After major hassles and high costs due to the strike in the ports on the US west coast, we managed to get our boats down from Vancouver to Santa Cruz in good time for the 505 Worlds during August 26 – September 1.

Santa Cruz is located just over 100 km south of San Francisco in a beautiful bay called Monterey Bay. According to the advance notice, the winds would be steady and with a strength of about 10 m/s. This was almost entirely true. The wind was constantly southwest and the force was at 10-13 m/s with high sea waves.

The Worlds was preceded by a regatta containing 4 races, called Pacific Ocean Invitional. The Swedish sailors here really showed their transoms to the competitors and placed themselves very well. Ahead of the Worlds, hopes for advanced Swedish investments rose.

After 4 races in strong winds in beautiful weather, Sjostrom/Andersson was in first place and Forssell/Anderberg in 8th place. The third Swedish team with Robertsson/Stenesjo was here in 15th place. When the 5th race had been completed and one race was taken away, Farrant, England, led just before Wickland, USA, Bainbridge, England and Sjostrom, Sweden. The two other Swedish boats unfortunately both suffered from mishaps and had to withdraw in the 5th race.
The conditions for Sjostrom/Andersson to reach a very good position in total were now very great before the last race. The three boats that were ahead all already had a bad race to count if something happened in the 6th and last race. Sjostrom/Andersson's worst result was as good as an 8th place.

The excitement was thus great before the final and decisive race.

The race course that was used: beat–reach–reach–beat–run–beat–reach–reach–beat.

At the gybe mark for the final reach, the excellent Swedish team Stefan Sjostrom/Reine Andersson had sailed fantasticly well after a poor start and was here in a notable 2nd place. Farrant was no better than seventh and other dangerous competitors at a safe distance. In this situation, the Swedes were world champions.

Unfortunately, the crew Reine Andersson was injured in the last gybe, so the shoulder went out of joint. They also capsized but eventually got the boat upright and fought their way to the finish. A real achievement maybe especially by Reine who gave everything he had before they reached the goal as 9th boat. After the finish, Reine Andersson threw himself into the water and was picked up by a fast-moving motorboat and driven ashore and later on to a hospital with speed.

Unfortunately, because of this accident, the Swedes lost the World Cup trophy to Farrant, who came in on 6th place in the last race, thus securing his overall victory as the nearest competitors placed worse than the Englishman. Finally, it should be mentioned that the arrangements were the most perfect we have ever been to. The Race Committe Board did not make a single mistake during the entire World Championship. A real contrast to the bad event at the European Championships in Copenhagen in early July.

78 boats started in the Worlds and half of them came from the USA. It should also be mentioned that we met only wonderful people who took great care of us throughout our stay in the United States.


Top 10 results:

  1) Derek Farrant/Robin Farrant, GBR, (1-1-6-23-7-6) 37,4 p
  2) Dave Wickland, USA, (19-5-3-3-3-7) 40,1 p
  3) Peter Bainbridge, GBR, (2-7-5-dnf-2-13) 48,0 p
  4) Ray Pingree, USA, (dsq-10-7-2-11-1) 49,0 p
  5) Stefan Sjostrom/Reine Andersson, SWE, (8-4-1-8-7-7-9) 49,0 p
  6) Dick Deaver, USA, 50,4 p
  7) Dennis Surtees, USA, 52,4 p
  8) Marcel Buffet, FRA 57,0 p
  9) Rod Dalgleish, AUS, 58,0 p
10) Mike Derry, GBR 72,7 p

16) Forssell/Anderberg, SWE, (24-8-10-18-dnf-12) 102,0 p
21) Robertsson/Stenesjo, SWE, (17-24-23-14-dnf-22) 127,0 p

Stefan Sjostrom / Reine Andersson, SWE