505 Sailing in WA  - Click here to get more information

The 2005/06 season has provided a pivotal building block to the future of 505 sailing in Western Australia. The aftermath of the Fremantle Worlds in 2002 has left the fleet in garages and dinghy yards all over the state. After a few years of moderating numbers the senior stalwarts of the class have embraced an injection of youth and renewed interest in 505’s, which can only mean big things for class in WA.

The sailing season started slowly with a small regular fleet that has expanded rapidly from the Lake Dumbleyung experience through to the fantastic fleet racing of the 505 States Championships. The first event for the year was the aforementioned Grand Final weekend regatta at Lake Dumbleyung. This was a fantastic social event and a chance to get out on the water in preparation for the upcoming summer season. This event saw seven 505’s complete with kids, wives, dogs and tents, travel to one of WA’s largest inland lakes for a weekend of sailing, camping, football, and frosty suds. Lake Dumbleyung hasn’t seen enough water to support any form of water activity bar stone skimming for decades, making this a truly unique sailing experience. Whilst there was no official racing organised, balloons were tethered to rocks and a course was set that any self-respecting Olympic race official would be proud of. No records of the event could be generated however, Ross and Norman did claim third place, Sydney defeated the West Coast Eagles, and the action around the camp fire was just as hot as the action on the water. The shire of Dumbleyung have organised the event for a similar time this year and with the lake at maximum capacity the 505’s will be a straight up starter.

The summer season consisted of regular “informal” Sunday afternoon sailing out of Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (RFBYC), which provides an invaluable opportunity for some of the newer sailors to learn from the seasoned sailors. In addition to these sessions the 505’s also competed in major events held by various clubs in the metro area. The first of these events was the Ronstan Indian Ocean Classic held by Fremantle Sailing Club. With five 505’s entered in this regatta and a hardy northerly forecast for both day’s the event was shaping up to be a rip snorter. Unfortunately only two starters made it on the first day, and with the full fleet ready to sail on the Sunday, the race organisers were forced to cancel racing due to extreme conditions. A clear victory on the first day of competition meant that Pete Chappell and Sam Gill sailing the Fish won the regatta overall with Michael “Duff” Duffield and Anthony Gaunt in Angry Dragon finished in Second place.

The next event on the calendar was the “International Classes Regatta” hosted by RFBYC and SoPYC. This event was attended by eight 505’s sailing over two weekends. The regatta was well organised and with close racing in strong sea breeze conditions the 505’s were in their element. Not to be out done MBSC organised there annual three of a Kind regatta, supplying even more wind and an exciting big fleet start. Four 505’s attended this regatta and battled it out on the race course against other classes of high performance dinghy such as, 49er’s, I14’s, and some other type of boat with a kangaroo on its sail. Although the 505’s were hampered by damage and navigational blunders our two finishers, Scott Olsen and Crew on “Swing shift” and Mark Stowell with crew Scott Bailey on “Epileptic Octopus” were able to secure a commendable 4^th place for the 505 fleet.

The Inaugural Denmark regatta featured seven teams towing six 505’s to the picturesque Denmark inlet for three days of racing over the Easter long weekends. With a weekend of surfing, sailing, socialising and other festivities organised, the tents were erected speedily on arrival, and the boats were launched shortly after. Special mention must go to “Duff” for winning the car-boat-trailer race to Denmark, however there were no other entries as nobody was aware of the event until informed by the self proclaimed victor “Duff”, this was to set a precedent of behaviour that Duff “Its a race” Duffield continued for the whole weekend.

The first day of sailing was tight with two races completed in a light southeasterly breeze. Nick “Beat box” Davis and “Duff” looked the goods for the silverware at the end of day one, proving they were not here just to share Nicks new tent. Friday night was an opportunity for sailors, friends, and family to mingle under the stars and enjoy the serenity. Saturday began with the mandatory excursion to ocean beach where the fresh southern ocean was the ultimate cure for the previous nights indulgence. This perfect start to the day could only be topped of with the full camp cooked breakfast masterfully prepared upon the public BBQ. The second day of racing saw an increase in wind pressure creating ideal sailing conditions for the 505 fleet. The heavier combination of Matt Hanson and Shane Attwell sailing “Crimson Autograph” provided tough competition for the early event leaders Nick and Duff on “Angry Dragon”.

Following Saturday’s racing a curry night was held at Matt Hanson’s crib, mad props going to Rene DeVooge for creating a chicken curry that all agreed was superb. Some of the younger campers moved on to the local tavern managing to create a make shift disco which was enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. A special congratulation goes to Nick Davis for winning the door prize at the tavern that evening.

Sunday reminded the campers of the hazards associated with camping down south at Easter time, by raining intermittently throughout the day and night. Associated with this weather were strong winds, which sent the sailors back to the beach after only a short attempt at racing. However extreme, this weather was not going to dampen the cricket match that had begun in front of the tents. The one-day friendly was eventually called a draw and everyone migrated to the Tavern for the presentations and a counter meal. Nick Davis and Duff sailing “Angry Dragon” won the event ahead of Matt Hanson and Shane Attwell on “Crimson Autograph”, third place was awarded to Renee Devooge and Anthony Dean on “Relish”. The “Mug” of the regatta prize was awarded to Scott Olsen for traveling the large distance without bringing his boat. The highlight of the evening was Alex Stone from “Illusion II” reciting his unique blend of poetry from atop the tavern bar. All in attendance enjoyed a relaxing long weekend and it is hoped that we will see even greater numbers at the event next year.

The highlight of every 505-racing season is always the State Championships, this year hosted by RFBYC. It was decided that the championships would be held over only one day to get a maximum number of boats on the water. The fleet of 14 505’s began racing on Sunday morning in a light southeasterly, managing to complete three heats before returning to the beach for lunch. It was obvious from the morning’s results that some new faces in the class had the potential to upset the proverbial applecart. The two new skippers to the class were Nick Davis, and Brett Sharpe whom paired with experienced 505 “old timers” Duff, and Anthony Gaunt. Both these teams featured heavily in the placing’s with Nick and Duff Sailing “knock Shop” taking out the first couple of bullets.

After lunch the wind filled in from the west offering a pleasant 8-10 knots of wind for the business part of the regatta. The afternoon saw newcomers and local champions battle to gain the upper hand and take out the title of WA State champion. Its at this point I must profess that the only copy of the results sheet was entrusted post regatta to two of the “looser” members of the 505 fleet, whilst being last viewed at a Claremont nightspot (that will remain nameless), neither sailers know of the current location of said results sheet. So without this information it is hard to explain exactly what occurred in those final races, however the overall results showed that the newcomers paired with the old hands proved that little bit better on the day. Congratulations to Nick Davis and Duff the new WA State 505 champions, second place went to a pair that is more than familiar with the pointy end of the fleet, Pete Chappell and Sam Gill, with third place being taken out by Brett Sharp and Anthony Gaunt. The 505 fleet would like to thank Amsterdam Mariner Lager for sponsoring the event and providing much needed post regatta refreshments.

For anybody interested in 505 sailing now is the time to get down to RFBYC or FSC and check out the action. With many well prepared second hand 505’s for sail at ridiculously low prices in the state, and the 2007 worlds being held just around the corner in Adelaide now is the time to get into 505 sailing.

Written by Graeme Spence and Paul “Twitch” Fearn

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