505 Rudder Fittings 101

Have you ever broken a set of rudder fittings on your 505? There is a new article on the class website all about 505 rudder fittings and how to prevent failure. CHECK IT OUT!

Installing a Larger Spinnaker Tube on Van Munster USA 8822 by Dave Burchfiel

Dave Burchfiel did a great job installing a larger launcher tube in his pre-preg carbon Van Munster. Check out the full article on the class webpage:

http://www.usa505.org/rigging/spinnaker-tube-8822

Also, make sure you Like Us On Facebook for up-to-the minute class news.

NEW YEAR SPECIAL PRICING ON PARKER MODEL 2013/0 - $10,500 USD

Parker's are offering 3 type 2013/0 model (0) complete bare hull International 505's at the incredible price of $10,500 USD.

The boats have the 2013 modifications of a new spinnaker shute, through deck forestay, raised mast gate, new jib sheet mountings and newly positioned bailers.

All boats have a white hull with one grey stripe and a grey deck. All prices are ex. taxes, extras, delivery, standard terms and conditions apply.

More information is available at our website at www.parker505.com.

Orders must be received by January 14th. Offer ends January 14th.

David & Bruce Parker
www.parker505.com
+1.203.400.9515

An Update on the New Parker 505

Dave Parker has provided the below updates on the new Parker 505:

We have received much interest and comment on the new Parker 505, all good and informative. So here's an update on what's next . . .

The new Spinnaker Shute

All new boats will have the new Spinnaker shute, positioned higer through the front bulkhead, the shute will be some 12"x18" in dimension exiting to port of the centerline, the tube will be off-horizontal accelerating drainage to the bow through a 35mm carbon tube that exits either side. Pictures to follow.

Adjustable Shroud Controls

Many questions around the ability to use an adjustable shroud track. Well we are working with Harken exclusively and using a turning bock above the carbon tube entry, we can accommodate an adjustable track, however it is not necessary to use the tube for the shrouds, these can be bypassed, by running the control lines forward past the line of the new deck and through the deck to the void to the mast step area.

Port Side Shute Launcher

I have talked to many more experienced sailors and sail manufacturers regarding putting the jib tack as far forward as possible, we all know that Steve Benjamin "wiped" most out in 1980 using this technique, I have spoken with Steve on many occasions and with assistance and advise from Ethan Bixby and many at La Rochelle during the summer, this will be a configuration option on our boats from the new year.

Many thanks for everyone's comments (keep them coming), Jesse, Ethan, Steve, Mike, Jens, Peter, Howie and many, many others, including many old friends of my father Bill Parker.

The A-Team Returns - Zack Marks

More from Marblehead and in some big breeze (check out 5:22):

So last Monday I finally got to use the asymmetrical in some real breeze, with lots of rain and big seas (by East Coast standards). Several instructors and I set out in the 505 and two RIB’s. It’s always good to have some protection. Before we left I made sure to give the pole lots of pre-bend. As soon as we cleared the rocks and had some water to work with we hoisted. What a ride! We were blasting and sometimes just hanging on. Eventually we heeled up a bit too much and Pete just fell on top of me.

Once I emerged from the water, we got the boat back up. The kite was a mess, the main was falling down a bit, and when I pulled on more outhaul I had too much line left over. Not quite ready to call it a day we sorted the kite, lowered the main, lashed the outhaul, raised the main and headed back out to sea. Despite the major tangle with the kite it was still super easy to sort out. Pete had decided to wear gloves designed for an infant and after trimming the kite and raising the main, was bleeding quite a bit from the hands.

