The 2015 505 National Championship was sailed at Aeolians Club from the 20th to the 23rd of September 2015. The event was also the 60 year celebration of the class’s existence. Ten 505s made their way to the Vaaldam for this important event and it was somewhat disappointing that only one boat from the Cape made the trip. The lower attendance numbers were largely due to the leave requirements of such a mid-week regatta and perhaps the pressures of the economy are to blame.
Racing got underway on Sunday afternoon with 2 races being sailed. The defending champions, Kyle Klaas and Robert v Gruenewaldt, showed the fleet that they have not lost their touch and won the first race, with the Funkes in second and Alexander Ham and Friedrich Tasche ended in third. Race two went to Thomas and Peter Funke and the race was won on the last leg to the finish when Kyle and Robert, had a problem with their spinnaker and could not get it down.
Monday dawned with the promise of more breeze and the wind websites were all indicating that winds in the higher speeds could be expected. The first race took place at 8.30 am and in true fashion had to be abandoned as the wind swung around and changed direction. Thereafter the wind settled in from the north and started building. James Largier and Richard Hutton-Squire enjoyed the stronger conditions and won 3 of the 4 races, while the Funkes chased hard and won one race with 2 seconds and a third. Alex and Friedrich finished in a strong 3rd place. Racing was tough and tight, with some of the boats having breakages that needed to be repaired but all in all nothing serious broke.
Tuesday dawned with much the same promise of breeze from the wind websites. The wind was lighter than the previous day but the racing and the level of racing extremely high. Another 4 races were sailed and James/Richard won two of the races but also scored two third positions, which put them on equal points with the Funkes after 10 races. Alex and Friedrich won their first race of the regatta and were delighted to have done so. A further team with potential and the ability to do well in future, is that of the Robinsons. Brennan sailed with his dad on two days, with Michela on one and with Ryan on one. With his regular skipper Ricky, having to work, Brennan did well to consolidate the performance and even scoring a 2nd in race 10.
With 10 races sailed in 3 days, day 4 only left 2 races to complete the series. Light winds were the order of the day and the racing got underway after a little wait for the wind to settle in from the north. Two races were sailed and they all went to the wire as the top teams were tied on points and as they had already used their discards, it was two races to sail and two races to count. The races were extremely tight and in race 1 the lead changed hands many times and large wind shifts played their part in making the racing even more exciting. In the end James and Richard did a good job to do what was necessary to win the regatta by staying ahead of the Funkes while Alex and Friedrich did well to win the last race. Sailing in the SA 505 fleet is very competitive and definitely moving forward.
The 505 Class would like to thank Aeolians Club and all the helpers for hosting the 2015 National Championship, BP Randhart for sponsoring all of the fuel for the event, North Sails for their sponsorship of the jibs that were drawn every night and Manex Marine for their sponsorship of prizes. For more information please contact the class at
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The 505 Nationals are around the corner. Be sure to get your entries in before the 15th of September in order to avoid disappointment. Early entries close then.
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The 505 Highveld champs were sailed at PSC on the 29th and 30th of August. Conditions were good and 6 boats competed.
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