  

Here’s my answer: we need to find the right sailors one at a time. A large pool of strong candidates will yield somebody like Craig Thompson every few years. If you know of such a person, I have some gear to lend.


TT: Thank you Macy.