2016 505 North American Championship Form Guide - Craig Thompson

Next week we begin the 2016 505 North American Championship, hosted by Bellingham Yacht Club. Learn more about what to watch for during the event below:

Event Website: http://sailfleet.byc.org/505-na/

This regatta will be the largest 505 turnout on US waters since the 2009 pre-worlds in San Fransisco. With the US hosting the Worlds in 2017, it is great to see the growing numbers of sailors who are jointing the US 505 class. This year, 51 teams from across the continent are registered to compete next week, below is a preview of the notable entries that will likely be vying for the top spots:

Dalton Bergan / Fritz Lanzinger - Seattle, WA: Dalton and Frtiz have not sailed together at the NA's in a few years, but these two are always at the front of the fleet, regardless of the class they are competing in or who they are sailing with. Neither competitor has won this event in the past and these two will be hungry for the win.

Mike and Adam rounding a leeward mark at the 2014 NA's

Mike Martin / Adam Lowry - San Francisco, CA: After a kiteboarding accident prior to the 2015 NA's, Mike was unable to race. Mike and Adam narrowly missed the 2014 title in Santa Cruz, finishing 1 point back from winners Howie and Andy. If the breeze is up, they will definitely be setting the pace. But don't be surprised to see the in front across the wind range.

Carol Buchan / Carl Buchan - Seattle, WA: The Buchans, who have sailed 505's since the late 1970's, have not been very active in the class since the 2004 Worlds in Santa Cruz, where they had a very strong event in a mix of conditions. I guess it always helps to have an Olympic Gold Medalist in the front of the boat. This will be a particularly strong team in light to moderate breeze. Be sure to check out the simplicity of the rigging on their Rondar. I have seen few control lines on a Laser.

Mark Zagol / Drew Buttner - Westwood, MA / Stonnington, CT: Mark and Drew won the 2013 NA's in Kingston, ON and are eager to win another title. These guys are fresh off a dominant victory at the 2016 Florida Midwinters at the end of February. Drew has been doing double time this year, sailing with Tyler Moore in the international events and Mark in the US events. Look out for a strong performance from Mark and Drew.

Riley Gibbs / Reeve Dunne - Long Beach, CA / San Francisco, CA: Riley and Reeve stormed onto the scene last year at the NA's by finishing an amazing 5th place overall. Reeve has relocated to San Francisco, but that hasn't stopped them from putting the band back together for this event. After spending a few nights sailing with the guys in Long Beach, there is no mystery as to why Riley has been able to get up to form so quickly.

Riley and Andy Zinn put on a clinic at the recent "Thrilla at Cabrillo"

Howie Hamlin / Jeff Nelson - Long Beach, CA: Howie Hamlin will again the defending his North American Championship, this year with crew Jeff Nelson. They are one of the favorites to win this event; especially if there is a variety of conditions which we are expecting to see in Bellingham. Howie has been sailing his new Waterat and it is going quite nicely. Jeff has held the NA's trophy 4 times, but never when sailing with Howie.

Mike Holt / Carl Smit - (Soquel, CA / Annapolis, MD): Mike and Carl are the defending World Champions, and will be defending the world title later this summer in Weymouth. Mike has won the past 2 Worlds, winning in 2014 with Rob Woelfel, and Carl in 2015. These two recently won the 2016 Euro Cup in Hyeres. Not many people have been competitive at as many International Events as these guys have over the past decade. Mike and Carl will be contending for the Championship on Sunday.

Parker Shinn / Paul Von Grey- (San Fransisco, CA / Oak Harbor, WA): Class Vice President Paul Von Grey (or "PVG", has he is commonly referred to) has been the spark-plug that is driving the massive fleet growth in the Pacific Northwest. Parker is always competitive and these two have had some notable events together int he past few years. These two could be fighting for a top 5 finish.

Tyler and Rob rounding a leeward mark at the 2012 NA's.

Tyler Moore / Rob Woelfel - (Hampton, VA / Reno, NV): Tyler and Rob won the NA's together back in 2012. Rob has since won the 2014 Worlds crewing for Mike Holt in Germany. Tyler and Rob will be sailing a chartered boat, which may be a challenge. However, these guys don't make a lot of tactical mistakes, so if they have solid boat speed they will be a safe bet to finish in the top 3.

