Mike Holt's championship report EIGHTY-FIVE BOATS from 11 countries made up the fleet in the 505 world championship
at Santa Cruz in California � possibly one of the most perfect places to hold a championship - blue skies, blue seas, 15-25 knot sea breezes, fantastic harbour and hospitality and oh yes, sharks! Hamlin and Lewis of the US had won the North American and pre-world championship. The third race was sailed in a more moderate 15-20 knots and was once again mastered by the Nicholson brothers with Colclough and Godfrey chasing hard in second. It was a good day for the UK team with Pinnell sixth, Holt eighth and Upton-Brown 10th. Although the championship title had already been won, there was still the minor places to fight for going into the sixth race. In the familiar 20 knots breezes, Colclough and Godfrey sailed well and pulled through to a comfortable lead with Holt, Upton-Brown and Pinnell all in the top ten. However, at the last leeward mark the usually consistent wind, left the pitch. The boats which drifted out to sea picked up the breeze first and managed to finish in 25 knots, Edwards and Shelton won with Hamlin second and Nelson and Fry of the USA third. Holt and Fulcher finished in fourth.
�r ovanst�ende en beskrivning fr�n n�gon oerfaren Stockholmsseglare p� �ventyr i Stilla Havet? Nej, det �r faktiskt Kalle Nilsson och Bengt Zachrisson som beskriver f�rh�llandena i Santa Cruz f�r oss andra som har valt att stanna p� land denna f�rsta dag. V�dret �r utm�rkt f�r att meka med b�ten, alla har n�got att g�ra. V�r container anl�nde tidigt p� morgonen och var avlastad av hj�lpsamma tyskar n�r ett tr�tt svenskg�ng anl�nde till hamnen. Kalle och Bengt �r snabba ut p� det bl�a havet och kan sedan l�mna ovanst�ende rapport. Vind och v�gor �kar faktiskt kraftigt n�r man kommer l�ngre ut fr�n land, n�got som alla kommer att f� erfara under de n�rmaste dagarna. Det svenska teamet �r inhysta i en stor villa som omedelbart d�ps till. "The Swedish Embassy" av Team �hus: Johan och Bruse. Att bo tillsammans visar sig vara ett mycket bra arrangemang, mycket kul snack men �ven en m�jlighet att g�ra det man sj�lv �nskade. Banan ligger ca 1 distans fr�n land, ett avst�nd som �r mycket kritiskt. Vid kryss och sl�rboj bl�ser det oftast mellan 12-15m/s medan det knappt �r trapets vid l�nsm�rket. Anledning till att inte
l�gga banan l�ngre ut, vilket vi kassask�p skulle ha uppskattat, �r s�kerhet och ankringsdjup. Arrang�rerna �r lite ovana vid de r�rliga och snabba fivarna, bland annat grindb�ten
hade sv�rt att g� med j�mn fart vilket strulade till starterna en del. P� land arrangemangen gick i en anda av "laid back", lungt och trivsamt. Under de f�ljande tv� dagarna avverkas snabbt ytterligare fyra seglingar och
nordamerikanska m�stare blir Hamlin/Lewis, USA. De svenska seglarna �r l�tt
chockade och resultaten �r inte riktigt vad de borde vara. M�nga haverier och slitna seglare ser nu fram emot tv� dagars inm�tning och fixande innan VM. Prisutdelningen h�lls i anslutning till en mindre naturpark med stora
redwood tr�d. �l och grillat i rikliga m�ngder. 1:a seglingen vanns av Sch�nherr/Paulsen med Hamlin/Lewis p� andra plats. Andra dagens seglingar st�lldes in d� dimman aldrig l�ttade. Efter n�gra timmars irrande �kte alla in i land. N�r v�l segling nr 2 startade var allt som vanligt, dvs. h�rd vind och halvl�ng, tidvis brytande sj�. P� f�rsta kryssen m�ter Hamlin/Lewis en styrbordsb�t utan att h�lla tillr�ckligt avst�nd. Cam Lewis sl�r axeln ur led och bryter n�gra revben och s� var en favorit borta. Seglingen vinns ist�llet av Nicholson/Nicholson. F�r att sedan g�ra en l�ng historia kort lyckas dessa australiensare vinna ytterligare tre k�r och vinner VM i kavaj. Bra b�tfart, framf�rallt p� sl�rar och mycket bra b�thantering, �r receptet om man vill vinna ett VM under s�dana f�rh�llanden som r�dde. Det var v�l ungef�r det som saknades hos de svenska bes�ttningarna. B�st var Ebbe/Olle som inte trivdes riktigt lika bra som p� EM:et i K�penhamn. Kalle/Bengt Z kom 31:a och bevisade �ven de att det kr�vs samtr�ning f�r att g� fort n�r det bl�ser. Niklas/Bengt �terh�mtade sig aldrig fr�n f�rsta seglingens f�rs�k att s�nka en tysk i starten, slutade som 34:e b�t. Gunilla/Erik k�mpade mot vindar och en f�rkylning, seglade alla k�r vilket var starkt men slutade p� en 61:a plats vilket inte riktigt var i paritet med tidigare seglingar under �ret. Johan/Bruse slutade som 75:e b�t men verkade inte vara s� ledsna f�r det. Jag tror att alla hade mycket kul, mycket tack vare v�r utm�rkta bostad. Sista kv�llen blev vi bjudna p� en kr�ftskiva av Santa Cruz svenska befolkning anf�rda av Leo, krog�gare fr�n Stockholm. Han hade seglat Moth under sin tid i Sverige och d� tr�ffat Gunilla och Erik. Denna mycket trevliga tillst�llning avslutade detta VM och svenskarna spred sig sedan �ver v�stra USA och Canada, alla med ett l�fte att n�sta g�ng, d�........ the above translated to english as follows:
Is the above a description from any inexperienced Stockholm sailor on an adventure in the Pacific? No, it is actually Kalle Nilsson and Bengt Zachrisson who describe the conditions in Santa Cruz for us others who have chosen to stay ashore this first day. The weather is great for preparation of the boat, everyone has something to do. Our container arrived early in the morning and was already unloaded by helpful Germans when a tired Swedish team arrived at the harbor. Kalle and Bengt are fast out on the blue sea and can then submit the above report. Winds and waves actually increase sharply as you get further out of land, something that everyone will experience in the next few days. The Swedish team is housed in a large villa which is immediately named. "The Swedish Embassy" by Team �hus, Johan and Bruse. Living together proves to be a very good arrangement, with funny talks but also an opportunity to do what you want yourself. Santa Cruz is a small town about one hour drive south of San Francisco where the hippie movement struggles to survive among pale-fat holiday Americans from Illinois. The latter have their paradise in the huge amusement park adjacent to the beach. It is the second time Santa Cruz YC hosts the 505 World Championship, most recently in 1971. The club is located at a small harbor just outside the city. The racing area is located about one nautical mile from land, a distance that is very critical. At the top mark and gybe mark it usually blows between 12-15m/s while it is barely trapeze conditions at the leeward mark. The reason for not moving the course further out, which we who are heavier would have appreciated, is due to safety and anchoring depth. The organizers were a bit unaccustomed to the moving and fast 505's, among other things, the gate boat driver had difficulty to walk at a steady pace, which messed up the start for some. The onshore arrangements went in a spirit of laid-back, lighthearted and pleasant. Pre-Worlds / North American Championships The first race goes in what later turns out to be typical Santa Cruz wind conditions. The wind shifts between 7 and 15m/s, always increasing towards the top mark. The right edge towards land usually pays off on the beat, the waves is smaller and it seems the wind is turning to the right in the bay. The runs are more difficult to sail, going high and fast can really improve your placement. Hamlin/Lewis wins the first race with European champion Pinnell/Darling in second and Sch�nherr/Paulsen in third place. In the second race the wind increases slightly and the heavy guys Edwards/Shelton takes a safe nail. On second place the young Australian brothers Chris and Darren Nicholson, who impress with going very fast on the downwind and using a heavy-vest both on crew and helmsman. Over the next two days, another four races are quickly completed and Hamlin/Lewis become the North American champions. The Swedish team are easily shocked and the results are not really what they should be. Many crashes and worn sailors now look forward to two days of measurement and fixing before the Worlds start. The awards ceremony is held at a small nature park with large Redwood trees. Beer and grilled in copious quantities. 505 Worlds 1992 The usual morning fog is over the harbor and the wind is almost non-existent on land. Most arrive at around half past eleven to rig the boats and launch them into the water with a crane in the harbor. It is advisable to sail out at half past twelve, with the wet suit rolled down to release the heat. Outside the pier comes a slight southeasterly wind that takes you on a reach out to the starting area. There the wind turns to the northeast and increases to about 8m/s. The start is at one o'clock. The wind then increases a bit during the day but it never gets as strong during the Worlds as the days before, to the delight of some while others suffered. The first race was won by Sch�nherr/Paulsen with Hamlin/Lewis in second place. Racing on the 2nd day was canceled as the fog never lightened. After a few hours sailing around everyone went ashore. Once race two started, everything was as usual, ie. strong wind and semi-long, occasionally breaking waves. On the first beat, Hamlin/Lewis encounters a starboard boat without keeping enough distance. Cam Lewis breaks his shoulder and breaks some ribs and so was a favorite away. The sailing is instead won by Nicholson/Nicholson. Then to make a long story short, these Australians manage to win three more races which secured the overall victory and trophy with one race to spare. Good boat speed, especially on reaches and very good boat handling is the recipe if you want to win a World Cup under the conditions that prevailed. That was pretty much what was missing from the Swedish crews. The best team was Ebbe/Olle who did not really enjoy it as well as at the European Championships in Copenhagen. Kalle/Bengt came 31st and also proved they need co-training to go fast when it is windy. Niklas/Bengt never recovered from the first race attempt to lower a German at the start, and ended as 34th. Gunilla/Erik fought against winds and a cold, sailed all the races which was strong but ended in a 61st place which was not really in par with previous regattas during the year. Johan/Bruse ended up as a 75th boat but did not seem to be so sorry for it. I think everyone had a lot of fun, thanks to our excellent home. Last night we were invited to a crayfish party by Santa Cruz's Swedish population led by Leo, bar owner from Stockholm. He had sailed Moth during his time in Sweden and then met Gunilla and Erik. This very nice event ended this World Cup and the Swedes then spread across the western US and Canada, all with a promise that next time, then ..... Bengt Sareyko
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Uppdaterad 2023-04-20 |
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