So Geoff stepped in as skipper and I swapped to crewing. I tried to think heavy, but I don’t think it worked. With the jib barber-hauled out to the rail and the main luffing at full rake back we decided that downwind would be much more fun. So we set off to hoist. I told Geoff that we had to get a gybe on video. He agreed and so we went for it. Unfortunately as I unhooked in the gybe we slammed into a wave. The kite didn’t feel like stopping and decided to pull the mast to leeward with it. We thought that we might be able to bend it back the other way by gybing, but no dice. I think that the gybe would have been awesome if the guy in the back of the boat hadn’t decided to wrap the bridle around the tiller extension. What a muppet! So we just enjoyed the ride, doused, and headed back to the harbor.

Overall one of the most memorable sailing days I have ever had. The A-sail worked great and it was awesome not having to worry about any pole situations. I do think that for an a-sail the lead for the spinnaker sheets could be put further forward, almost to the jib sheet. This would make the gybe hand switch sort of like a tack. I found it hard to gybe with the spin sheets behind me when crossing. I also think that you could have a crew hoist and douse. Leaving the skipper to focus on his primary job, steering the boat. All in all a great day on the water!

Parker-hulled Lindsay Restoration

Read it here: Stern Scoop - Zero to 505 in Five Weekends

The A-Team Reports - Zack Marks

The first thing that I noticed when rigging the bowsprit and the asymmetric was how much gear I did not have to use. The auto guys could be taken off, the foreguy could be left in the boat, the topping lift could be skied, and the pole could be tied to the boom with launcher lines removed. A very clean look. And the bowsprit (the Kiwis call it “the prod”) is superlight.

The first day I sailed with the rig was in New Jersey in Barnegat Bay. Andrew Jones and I sailed downwind with Parry and Macy in non-wire running conditions. We eased the tack line and seemed to be holding well and against them. They might have been a touch faster but that also might have been technique. Either way the performance felt fine in light air. A friend, Mike Dowd, was on a coach boat. He said that the separation between the spinnaker and the main and jib looked much better with the a-sail than the symmetrical.

The next time I used the prod was on a windier day in Marblehead. It was probably about 10 knots, which was enough to wire run. I sailed with another Pleon instructor, Pete McGrath, who is a current collegiate sailor but had never sailed a 505 before. Despite having a rookie crew everything was easy. He pulls out the tack line and trims the sheet while I raise the sail. Going into gybes he eases one sheet and pulls another. By the end of the day his last two gybes were really good and he was having a blast. It was easy for a new sailor to pick up. Regarding, performance the boat felt great downwind. We were playing with some keelboats that were racing and we could easily gybe back and forth through the fleet.

The video that I uploaded was also sailed in Marblehead with yet another rookie 505er. Ian Barrows skippered while I crewed on another day around 10 knots. As a crew who has sailed with the single pole, the double pole, and some other weird stuff in between, the a-sail was incredibly easy and clean. I even tried gibing backwards a few times because the spin sheet blocks are so far aft that it is an easy hand switch. Check out the video for all the details. While the kite does not stay flying the whole time and it takes a while to get trimmed back in, I think that in heavier air this will be less of an issue because the kite will be floating further away from the boat.

Overall I really like the asymmetrical spinnaker. The boat was really easy to rig and the performance was about the same if not better. I would like to do more testing in windier conditions but unfortunately Marblehead is not known for its massive summer seabreeze. I will have the equipment down in Newport for the upcoming clinic if anyone wants to try it out.

The A-Team

Zack Marks has been doing some testing with the A-sail this summer and has provided the below video. He is going to put together a report about sailing with this rig, so stay tuned.

A lifelong 505 sailor looks ahead – Ethan Bixby

Editor's note - Portions of Ethan's text were included in an article written by Mike Martin in the March 16th , 2011 Scuttlebutt that wondered if 505s would be the next class to convert to an A-sail.

I’ve been asked many times why I keep coming back to the 505. Well, it has been a tough year in terms of my 505 sailing as I haven’t sailed the 505 since last year’s midwinters! But Erik and I got out for a short sail on New Year’s Day, and it brought it all back so quickly. It’s the nicest sailing dinghy you will have the good fortune to sail!! Always fun - always challenging. It was way ahead of its time when introduced, and the rules have allowed it to evolve over the years to maintain its reputation as one of the finest designs. I know I don’t have to preach to the choir, but it’s the best!