JB Turney / Tommy Fink - (San Francisco, CA): JB has been a strong contender in the class for over 10 years. JB and Tommy have been training with Mike/Adam on Tuesday nights on the City Front, so look for them to be sharp and ready to contend for the top slots. They will be particularly strong in a mix of conditions.

Notable scratches:

Ethan Bixby: After contending for the North American Title in 2015 and finishing a close second, Ethan will not be attending this year.
Augie Diaz: Augie recently won a Star World Title, but has had to miss the NA's two years running. He will surely be at the 2017 Worlds in Annapolis next year.
Keith Davids / Jesse Falsone: After a solid 4th place at last year's event, these two could not make it. Rumor has it that Jesse may be upgrading to a Hillary sticker for this year.
Thomas Barrows/Matt Barry: Thomas is in the middle of a 49er Olympic bid, and Matt Barry and his friends have been too busy sunbathing off the southern coast of St. Bart's with spider monkeys

2016 North American's Update - Mike Poulos

Greetings and happy sailing.

I just wanted to let you know we are working hard to make the 2016 North American Champs stellar, both on and off the water.  In addition to great racing, we are planning to fill your stomachs with fine food and local beer.  We will have a Karaoke party of epic proportions Thursday night, and a cabana beach party on Friday.  We have some great sponsorship this year, so we should have a fair amount of schwag to distribute.

If you are on the fence, please consider coming to our fair city.  It's a beautiful place, and June is a great time of year to come.  We have a very active group of 5O5 sailors in the PNW, and we are looking forward to rubbing elbows (not hulls) with you!  If there is anything I can do to help getting you here a reality, please don't hesitate to contact me at 360-676-4263, or email to byclaserfleet@yahoo.com

Here is a link to the Regatta Web Site, where you can link to info about the city, and , more importantly, register!

http://sailfleet.byc.org/505-na/

 See you on the Water.

Mike Poulos, Chair

Remembering Phil Tillman

Contributed by Graham Alexander:

Below is Phil Tillman's Obituary.  He was a great friend.  I would compare him Ali Meller in terms of passion for 505s except Phil was earlier. I first met him at Hampton NAs in about 1970. He was crewing for David, they took second to Dennis Surtees.  It was close though. I can't remember who was crewing for Surtees then.

I think it was around 63 or 64 that Phil and another Canadian thought they ought to try 505's.  Phil was a brit expat working for Nortel (Canada's Bell labs).  They ordered two 505s from Parker. Realizing how much shipping was going to be they decided to order a container, so they needed to sell 4 boats before they were shipped.  They sold 6.  Oh well, better order another container.  that one got overbooked before the boats were made, so they ordered another container.  It was hard to get boats back then.  Although he got out of 505s when sailboards got good, he always helped the fleet in Ottawa mentoring new members, crewing for beginners, making parts etc.  He often showed up at CORK and other Kingston regattas to see how the class was doing.

Obituary:

Our dad passed peacefully December 20, 2015, 66 years to the day he began dating our mum, his gorgeous wife Maureen. 

My sisters and I are incredibly sad but at the same time relieved that he is no longer in pain. Phil crossed his final finish line. An incredible cyclist, sailor and windsurfer my dad did everything 100 % and with absolutely no regrets. He lived life to the fullest and made sure everyone around him did as well. 

The most amazing thing we learned this week was how many lives and careers he mentored. There was a constant stream of visitors, many we didn't even know, who shared 
the stories of Phil and the influence he had on them. 

December 24, 2015 will mark the seventeenth anniversary of the liver transplant he received. A gift my dad treasured and respected. He had taken medication from a young age to control Colitis which destroyed the liver. He was a prime candidate for a transplant in that he was both physically and emotionally in great shape. We often called him the poster boy for organ transplant.

A celebration of life ceremony is being planned for January 6, 2016 at 2 pm at Britannia Yacht Club.  

Thank you ALL for the notes, prayers and hugs. You have no idea how much they meant to us all. As my dad always said "you choose your friends, they are family".  We've attached an amazing picture (actually an article from the Ottawa Citizen June 1975). It captures everything our Dad was, fit, competitive, funny and someone who loved life!

