505

On the final day of the pre worlds on Thursday 26 March 2015, Algoa Bay dished up some of it’s famous wind as a taste of what is to come in the 60th SAP 5O5 World Championships starting on Saturday 28 March.

Only one race was sailed in hard conditions that averaged 18 knots from the West with 1.5 metre swells, a smattering of rain and a number of retirements.

Race Officer Di Hutton-Squire took the fleet out nearly 14 nautical miles from the Port of Port Elizabeth in the direction of Cape Receife and the Bellbouy. Course 1 was the flavour of the day with the first start at 12h00 being abandoned due to confusion of the role of the designated pathfinder. The restart was quickly done at 12h23 and the fleet set off on an hour plus sail with the first finisher – last year’s World Champion, Mike Holt with new crew Carl Smit (USA 9072) – crossing the line at 13h22. Closely following were Ian Pinnel and Johannes Tellen from Great Britain (GBR 9136)in second place.

South African sailors and SA Champions Thomas and Peter Funke finished in 8th place for an aggregate score of 14 points placing them 7th overall behind two boats from the United States, two from Germany, one from Denmark and one from Australia.

After the last race Thomas Funke said; “We had excellent sailing today, lekker breeze and we are getting close to that first. We are happy that everything is holding together and that our boat is quick. Our boat got a 6th overall in a Worlds and first in one race so we are optimistic for the Worlds starting on Saturday.”

Second placed Ian Pinnel said; “The conditions were fairly breezy with good close racing.” Pinnel has sailed 22 World Championships and is looking forward to taking Mike Holt on in the worlds.

Asked how his reception in Port Elizabeth was, first placed Mike Holt said that he and crew Carl Smit were having fun saying; “The race management was experiencing a few challenges which should be ironed out before the start of the Worlds – but that is why we have a pre worlds!” Asked about the conditions Mike said; “Carl and I were having a great sail out to the course today and we both said that that ride was worth the plane ride just for this sail.”

The feeling from Mike Holt is that the outcome of the Worlds is really between ten strong competitors with Jan Saugmann and Jakob Karbo being singled out as the light wind favourites and himself as the heavy wind expert – at 68 kilograms Holt needs the 100 kilograms of Smit to keep the boat flat and fast.

South African champs Thomas and Peter Funke have 2 kilograms on Holt and Smit so they will be hoping for a week of stronger winds to make their way up to the top of the fleet.

The Worlds starts on Saturday 28 March with two tug boats who will lead the fleet out of the harbour spraying water cannons to welcome the fleet in traditional fashion.

Top three finishers:

1. Mike Holt and Carl Smit – USA
2. Ian Pinnel and Johannes Tellen – GBR
3. Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh – AUS

Top three South Africans:

1. Peter Funke and Thomas Funke
2. James Largier and Richard Hutton-Squire
3. Alexander Ham and Warwick Ham

Sigi Bailes and Dudley Isaacs sailed to 22nd place in the 28 boat fleet in black vests.

Sigi and Dudley applied to the race committee to sail in black vests in order to pay homage to and in memory of Glynis Baer and Joy Finn who both died in a car accident outside Swellendam on Monday 9 March 2015.

Glynis was a member of ABYC and was one of the main organisers of the 60th SAP 5O5 World Championships event. Joy was the wife of the South African Sailing Eastern Cape Councillor – Andrew Finn. Sigi is a member of ABYC and Dudley a member of Knysna Yacht Club.

The boat is sailing in ABYC colours.

Sigi is an accomplished sailor and recently sailed to 18th place in the Mirror Worlds – https://abyc.co.za/abyc-sailors-at-the-2015-mirror-worlds/ – with her daughter, Tammy.

Sigi and her husband, Tony own a Fast 42 which will be sailing in the Vasco Da Gama Race from Durban to Port Elizabeth starting on 25 April 2014.

The first race of the 5O5 pre-worlds and South African Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa was sailed today in very light shifty conditions.

The first race had to be abandoned halfway through after a 180 degree wind shift.

Back at the starting area Race Officer Di Hutton-Squire attended to the resetting of the course and started the race once again which finished at 16h01. Only one race was sailed in the South West breeze on flat seas in a day scheduled for two races. The South West breeze allowed the fleet to come close inshore and sail around a mark laid close to Shark Rock Pier.

Preliminary Results from the 5O5 pre-worlds – 25 March 2015:

1. Sail Number 9118 from Denmark sailed by Jan Saugmann and Jakob Karbo
2. Sail Number 9091 from United States sailed by Ted Conrad and Brian Haines
3. Sail Number 8946 from Australia sailed by Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh

Top South African team: Thomas and Peter Funke in 6th place.

The final day of the pre-worlds is on Thursday with the weather man predicting more wind from the South West ranging from 11 to 17 knots.

Then it will be a race back to the harbour for the crowning of the South African Champion with the official opening ceremony from 17h00 followed by a civic reception in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan City hall.