However, looking forward I have other thoughts. When we were rigging up for our sail, the whole double pole business again struck me as a huge pile of stuff that is not helping the class in the long run. The class is doing great with the existing sailors, but we need to keep attracting newer and younger teams. Part of that is being able to control the costs, modernize the boat a little, and keep the boats as simple and affordable as we can, and still enjoy tinkering around. We all like tinkering to some degree, but the double pole system requires a lot of extra fiddle time – too much in my opinion. With this in mind I’d really like the class to consider converting over time to an asymmetric spinnaker and a retractable bow sprit. It might seem like a big change, but consider these points.

Conversion costs – would not be very different than switching to a double pole system. Ultimately I feel the bow sprits would have to be retractable. I know some classes carry fixed ones, but I think most would prefer a retractable style. Larry Tuttle figures that a retro fit conversion kit could be pretty easy, especially for a side launcher. Above deck systems and below deck systems could both work for conversions. Knowing all the bright and creative minds we have I am sure we could find a way to transition smoothly over time. This is not something to get hung up on, but a good challenge.

Simplicity – The pile of parts I took off my boat was shocking! The big parts include two poles, two shock cord retractor systems, a Spiro/Spinno mast part, two cleats, two topping lift systems, two downhaul systems, and two guy purchase systems. Suddenly I have a much cleaner boat!

Sailing – yes, it is all about the sailing! The boat tracks really well downwind in a big breeze, and the A-sail tends to lift the bow nicer. Jibing is very easy as the boatspeed seems to stay up better when the crew comes in off the wire, and you just turn the boat with no hesitation and the boom comes over with less load. The crew just eases into the jibe, and trims out the other side. Consequently, I felt more able to jibe any time needed, without worries of a swim. This is really important as more teams would have more fun racing in heavy air. This is an issue for many in the fleet that don’t have the time to sail as much as they’d like. It takes a lot of time to perfect the pole systems and get the practice in, and honestly most class members don’t have that time anymore. We all know that if there is a pause to wait for the pole to come off the mast or any delay that causes the boat to decelerate quickly, you might be headed for trouble.

The A-sail does make the runs more tactical, as you can really jibe on the shifts and puffs without hesitation and you lose less distance jibing. After the boom is across, the A-sail tack stays down and doesn’t tend to fill high, load up and heel the boat like the symmetrical sail sometime does. With the change to the 6 meter luff spinnakers, we really do sail skiff angles downwind. With the A-sail we felt that we pretty much sailed similar angles to the rest of the fleet. In light air there is plenty of separation between the jib and the A-sail, so all of the sails are more efficient. We did try the wing and wing thing which seemed fine, but not tested.

However, it is not all about relative speed. With similar area on the initial test, speeds were close with an advantage to the A-sail as the wind increased. That can all be adjusted with changes in area. But it is more about the nature of sailing the boat. I think the class needs to consider making the boat easier to sail, especially in heavy air and for newer teams, and keep it a bit simpler to enhance our ability to attract sailors and builders to the class. I have Larry’s bolt on bowsprit and the A-sail, so if someone would like to try it let me know.

Another simple rule change would be to standardize the mast step height so that all future boats would accept the same mast. It’s a small matter, but it would make it easier on the equipment side if things were more interchangeable. As high performance dinghy sailors, we all know the pressure on our free time to sail and work on the boats and of course money too. This might be a good time to look further forward and make some changes to ensure further growth of the class.

Ethan Bixby
USA 8715
North Sails
St. Petersburg, FL

Double Poles on the Cheap – Henry Amthor

I have two el-cheapo double pole systems. The first one is rigged with aluminum poles and the second one is with carbon poles. I rigged both systems by re-using aluminum booms.