2016 North Americans Website, Bellingham WA

The website an online registration for the 2016 North Americans in Bellingham, WA are now live. Please visit the website and make plans to be there. How can you not enjoy racing 505's with snow capped mountains in view from the race course? The event is scheduled for June 2-5 2016.

http://sailfleet.byc.org/505-na/

Photo courtesy of Jan’s Marine Photography

2015 505 North American Championship - Chris Love Reports

North American 505 Fleet Gets Early Preview for Worlds; Hamlin/Zinn Lead the Way

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Warm Chesapeake water coupled with a pleasant September high pressure system forced the fleet of the 2015 International 505 North American Championship into three days of on-the-water chess in consistently light and shifty wind, before the northerly kicked in for a final honking day of high octane drag racing. This one-two combo may have been mentally draining and physically demanding for the 33 boats that attended this continental championship event hosted by Severn Sailing Association and Eastport Yacht Club September 17-20, but it will surely give them a leg up on the rest of the globe when they return to these waters in two year’s time to compete for the 505 World Championship.

A compact fleet on the second day of the 2015 International 505 North American Championship

Howard Hamlin and Andy Zinn managed to stay close enough to early leaders Ethan Bixby and Christopher Brady through the light stuff that their picket fence on Day 4 put them comfortably atop the podium. “I thought Ethan was totally untouchable,” said Howard after the victory. “He was going really well in the light stuff, but he just didn’t have it in breeze. We’re more all-around.” Bixby and Brady posted their only double digit scores in all three of the final day’s races and barely held onto second. Reigning World Champions Mike Holt and Carl Smit struggled early but found their stride on the last two days and finished third.

Hamlin and Zinn have been sailing together for ten years, near their home base in Long Beach and around the world, but this was their first taste of Annapolis. “It’s a nice feeling to be a California drag racer and be able to win in a shifty light place. We’re not going to read too much into it though—we won’t necessarily see the same conditions at Worlds.”

2015 North American Champions Howard Hamlin (helm) and Andy Zinn (crew) lead the pack on the final day.

Some of the other top contenders for 2017 are taking notes now. “We all work on our speed and the boats and everything else,” said Mark Zagol, who sails with Drew Buttner and finished sixth this weekend, “but this event just shows how important the mental aspect of sailing is going to be for that regatta. Lots of lead changes, and challenging wind—gotta be ready to battle for an entire week.”

For Craig Thompson, who won the 505 East Coast Championship in August with regular crew Mike Curtin but struggled at this event, it was all about lessons learned: “In Annapolis, you can’t be one dimensional. That’s why Howard and Andy won. Big breeze, medium breeze and shifty, light wind, it doesn’t matter—they could even grind it back when they found themselves in the cheap seats.”

Mike Holt (helm) and Carl Smit (crew) showing some serious intensity on a tight reach leg.

While many 505’ers used this regatta to start preparing for Worlds, the primary focus for the 66 sailors hailing from all corners of the US and Canada was simply to perform the their very best at the pinnacle 505 event for 2015 against some of the world’s top 505 sailors. Local sailor Ramsay Key has been away from the boat for a time, but was sure to find himself a ride when he found out this regatta was coming to his hometown. “Having raced a number of different boats,” said Key, “I don't think there is a better boat that the 505: its part tactical collegiate dinghy, part high performance skiff, and part engineering.  Nothing is better than hoisting the chute in 15 to 25 knots and taking the sleigh ride downhill!”

This event caps off the major events for the class this year, but there’s plenty to look forward to in 2016. After the first three grand slam events, Key and anyone else from the International 505 fleet who can make it back to Annapolis will have another chance to tune up on the same racecourse as SSA and EYC team up again to host the 2016 505 East Coast Championship in preparation for the US to make a big showing at its home event in 2017.

Macy Nelson (helm) and Eric Anderson (crew) are blinded with spray on a beat to windward

Top ten:
1 Howard Hamlin/Andy Zinn 1, 4*, 4, 3, 3, 5*, 3, 4, 1, 1, 1, 21
2 Ethan Bixby/Christopher Brady, 2, 1, 5, 1, 2, 4, 2, 2, 15*, 12*, 10, 29
3 Mike Holt/Carl Smit , 16*, 2, 9*, 8, 4, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3, 5, 31
4 Jesse Falsone/Keith Davids, 10, 3, 13*, 7, 1, 2, 4, 1, 8, 7, 11*, 43
5 Riley Gibbs/Reeve Dunne 3, 6, 1, 15*, 16*, 6, 8, 13, 9, 2, 3, 51
6 Andrew Buttner/Mark Zagol, 4, 11*, 7, 2, 5, 8*, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 51
7 Tyler Moore/Rob Woelfel 5, 9, 8, 10*, 6, 3, 9, 14*, 2, 10, 2, 54
8 Stuart Park/Ryan Cox 13, 5, 17, 5, 21*, 20*, 6, 11, 3, 4, 9, 73
9 Jeff Boyd/Rachael Boyd 6, 16, 2, 4, 7, 7, 7, 12, 19*, 18, DNC*, 79
10 Henry Amthor/Dustin Romey, 18*, 22*, 3, 9, 17, 17, 10, 7, 10, 5, 4, 82

