Recent 505 News… May 2002
The State of the 505 Class
Number of Countries with Active 505 Fleets:
We've gained back two countries, welcome to Ireland and Bermuda. The Irish were at the Portugal Worlds, but the Bermudians only just got around to applying to restart the Bermuda 505 Class Association. Bermuda now has six 505s, with a seventh on the way.
The Swiss 505 class has been struggling, but we have new keen class officers, and hope that the Swiss build back up to their previous activity level. Numbers in the UK are well down from what they were a few years ago. Germany continues to be the largest 505 country.
Most of you have adopted the long luff spinnaker and higher spinnaker halyard hoist, with most of those people apparently happy with the performance of the boat with the long luff spinnakers. I believe I have spoken with or know of two people who are still against the change.
I was concerned that we had decided to go too high up the mast with the higher spinnaker halyard, but to my knowledge we have had no broken masts and one bent mast (dented mast wall) that can be ascribed to the higher spinnaker halyard. In the meantime everyone I speak with who has tried the long luff spinnakers loves them.
Class Officers:
I would like to draw your attention to the ongoing work of the 505 sailors who have taken on roles with the International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association, or with National Class Associations. Many of us take our 505 racing, our World Championships, and our robust measurement rules for granted. The reality is that they exist because a few people work hard to ensure that they do. Thanks to people like our International Secretary, Chris Thorne, the chairman of our International Rules Committee, Rob Napier, and to the active national association secretaries and presidents.
Nominations for International President:
My two-year term as international president is up as of January 1st, 2003. Though I have only served one term as International President, I have been a US and then International class officer since early 1995 (I was also Canadian 505 Class President in an earlier go-around as a class officer), I need to step down, let someone else have a go, and spend some of the time and energy I have put into the class, on my own 505 racing.
This means I will not be standing for re-election as International President at the 505 Class Annual Meeting in Perth, and that we need some nominations for President.
What You Can Do for Your Class Association:
Actually we need more than just nominees for President. I am frequently struck by how much is done by so few in our class, and how much we could accomplish if a few more people took on roles for the class.
For example, we would really like to have an International 505 magazine, have a printer lined up, but need a publisher and a managing editor, working with a team of editors from each 505 country. Several of our popular web sites need webmasters. In the USA, despite years of prodding, we do not have enough measurers. A keen fleet captain can make an enormous difference for a fleet. Please consider volunteering for the class association with has supported your 505 racing.
Measurement:
Speaking of measurement, I recently saw a nearly new 505 with considerable lead weight bonded to the floor of the boat about the middle of the centerboard trunk. This is illegal positioning of corrector weights. When I tracked down the owner to discuss it with him, I learned that he had bought the boat used, but without a measurement certificate. This particular boat and several others were imported from Australia into the USA and NONE OF THEM had completed measurement, yet some of them had apparently raced Australian National Championships. Some of these boats are racing today in the USA, still without certificates. Prior to the 1998 World Championship, there were boats in the USA that had not been registered and measured, despite being raced for over ten years! If a boat has not been registered and measured, it is not a 505! If you do not have a measurement certificate, contact your national secretary or national measurer and ask if the boat has been measured previously, and if a duplicate certificate can be issued. If not, make arrangements to have the boat measured. When considering buying a used boat, ensure that it has been measured before buying it.
Many of you were in Cascais, Portugal for the 2002 International 505 World Championship. While we did not get the breeze some of us were hoping for, and launching was time consuming, we had very good racing on the water. Congratulations to the 2002 International 505 World Champions, Wolfgang Hunger and Holger Jess of Germany. Holding a 505 world championship in Portugal was an experiment for the class. When the membership at various Annual Meetings voted in favour of holding a world championship in Portugal they voted to hold a worlds in a country that does not have an active 505 fleet. To the knowledge of the IEC members, this is the first time in 505 class history we had a world championship in a country without 505s. While everyone who voted in favour of Cascais had their own reasons to do so, I believe some members hope that the 505 class can expand into European countries where we are not currently active, and that having a world championship in some of these countries, and inviting local sailors to race 505s, is a means of marketing the boat in those countries. Several top Portuguese teams participated; with two of the teams recording some strong finishes. I hope some of these sailors consider buying 505s in the future.