The aluminum pole version is rigged with a swivel block simply tied to the single pole Spiro. I used this type of arrangement at the Adelaide Worlds on Earl Alexander's boat and it worked fine despite the high load on the cleat. One disadvantage is that you do lose a little effective pole length on the starboard side.

The carbon pole system uses Holger Jess tapered poles attached to another aluminum boom with the new Double Spinno from Warwick in South Africa. I believe Waterat makes a less expensive version as well. All you need to do with your boom is run a new shock cord 4x through the boom and exit aft via a through deck block. The poles were a little short so I made longer end fittings with Delrin stock from McMaster-Carr.

One issue we have been having with the Bixby lazy guy system is ring twist. To get past this we have changed our lazy guys to a stiffer line, Aricom-T. We have also flipped the poles around so the tapered end is inboard to cut down on pole bend on windy days

Mea Culpa – Double Poles – JB Turney

This article must begin with a confession: I was once decidedly opposed to double poles.

I recall a rather broad discussion of the topic at the Midwinters in February 2010 with passionate opinions on both sides of the debate. Spinnaker pole systems were on everyone’s mind as Ethan Bixby’s Waterat had appeared at the regatta with a five foot bow sprit for an asymmetric spinnaker. Ethan had built the sprit after sailing the 2009 Worlds with double poles; it must be noted that the 2009 Worlds featured broad based acceptance and use of double poles. These new approaches to the 505’s downwind sail plan certainly had everyone thinking.

The traditional side of the argument, on which I found myself, called for a rule change to clarify that the 505 should be sailed with only one spinnaker pole. As I can recall, this argument was based primarily upon three reasons: cost, complexity, boat handling. We argued that the allowance of double poles necessitates higher costs for class participants. Not only would one need to purchase a second pole, but a new mast fitting and hardware for the launcher lines. In terms of complexity we argued that double poles simply represented more to break and tangle. Further, that rigging the system introduced yet another complex step to fitting out a 505. Lastly, and I believe correctly, we argued that using a single pole is a skill. It takes practice to successfully gybe a single pole in 25kts of wind. Why would the people who have honed the needed skills want to level the playing field?

The catalyst for my conversion from non-believer to double pole advocate came that same February weekend. On the last day of the regatta, Russell Miller and I attempted to match Henry Amthor and Dustin Romey in a gybe. Using their double poles, Henry and Dustin gained at least five boat lengths through the maneuver and easily passed us; my eyes had been opened. In further discussions with users of the system and now in my own experience sailing Craig's boat, gybing with double poles is simply faster in all conditions.

With respect to the three notable objections voiced at the Midwinters, I offer the following rebuttal: the advantages of the system outweigh the objections entirely. I believe it was current Class President Drew Buttner that attempted to debunk the cost concerns. Drew constructed a good argument that I will attempt to relate. At the time, I simply was unwilling to accept any additional expense; I was blinded by the recent costs of refitting my aged Waterat. While it is true that changing an existing one pole boat to the new system involves additional cost, the additional cost to a new boat is minimal. I believe now that in either case it is money well spent. There are several options to examine when implementing the system. A major contributing factor to the cost of the system is the chosen mast fitting. Options range from the South African made Double Spinno, the Waterat made cheek block fitting, to whatever homemade solution you might come up with. I chose to go with the South African fitting made by Warwick Ham. The mast fitting and associated pole end fittings cost me a little under $350 dollars with shipping. For the sake of comparison, APS sells the Proctor pole launcher for a single pole for $369. I have already saved some money! Carbon Waterat poles are available for $185.

Obviously with this system you have to buy two poles, two launcher cleats, two launcher lines and more boom fittings. Say this additional hardware costs $400; that would be an increase of 1.6% over the cost of a $25,000 new boat. It is difficult to argue that an increase in the total cost of 1.6% is going to dissuade someone from buying the boat, particularly given the improvement in performance the upgrade provides. As far as complexity, yes the system is more complex than a single pole. Fortunately for us late comers, much of the pioneering development work has been done. There is plenty of rigging know-how on the system available on the internet. The segue from rigging complexity to sailing skill is natural as the system makes gybing the boat far less complex than with a single pole. I believe that the benefits of gybing with double poles outweigh all noted and potential drawbacks of the upgrade.