Complete results at http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=1440
All photos courtesy of Ted Morgan and Dan Phelps. Full galleries below:
Ted Morgan Gallery
Dan Phelps/SpinSheet Gallery

2014 North American Championship Report - Craig Thompson

Hosted by Santa Cruz Yacht Club - May 21-25 2014
Report by Craig Thompson, USA 8854, webmaster@usa505.org
All Photos courtesy of John Navas and available for purchase, see below.

Day 1 – Thursday May 22 – Races 1, 2, 3

Day 1 of the 505 North American Championship had three races sailed in a southwesterly breeze that ranged from 6-10 knots. The conditions were atypical for this venue, but provided some great tactical racing that was fair and challenging. Holding lanes was critically important and the teams that kept their boats powered up and in the best pressure ended the day on top.

Two teams delivered standout performances; Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn in USA 9080 and Augie DIaz and Fritz Lanzinger in USA 8808 ended the day with all top three finishes and all three race wins between them. Particularly impressive was in Race 2 when Howie and Andy hit the gate launch at the start, did a 360⁰ turn to exonerate their penalty, and recovered to finish second in the race!

After racing, a competitor's de-brief was held on the SCYC deck where the top finishers from the day lead a discussion about what they were doing to get their boat around the course the fastest. One the best things about sailing in the 505 class is the open sharing of information and the ability for teams in the middle to back of the fleet to be able to ask questions of the top teams. This allows new sailors in the class to be able to get up to speed quicker and have more fun on the race course.

Day 2 – Friday May 23 – Races 4, 5

After a brief postponement to wait for the fog to clear, Day 2 of the North American Championship delivered two races in classic Santa Cruz conditions ranging from 18-28 knots. Downwind boat speeds approached 20 knots in the second race of the day as the top teams worked hard to keep their boat ripping and upright. There was some swimming and some carnage, including several broken rudder fittings and a broken boom. All boats should be back on the water tomorrow.

Mike Martin and Adam Lowry in USA 9106 won both of today's races as they showed superior speed and boat handling. Mike Holt and Carl Smit in USA 9115 also showed great speed and consistency to finish the day with a 2nd and a 3rd. Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn still hold the overall series lead, which now includes a throwout after 5 races. Other notables from the day were 505 rookie Michael Menninger and crew Matthias Kennerknecht as well as 45 year class veteran Jeff Miller and his crew Pat Diola; both boats finished the day with two top-5 finishes.

For those of you who don't know, Mike Martin is the only 505 sailor ever to win the World Championships as both a skipper and a crew. Adding to the drama, Mike Martin won his first Worlds crewing for the regatta leader Howie Hamlin. Mike Martin and Mike Holt have become the skippers to beat when the breeze is on ever since finishing 1-2 and the 2009 Worlds in San Francisco. Keep an eye on Mike and Mike if the breeze continues to rip this weekend.

Day 3 – Saturday May 24 – Races 6, 7, 8

Day 3 of the 505 North Americans had three races totaling eight for the series leading into the last day of the event. We had an on-time start and the first race of the day was sailed in 10-18 knots as the seabreeze tried to establish itself. The second race of the day started in 18 knots but quickly pumped up to 25-30 knots for the rest of the day resulting in some fantastic racing conditions. The waves were larger than Day 2 which resulted in excellent surfing downwind and boat speeds in excess of 20 knots.

The top four teams set themselves apart from the rest of the fleet on Day 3 of the Championship. Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn continued their streak of consistency, but unfortunately had to retire from Race 7 with a broken main halyard; they maintain the overall lead going into the final day. No surprise to anyone, Mike Martin/Adam Lowry and Mike Holt/Carl Smit moved up to second and third respectively. It will be a tough battle on Sunday for the Championship title, with the top three boats all within ten points of one another and another classic Santa Cruz forecast on tap.