Scheduled World Championships:
At the 505 Class Annual Meeting in Cascais, Portugal, we heard detailed reports from the
2002 505 World Championship organizing group from Fremantle and updates on the
2003 505 World Championship in Sweden. A proposal for the 2004 World Championship to be held in Santa Cruz, California was heard, and both the UK and Bermuda expressed an interest in a future world championship.
Future World Championships:
In the past few months I have received e-mails from several countries interested in hosting a 505 World Championship; at least from Germany, France, Bermuda and South Africa. The process for applying to host a World Championship is set out in the Championship Rules -- on the web at
CLASS CONSTITUTION – 2009 -- and if your National Association wants to put a preliminary application to an AGM, please make sure that this is with Chris Thorne at least one month before the date of the meeting. I look forward to hearing more about possible World Championships, at the Annual Meeting in Fremantle.
European Championship on Lake Garda:
The 2002 International 505 European Championship will be held on Lake Garda, the 27th of July to the 2nd of August. Lake Garda is one of my all time favourite venues. I am hoping to be there racing 7200 (my 22 year old 505 that lives in England).
Studying Carbon Fibre Spars:
At the Annual Meeting in Cascais, the membership decided to defer a vote on allowing carbon fibre spars (by removing the spars must be mostly aluminium rule that was put in about 1983 to ban carbon fibre), and rather have the matter studied further. A committee was setup to study the matter and report back to the membership at the Fremantle AGM, with some proposals for the membership to consider.
505 Line and Construction Drawings:
A few people have contacted me in the past couple of years asking for 505 line and construction drawings. The 505 class used to sell copies of a copy of the original John Westell drawings. David Stetson and I purchased one of these copies of a copy. I have them. David put most of what was provided to us onto the web site at URL https://www.int505.org/drawmain.htm.
If you cannot read those files, try e-mailing David Stetson for assistance. If you really need a copy of my copy of a copy of the Westell drawings, contact me and I’ll see what I can do. Before you get too excited about building a 505 using Mr. Westell’s suggested construction of 1954/’55, the 505 is actually defined by what fits the
measurement templates and tolerances and measurement rules.
Event Reports:
I enjoy reading regatta reports distributed by the various e-mail listservers we use. Recently Jean-Baptiste Dupont distributed some very interesting reports on the Europa Cup France event, including discussion of various long luff spinnakers in use there. Thank you Jean-Baptiste.
Membership in the Class:
It continues to disappoint me that some active 505 sailors either do not join the class association, or delay joining as long as possible, each year. The cost of membership in the class association is trivial compared to what it costs to own and campaign an International 505. For that matter in most countries where 505s are raced membership in the class costs less than your Saturday evening meal and beer while at a regatta. The class association works to support you and your 505 racing. Without a strong class association, you 505 racing, and the value of your 505, are jeopardized. My interpretation of rule 4 of the International 505 Class Constitution – on the web at
CLASS CONSTITUTION – 2009 -- is that class rules require you to be a class member to race a 505. In many countries this rule is not enforced or is ignored. If you own or race a 505, please ensure you are a paid up member of the class association.
Where The 505 Fits In:
The sailing world has changed a great deal since 1955, yet we continue to do well. None-the-less, we are no longer the ultimate high performance dinghy. For most of the 505 class’ history, the competition was classes like the Flying Dutchman and Fireball. We now face competition in some countries from several single manufacturer one-design skiffs and would-be skiffs. Some of these boats are faster than the 505, at least in the conditions where they can be raced. We can no longer be complacent – or arrogant – as when we knew that almost nothing on the water could touch a 505 around the race course. What the 505 and the 505 class offer today is the highest standard of high performance dinghy racing for those not in a position to do Olympic campaigns. While not the strongest high performance dinghy class in all twenty-odd countries where 505s are raced, worldwide we are stronger than any other high performance dinghy, and possibly any non-Olympic class. At our very competitive world championships, teams from perhaps six to nine countries are capable of winning races and perhaps the world championship. To keep that standard, we have to continue to recruit good sailors into the 505 class. We have to show prospects that the 505 remains the top all-round high performance dinghy to race, has a very strong regatta schedule, top competition and that the boat holds its value better than almost anything else available in the marketplace.
Alexander Meller
President, International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association
505s 8263, 7200, 8776, 7080