The boat is simply faster with double poles, it is more fun to sail, it is easier to sail, and it is safer to sail. Gybes in light and heavy air are faster meaning more time spent sailing full speed; this opens up additional tactical options. The boat spends less time out of racing trim and is therefore less likely to capsize in big breeze. This also makes it easier to gybe away from a dangerous crossing situation since the gybe is less likely to result in a capsize. The pole is easier to launch as it is not carrying the load of the guy until it is nearly fully extended. Lastly, the system makes it easier to sail competitively with less practice time. While this may render the art of a single pole gybe on the Berkeley Circle to the dustbin of history, it makes the boat easier to introduce to newcomers broadening the appeal of the class.

I would like to personally thank the pioneers for their trailblazing efforts. Double poles are a true improvement on an already great boat. Consider me a convert.

505 Crivello launcher - Zack Marks

(aka single pole double launcher line system)

This past Midwinters Andrew Jones and I decided to try out a new spinnaker pole system. Gonzalo Crivello our sailing team coach inspired the idea and helped implement it. The system is simple. It is just like the double pole system except that two launcher lines go through one pole. Two blocks hanging on the mast launch the pole rather than the traditional ball and spiro. The lazy guy system is still used.

I really liked this system because it allowed us to get all the benefits of a double pole with minimal modification. The only things that we needed to add were two harken 150 aluminum cam cleats, two deck blocks, a new outboard fitting for the pole, two launcher lines (27 ft of 5mm FSE robline was my choice but anything that can be tapered will do), two metal rings, and two hanging blocks on the mast rather than a spiro. Before we began drilling we made sure to consult our friendly North Sails representatives to confirm that we were on track. Ethan and Lin assured us that it could be done and that was all the confidence we needed.

We started by drilling and installing the deck blocks and the cam cleats. We made sure to place a section of G-10 behind the cleats and blocks to act as a backing plate. We then removed our old single spiro (we tried running both lines through it and it didn’t work) and attached a double spiro part borrowed from Ethan. We removed the block on the side of the fitting before attaching it in order to hang our new blocks. This fitting was used simply to hang two blocks from the mast. Anything that you can use to achieve the same effect will be fine. For a new outboard fitting Ethan gave me the number of a local machine shop guy who was able to create some custom delrin fittings. I thought that I knew what I wanted but it wasn’t quite right, more on this later. After this we tapered the launcher lines spliced the rings to the outboard ends and ran them through the pole and the cleats. We were able to finish this about 2 months before midwinters so we had plenty of time to practice. We discovered a few things.

Gybes were very quick. As I said before, we got pretty much all of the benefits of a double pole without the second pole, second topping lift and downhaul. The difference was that because we launched the pole with just blocks rather than a spiro the load of the pole that is usually on the mast was transferred to the deck block, hence the G-10 backing plate. This also makes it a little more difficult to release the pole because it is so loaded up. The good side is that once it is uncleated the pole retracts with no hesitation. Also with no spiro you lose a little bit of effective length on the pole. Another issue was that we did not place the inhaul bungee at the very end of the pole. This allowed the launcher lines to twist around the back of the pole.

In light air, when retracting the pole, sometimes the ring would continue to pull the spinnaker in rather than let it float out. This would make the spinnaker collapse. Other than eliminating as much friction as possible I am not sure of a way around this. The final issue that needs to be resolved is my outboard pole fitting. I got a delrin fitting made, but I did not place a metal ring internally to prevent the fitting from wearing down. Also the rings that I used on the launcher lines were a little bit big. This resulted in the fitting getting transformed a bit such that the ring would kind of sit in the fitting. This was bad because the ring could not spin. Occasionally the ring would be stuck in the middle of the lazy guy and I could not launch the pole anymore or push the pole forward. A better end fitting should solve this issue.