The real story of Day 3 was Michael Menninger and veteran crew Matthias Kennerknecht who won the day with a 1, 3, 1 to climb the standings all the way to 4th place. Michael and Matthias are borrowing Mike Martin's second boat, USA 8714, which won the 2009 worlds in San Francisco. Michael may be new to the 505 class, but he is no stranger to high performance sailing coming off last year's Red Bull Youth America's Cup. Michael is exactly the type of sailor we are trying to attract to the class, and we hope this got him hooked and he continues to race with us. Now is a great time to get into the class with many great used boats available and the 2017 World Championship taking place in Annapolis Maryland. I personally can’t think of a better boat and a better group of people to spend my time racing against.

Day 4 – Sunday May 25 – Race 9

 The fourth and final day of of the 505 North Americans was raced in a mix of conditions ranging from 10-20 knots. There was high drama in the first race of the day, as Mike Holt and Carl Smit jumped out in front with the lead pack while Howie Hamlin/Andy Zinn and Mike Martin/Adam Lowry were back in the pack forced to grind their way back. Both chasing teams made big moves on the first downwind leg; choosing to gybe-set and stay in more pressure. On the second beat, Martin/Lowry had clawed back to third, while Hamlin/Zinn were deep enough that they would have lost the regatta lead without picking up more boats.

The courses sailed for the series were primarily the "505 Worlds Course" which now consists of a windward-leeward-windward-reach-reach-windward-leeward- finish. Before the class changed to the larger spinnaker in 2002, the Worlds Course had two sets of reaches and one run. As a result, the class veterans not only love the reach legs, but they are much better at them then the younger guys. This was very apparent as we saw Hamlin/Zinn grinding down boat after boat in Race 9 all the way back to 5th place by the last leeward mark. Unfortunately for them, Mike Martin had passed Augie Diaz/Fritz Lanzinger which meant that they only had a one point series lead. Hamlin and Zinn had a great last beat to move into 4th place, but Matt Woodworth and I passed them on the downwind and keep the overall standings close.

The race committee planned for two races to close out the series, but unfortunately the seabreeze faded to zero during the second race and abandoned the race on the second to last leg as the time limit of 80 minutes was approaching. This meant that Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn had secured the 2014 North American title. This was Howard's 7th North American's victory and the first in over a decade (1990, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2014). Note that this year Howie turned 60 and has been racing in the 505 class for 38 years; to still be at the top of his game after all these years is an incredible testament to his hard work and dedication to the 505 class. A big congratulations as well to veteran crew Andy Zinn who wins his first North Americans after many hard fought years in the class. Pat Diola was awarded the Dave Cahn Sportsmanship award for 2014.

A huge thank you to the Santa Cruz Yacht Club for hosting an amazing event as well as all the sponsors, organizers, volunteers, race committee, and everyone who devoted their valuable time and energy to making this one of the best Championships that the class has hosted in recent memory.

Related Links:

FULL PHOTO GALLERY courtesy of John Navas
Note: High resolution photos can be purchased for $50 per or $150 for 4 and there are many more pictures available than what is shown in the link above. If you are interested in purchasing photos, please email John Navas

FULL RESULTS WITH SKIPPER AND CREW NAMES

GEAR TABLE FOR TOP 10 TEAMS

2014 North Americans - Website, Registration, and NOR

Registration is now open for the 2014 North American Championship hosted by the Santa Cruz Yacht Club. At this stage we are a lock to have over 40 teams competing, and there is a chance we could break into the 50's. Please register now if you plan on attending; this is an event and a venue that is not to be missed!

http://505northamericans.scyc.org/

2014-2015 Budget Proposal - For Membership Approval

As voted on at the 2013 AGM in Kingston, ON, below is the budget for 2014-2015 that has been proposed by the American Section officers. Please direct any objections to this budget to webmaster@usa505.org by December 31st, 2013. Only paid member's responses will be considered regarding this proposed budget approval.

Please visit the following page to review the proposal: http://www.usa505.org/home/2014-2015-budget-proposal

2013 North Americans Report - Mike Holt

The 505 Fleet descended into Kingston, Ontario from August 6th to 11th for the 2013 505 North American Championship. A fleet of just under 30 boats came to the line with a very impressive ten coming all the way from the West Coast. More impressive still, seven of the boats were driven by female skippers and there was also a very high number of young sailors racing with 10 sailors under 30. See the pics of these groups posted on the American Section Facebook page!

