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505 World Sailing Championships headed for Port Elizabeth

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At the Algoa Bay Yacht Club we asked ourselves this question; “Where in South Africa should we host a World Championship sailing event for boats sailed by 2 adrenaline addicted, high wind speed seeking crew with 40m2 of sail on 5.05 metres of boat weighing 127.4 kg?” And the answer is pretty obvious; “Port Elizabeth”

One of the South African sailors presently sailing in the 2012 SAP 505 World Championships in France, Mark Biagio, let the cat out of the bag on Facebook earlier today when he said; “South Africa, Port Elizabeth will host the 505 2015 worlds! Gees!”

The International 505 is a one-design high-performance two-person monohull planing centerboard dinghy, with spinnaker, utilizing a trapeze for the crew. While it is a high-performance boat and demanding in a blow, the 505 is an extraordinarily well-handling craft and is easier to control than many smaller trapeze boats.

The 505 is a very popular international class and is raced actively in 18 countries around the world. World championships are held every year at locations around the world, rotating by continent, and attract over 100 boats on the start line. At the 2005 world championships held in Warnemünde, Germany there were 171 boats. Organisers of the 2015 505 Worlds are predicting 110 and up boats to sail in Algoa Bay off of Port Elizabeth.

The decision to host the 505 Worlds in Port Elizabeth still has to be ratified by South African Sailing but is expected to be a mere formality.

I, for one, cannot wait to see these boats leave our Manganese Ore and Tank Farm EMPTY harbour for the day’s battle off of our fair shores.

The boost to the economy of Port Elizabeth will be immense.

Well done to the local 505 Organising Committee and ABYC members for once again securing a high profile World Sailing event for Port Elizabeth.

The 2012 505 Worlds in France conclude on 27 July 2012. YouTube Channel.

Get an idea of the excitement of 505 sailing by watching this video from Race 3’s Gybe Mark at the SAP 505 World Championship 2009 hosted by St Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, California, USA. Close to half of the 505’s for the 2015 Port Elizabeth 505 Worlds are expected to come from the United States.

Related links: South African 505 Web Site | International 505 Web Site

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.