The system worked well at the event. We only had one gybe wipeout and that was because the pole retracted into the vang. I think that with some more modifications to fix the previously mentioned bugs it will work better. Overall we had a great time at midwinters. Everyone should make it down to sail off of sunny Pass-a-Grille beach next year!

The XSP Fremantle Experiment – by Mike Holt

Sometime in the spring of this year, I received an email from the German importer of the Fremantle XSP 505’s, Michael Honsol, asking if Carl and I were interested in sailing one of their boats at the Worlds in Denmark in the summer. Carl and I chatted and as we had not really considered going to the Worlds with our boat this kind offer had us interested. After some more discussion we decided that the plan would be to go and sail one of the boats at the Riva regatta at the end of May and see if the boat was good enough to do the Worlds in.

After many logistical challenges and Volcano related travel delays Carl, Jacks and I arrived in our tiny rental car in the picturesque town of Riva at the northern end of Italy’s Lake Garda. As always seems the way when you turn up at a regatta a large amount of time is spent catching up with old friends and adversaries. Finally we found our boat that had kindly been brought down from Northern Germany by Jens and Johannes atop their very impressive trailer that cleverly housed their boat inside and had ours on top. The trailer could also double as living quarters and storage for spare equipment and most impressively a location for beer.

So with beer in hand and a new boat to set up we began the work of making the boat as similar to ours as possible. I had spent some time prior to the trip documenting all the settings and positions on our boat and duplicated everything as much as was possible, certainly without drilling and gluing! We had brought our own sails and the boat was reasonably simply set up so it wasn’t too long before we were ready to go afloat; however before sailing came time for some Italian food.

Our first sail was short. Nothing much was working, lines were the wrong length and a number of items needed to be changed. Back to the dock and make a list. Time to scrounge tools (we had none) and set to the list. Unfortunately by now the weather was not cooperating and the rain was coming down, ah well, food, beer and an early start in the morning.

After three days of racing a lot of changes to the boat and a long list of items still to change we were reasonably satisfied. We finished 9th out of 60 boats despite a DNF when we were doing well when the Ram pulled off of the mast and another race where the spinnaker lead pulled out but in general the boat speed seemed good and we had a long list of improvements that needed to be done before the Worlds.

Unfortunately the boat we used in Riva would not be the same boat that we would use for the Worlds, we would have a brand new, unused boat for Denmark but they would incorporate all of our input from our Riva experience into the rigging. Big gulp…. Vacation time was short for both Carl and I so we had a very tight plan for the Worlds, basically fly out the day before the Worlds. So 400,000 of my air miles dropped us in Frankfurt at 7AM the day before and you would think my knowledge of European geography would be reasonable, but the drive took a lot longer than anticipated and we finally got to the Yacht Club far later in the day than we planned. We soon hooked up with Michael Honsol the importer and supplier of our new boat and set to unwrapping our new toy! I have to say the boat looked good, lovely finish and sharp looking. Our notes with all our numbers came out and we set to getting the boat as close to our own as we could. It seemed we had done this before! With the help of too many people to list we got the boat rigged, modifications done, through measurement and ready to sail in record time. A can of beer to christen and name the boat and off we went for an evening sail in a rapidly fading breeze. Our sail consisted of a couple of gybes and tacks and back to the harbor to make a very long list. Ah well, nothing like preparation!