Racing was held over four days with sunshine and light winds being the predominant conditions, and Kingston's famed sea-breeze only making an appearance for the final race - and of course for the packing of the container! The key to success was good starts, speed and more importantly nailing the shifts and staying in what breeze there was. The first two days of racing featured 40-50 degree shifts and 10 knot variations in wind strength across the course and keeping the score low was the game to play. Two boats were doing far better at this than the rest of us in the first half of the regatta - Mark Zagol and Drew Butner and Augie Diaz and Tommy Fink, with the former team slowly pulling away as the event ran its course. However the depth of the fleet was easy to be seen with seven different teams winning races over the course of the eleven race series, and almost every boat in the fleet getting into the top ten at some stage.

Socially, Kingston never disappoints. Flo and Jeff Boyd kindly held a spectacular BBQ party at their house. It was a real shame a back injury kept Jeff from competing and robbing us all of the opportunity to pilfer his local knowledge! We also had a very good night at the Kingston Yacht Club on the Saturday with a lovely dinner, great socializing, and many of the "younger" teams enjoying the spectacular Kingston nightlife.

Race management led by Steve Black did very well to get eleven races in despite the challenging conditions and the large number of other events going on across the lake, with gate starts pulled off with the help of Dave Megarry who also bought his RIB up from Toronto to perform the task and Rob Colwel in the mark set boat. Not to mention many others “behind the scenes”.

Back to the racing, Mark and Drew sailed fantastically well to win the event, counting nothing worse than a 5th which is an incredible achievement given the variability of the conditions and the competition. Augie and Tommy were second 4 points ahead of Parker Shinn and Jesse Falsone, who were getting better and better as the event went along and would have wished for a little more practice before the event. Carl and I finished 4th, just beating top female skipper Krysha Pohl sailing with Jon Henderson who sailed a great regatta including a race win in race 10 to cap off a great second half of the series. Sailing together after a long break, Doug Hagan and Stuart Park also had some outstanding races and rounded out the top six.

Despite some tricky racing early on, Kingston didn't disappoint and the class hopes to return there soon for another championship. Many thanks to the Kingston Yacht Club, the volunteers, and the Boyd's for putting on a great show!

For next year the fleet heads back to Santa Cruz for the NA’s, to be held over the Memorial Day weekend. Start making plans now!

Results:
http://kingstonyachtclub.com/racing/results/2013/regatta/505NorthAmericans.htm

Santa Cruz Training Weekend - Mike Holt

Editor's Note: The West Coast 505 Fleet held a training weekend as the NA's container loading event prior to shipping out the Kingston NA's. The event was a huge success, and a second similar weekend has already been planned for Long Beach October 3-6. At the 2013 AGM, the Class unanimously voted to financially support these training weekends on both coasts in an effort to boost turnout and the level of competition. Look for more of these events in the second half of 2013 and next season. Thanks Mike for organizing the event and for providing this report.

This past weekend we held a training weekend in Santa Cruz. Spurred on by the domination of the German's in Barbados and the fact that the NA's have not been won by the West Coast since '09 we felt it was time we all tried to get better!

18 teams took to the water over the weekend with a variety of levels  from "plenty still to learn" all the way up to World Championship winners out training. While the weather was not what you would describe as classic Santa Cruz conditions, we probably had better conditions for training, with wind generally around 6-10 knots and a moderate swell. Conditions all to similar with what we see at the "Big" events.

On Saturday Steve Bourdow coached us all, running short windward/leeward courses with a proper gate start, complete with attendant Rib. On the water coaching was provided by Steve and several of the crews swapped with others on the water. I lost count of how many races we ran but it was definitely well in to double figures so we had a huge amount of start, mark rounding, tacking, gybing etc going on.

Following sailing on Saturday we had a full debrief, with lots of good questions and even better answers and everyone went away having learnt at least a few things from the day.

Sunday we had Rich Mundell coaching us all. Starting with a recap of what we had learned on Saturday and then what he was going to cover for the day and to remember this is FUN! And it was, amazingly so. I really have to think hard to remember the last time I had such an unexpectedly good time on the water. The short races were incredibly tight, getting tighter every race. In our boat we focused on different parts every time till towards the end we started to link them all up together and wow were we sailing better! I felt that the back boats had improved by 20 boat lengths a race, the middle by 10 and the front by 3. In the last few races all the boats were on the short beat together!

Again a full debrief followed with more great input. However I am not going to share any of it here, for that you need to come to the next one at Alamitos Bay YC October 3-6.

A big thanks also to Bruce Edwards(and his partners) for lending us his Rib, made a great coaching platform and to Mo Hart for keeping an eye on us from the Protector. 

However the stars of the show were Steve and Rich, great work, top tips and all done in a fun and casual atmosphere. Roll on the next one.

Updated Registrants - 2013 International 505 North Americans - Kingston YC August 7-11

Current List of entrants below. This is going to be a great event and we should have at least another 10 boats make the event. American Section sailors, please make sure that you have paid your 2013 dues. BOTH the helm and the crew need to be members of the American Section. It couldn't be easier. There is a link on the American Section website to pay your dues via PayPal. No excuses to not have it done by the regatta where the officers will be doling out shame and punishment to those not current on their dues - thanks.

Count Sail number Skipper
1 CAN 7605 Renka Gesing
2 CAN 8600 Marie Gendron
3 CAN 8610 Shona Weldon
4 CAN 8645 Marg Hurley
5 CAN 8696 Francois Bertrand
6 CAN 8866 Cynthia Des Brisay
7 GER 8889 Hasso Plattner
8 USA 7346 Craig Thompson
9 USA 7773 Duane Delfosse
10 USA 8084 Aaron Ross
11 USA 8194 Tom Kivney
12 USA 8554 Ted Conrads
13 USA 8681 Douglas Hagan
14 USA 8808 Augie Diaz
15 USA 8822 David Burchfiel
16 USA 8829 Krysia Pohl
17 USA 8830 Mark Zagol
18 USA 8831 Pierre Jeangarard
19 USA 8850 Doug Watson
20 USA 8913 Katherine Long
21 USA 9003 Jesse Falsone
22 USA 9004 Eben Russell
23 USA 9007 Matt Barry
24 USA 9041 Henry Amthor
25 USA 9042 JB Turney
26 USA 9072 Mike Holt
27 USA 9095 Macy Nelson
28 USA TBD Reeve Dunne

2013 North Americans - Registration and Liability Insurance Update

If you plan on attending the North Americans August 7-11 in Kingston, ON please take a minute to send in your registration for the event. This event should not be missed. Currently, there are only 21 boats registered and the event is only two weeks away. Of those 21 registrants, most are from Canada and the US West Coast. Where are all the US East Coast Boats?

The liability insurance requirement for the event has been reduced to $500,000 CAD. Please have your proof of insurance available at the event registration along with your measurement certificate. You also need to be a member of your respective national class association to compete. You can pay your American Section dues online. Please do this before the regatta to avoid the hassle of paying at the event.

To register, please download the following PDF entry form, complete, print, sign, scan and email to Brett Thompson at csc@kingstonyachtclub.com . The completed form can also be faxed in to (613) 548 8876.

2013 North Americans Entry Form

If you are on the fence, please do what you can to attend this regatta. We can easily get over 40 boats, with some of the best teams from both US coasts and from Canada in attendance. Also, both North Sails and Glaser Sails will be sponsoring the event this year; North is providing a brand new jib to the top Under 25 team and Glaser will be sponsoring the keg beer after racing! Lets make it happen folks!

2013 North American Championships NOR

This year's North American Championships is being graciously hosted by the Kingston Yacht Club and the Canadian 505 Class Association. The Notice of Race for this event has been posted at the following link:

http://old.kingstonyachtclub.com/racing/pdf/2013-505NAs-NOR.pdf

Note that membership of your respective National Class Association is required to compete in this Championship. Also, there is a liability insurance requirement for this event in the amount of 1,000,000 CAD. Please make sure these requirements are met prior to the event.

If you have not sailed in Kingston Ontario, it is a fantastic place to race 505's. West Coast sailors also note that the first start each day (except Sunday) is 12 Noon. Lets make this a 50+ boat turnout!

New American Section Website

All,

As your newly elected information officer, I have been taking some steps to unify and expand our web presence. To me, this all starts with a simple, functional, and information-rich web page. As of tonight, I have launched the new website at the same familiar URL www.usa505.org. Please check it out!

Note that this is still a work in progress, but at this point it has all of the information and functionality of the Wiki page, which is no longer accessible. My hope is that you will find it more functional and professional. I am still populating responses as they come in for the "Who, What, When..." promotional piece on the home page. My goal with this is to showcase the best thing the 505 Class has to offer: it's people.