Day one of the Worlds dawned and we were at the harbor early to prepare and get through as many items on the list as we could. As always on the first day butterflies were present and we were excited to see a forecast for good breeze. One of the jobs that we had not got to on our list was fit out our own rudder to the boat; this as it would turn out was a major oversight, as were some others…

So we, along with130 other boats set out to the distant race track in a breeze close to 20 knots. We were about half way out when our first problem hit. The jib Cunningham had snapped. Off to the bow I go in a nasty chop to lash it together with the supply of string I have in my life jacket pocket, part of the spares “kit” that Carl and I always carry, along with a gerber, shackles and spare block. Problem solved we carry on to the race track, get upwind of the start area and set the kite. Whoa, I can’t steer!!! Boat will not respond to tiller input…. Splash. Kite away, boat up, try again, SPLASH, AGAIN!! This is not good, what is going on? The breeze was up, but not really windy and the sea state was ugly, but not SF ebb bad…. The whole rudder, tiller assembly was poor with way too much movement between each joint and a woefully small blade - resulting in trouble. A quick tidy up and we were into the start sequence and we haven’t even gone upwind, preparation!!!

The gun goes and the gate opens. We have Howie and Andy above us and random Euros beneath, no problem, happy with that, Howie will go high, we will foot, all will be good. That doesn’t happen… We are slow, Howie is fast and we are spat out the back. I go hard to string pulling and try and dial back in some speed and bit by bit we get the boat rolling, height and speed come back. By the time we roll to Port we are back on the front row and moving well. By the top of the beat we round 2nd behind Ramsbeck and Saugman. Downwind we take no chances and keep the weight way back and the rudder dug deep, losing a few places. But the boat is flying upwind and we quickly pull through into the lead before our day starts taking turns for the worse. With the wind now building nicely the main sheet block on the case tops disconnects from the swivel and I am left playing the main from the boom at 3:1 with no cleat or ratchet. Trouble. We let Pinnell and Mitchel past by the top mark and have a crazy wild three sail ride before having to drop to make the gybe mark. After turning at the gybe mark and going for the reset, the rudder issues come back with a vengeance and a wild leeward wipe out is the result. Quickly back on our feet we decide to try to reattach the block in some fashion and pull out the string again. Repair effected I am concerned at the amount of forestay sag. “More shrouds Carl!” Mistake. The 6:1 in the boat has no washers and pulls out of the back of the case, the shrouds go slack and the mast over the bow. Instantly realizing what has happened we go head to wind, use some more of our string supply and pull out as much slack as we can to hold the mast up for the sail in.

Back on shore and with a long list we set to fixing issues. Number one, add washers, number two, replace rudder for one that steers, luckily we have an excellent one made by Pegasus Aeromarine in the Pacific North West. Aided by a few cold beers and plenty of advice from numerous other teams that have letters not numbers for scores we plough through and get the boat ready to race again. Frustrated that we would have had a good day with the boat, but for some small details that turned to major problems, we are now starting to lose interest in boat work and call it quits, heading for town and some food.

Day 2, a one race day and the boat is back together. Wind is moderate and we put in a satisfactory performance racing in or around the top ten for two hours finally finishing 12th. Although we don’t understand why, we always have a lot of water in the boat and have to sail with two bailers open the whole time. Back on dry ground, well not that dry, we seem to have arrived during Denmark’s monsoon season we have a few jobs still to complete before we hit the tent for pasta and beer.

Day 3 and back for 2 races in lighter conditions, but with a distinct problem. Copious amounts of water are filling up the boat. What is going on??? Turns out that we have a dime sized hole in the front of the case that had been especially lengthened to take our Waterat 480 board. We filled it with chewing gum for the day, a crude but effective solution.

A lay day follows and we are in no mood for boat work, but we have jobs to do… Holes to fill, lines to shorten etc before we adjourn to wander Aarhus in the rain.