Over the next few months, I will work to incorporate all of the great articles from the old International Site as well as information from around the web into the "Rigging and Project Archive" and "Improve Your 505 Sailing" pages. I want our American Section website to be the one-stop shop for all this type of information. There is a lot of content out there, but I just want to make it easier to find.

We will still utilize the International Site for forums, classifieds, supplier listings and schedule (although I will maintain a Google calendar with all the events from the Int. site). However, we will keep our contact information up-to-date so that perspective 505 sailors can get in touch with the fleet in their area.

I would also like to utilize Facebook to expand our reach with prospective sailors. Please "Like" us on Facebook to subscribe to updates, new Tank Talk posts, regatta results, pictures, video, etc: http://www.facebook.com/AmericanSection

I am 100% open to your feedback on the new website; positive or negative. This not my website, but rather OUR website. If there is something that you would like to see that is not currently incorporated, please post in the comments section here!

Thank you for your time.

Craig Thompson
USA 7346
webmaster@usa505.org

Region II Fall Events - Are you in?

We have two exciting events coming up in the next few weeks in Region II:

1. SSA Plane Insane / Region II Championships October 20-21 (12 Confirmed Boats)

Schedule:

Saturday 10/20

0830 to 0930- Registration (payments will accept credit card)

0930- Skipper's meeting

1000- committee boat leaves the dock

1100- First Warning

Sunday 10/21

1000- Committee boat leaves the dock

1100- First warning

1400- No more races will begin

Trophies!

SCRATCH LIST

1. Whit Duncan/ Russell Miller
2. Macy Nelson/Jesse Falsone
3. Bryan Richardson/Matt Schoene
4. Ali Meller/Mike Coe
5. Drew Buttner/Mark Zagol
6. Tyler Moore/Geoff
7. Erika Seamon/Bruce Artman
8. Mike Curtin/Craig Thompson
9. Augie Diaz/Fritz Lanzinger
10. Tom Sitzman/Anthony Burton
11. Jay and Charles Smith
12. Doug Watson/ Eric K on Saturday and Gabe on Sunday
13. Sterg- possible, still trying to work out schedule, would sail with brother

2. Hampton Fall Training Weekend November 3-4 (10 Confirmed Boats)

*Coached training event with video debrief! DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ELEVATE YOUR GAME!

Schedule:

Friday 11/2
1200 to 1600- warm up drills for those interested

Saturday 11/3
1100- briefing at sailing center

1200 to 1600- practice

1700- debrief at sailing center

1900- party at Tyler's house

Sunday 11/4

0900- Briefing

1000 to 1400- practice perhaps finish with a race or 2

Current Scratch List:

1. Thompson/Curtin
2. Englert/Huntsman
3. Duncan/Miller
4. Nelson/???(SAT) Falsone(SUN)
5. Richardson/???
6. Long/Long
7. Rasmussen/???
8. Smith/Smith (SAT) Revill (SUN)
9. Moore/Ewenson
10. Amthor/Amthor(SAT) James(SUN)

The Art of Crewing - Scott Ikle

Sailing World dug up a great crewing article today from a past issue written by the retired 505 crew Scott Ikle:

http://www.sailingworld.com/racing/from-the-archives-doublehanded-synergy

Scott is seen below sailing with October 2012 Sailing World "Coverboy" Tyler Moore. I would say this picture was probably taken close to the time the article was published based on those Reebok Pumps he is wearing.

Moore / Woelfel Win 2012 North American Championship

Congratulations to Tyler Moore and Rob Woelfel for winning the 2012 505 North American Championship hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club.

The win marks Tyler's successful defense of the Championship as he and crew Geoff Ewenson won the 2011 edition of the NA's at American Yacht Club.

Complete Results

Please watch this space for complete details on the event.

Parker 505's Return to the USA

Dear American 505 sailors.

This email is to inform you that Parker's are offering special pricing on 10 boats, pricing is valid until the end of September 2012 and delivery must be before the end of the year, the pricing is as follows

 

Model 0, 11,280 USD

Model 1, 12,180 USD

Model 2, 17,080 USD

 

Specifications/Pricing are available on the website http://parker505.com/parker505/Ordering.html, all prices are ex. taxes, delivery and insurance.

 

Please feel free to pass this information around your United States class members and please feel free to contact me directly if you have any further questions.

 

We look forward to supporting the United States 505 fleet.

 

Best Regards

 

David Parker

USA: +1.203.400.9515

2012 North American Championship - Registration

Registration is open.

NOR

Registered Teams

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.