Race 6 and 7 are up next and 6 is a good one for us. With just full wire conditions we are fast from the get go and round the top mark with 5 or 6 boat length lead, a lead, to our complete amazement we extend on the first run. Our speed is enough up the second beat to hold off the hungry pack behind of Pinnell, Bojsen-Muller and Saugman and despite some pressure on the reaches we are never passed and have a 100 yard lead at the last top mark. We go square down the last run with everyone following and our lead slowly increases and with 400 yds to go I feel safe. The breeze then builds a couple of clicks and the boats behind dial up and wire, going wide on both sides of us. We are hit by indecision, stay low? Wire right? Wire left? By the time we make our mind up we are past on both sides and drop to fourth, a good finish but so disappointing, really would have been a good result to get a race win for the XSP boat.

Going in to the final two days our goal is to claw our way on to the first page of the results, we have been moving gradually up from the our place firmly at the bottom after the first two races and page 1 would be some small redemption. Race 8 turns out to be one of the more bizarre days of sailing I can remember. The first attempt gets abandoned 2 hours in when they post the wrong bearing for a new mark and for a long time we drift in no wind waiting for a re-sail. When we finally get the race away in a light breeze, nobody has any idea what is coming. By the top mark the breeze has come up significantly as a big black cloud moves in. The all to familiar Danish rain comes pouring down and we are racing in fairly extreme conditions. According to the GPS tracker we rounded the 1st mark in 67th position, ouch and its now breezy, double ouch. Spurred on by the likely embarrassment of a bad finish in a windy race we give it all we have and have moved up well a lap later, piling in to the top mark in a 45 degree righty. A fast, first reach, that is now essentially a run, in less than a 100yard visibility is followed by a tight reach to the leeward mark. In the chaos of rain and wind the race committee has not been able to realign the course and the “beat” is now a one tack power fetch. We fully have the “bit between our teeth” now and get to the top in tenth. It is now a gybe set and another spinnaker reach back to the leeward mark and we are lit up, getting to the bottom in 3rd, right on the tail of Hunger and Kleiner who are just leading from the Gorge brothers. This is looking good. However, the ride is over and the wind drops as quickly as it came and we are left with a final short beat in next to no wind. Brian and Ted sail brilliantly to win and we fade to 10th. Wolfgang and Julien cross in 2nd giving them the title of 2010 World Champions.

The last race is sailed in light breeze again and we have the job of pathfinder, not the best of places to be with the fleet set up high in the light stuff and a frustrating end to our weeks racing. However we have done enough to get on page 1 of the results ending up in 21st overall.

Over the years I have owned and raced every hull shape out there. Starting with Parkers, through Kyrwoods to a Waterat then a Van Munster and now a Rondar so adding the XSP to the picture was interesting. The boat is significantly cheaper than a Rondar and the saving have to come from somewhere. It shows in several places, some of it is in the construction, they are using vinylester not epoxy although plenty of carbon and we felt they were slightly under constructed on the centerboard case and on the transom, both areas that they intend to address. They have also cut corners in the fitting out, with some silly things like none or too small a washer, non ball bearing blocks in a couple of places and what Carl and I considered under sized fittings. They have taken our comments on board and should be addressing them too. All of that aside the boat was good, clearly capable of winning races at the highest level and at the end of the day that is probably what matters. The boat felt stiff and light sailing and felt particularly fast when deep running in lighter conditions, I guess we sail lower in the water than some and that may be a factor of waterline length!

The conclusion that Carl and I came to was the boat was perfectly competitive, had conditions and points of sail that it excelled on and others that it seemed less able, par for the course I think. Given more time to prep the boat we felt we would have done better, particularly day one when the breeze was on and the boat felt fast, the big question, would we have done better in our own boat, well we will never know!

A big thank you to all the people who made it possible to do the Worlds this year, Michael Honsol for supplying the boat, Jeff Miller and Genencor for sponsorship, numerous people for tools and Annette and Jacks for letting us go.

Contact Info for XSP 505

Wippendorfer Knochenmuehle 1

Esgrus Schleswig-Holstein

24402

Country: Germany

Contact Person: Michael Honsol

Phone:

Email: info@far-east-boote.de

Fax: +49 4637 963728

Website: http://www.far-east-boote.de