Reports
:: 505 Nationals 2010 - a great success!!! :: (319 Reads)
Posted by
Thomas
on Friday, April 09, 2010 - 07:36 PM
As in previous years the 505 National Championships attracted a large and competitive field of sailors with a number of youngsters making their mark in the 505 class. In total 16 boats turned up for the competition with the field including previous national champions, Kyle Klaas and Robert von Gruenewaldt as well as the defending champions Peter and Thomas Funke. Other big guns were the Holm brothers, Rudolph and Ferdinand, the Robinson brothers, Ricky and Brennan, Jay D’Engle and Andrew Tarboton but to name a few. The wind forecast indicated that the competitors were in for a light wind regatta but as it turned out this was not to be as the changing weather over the Drakensberg meant storms on a regular basis fueled by high variations in temperature.
Race 1 got under way just after noon on Saturday the 20th and with a storm brewing over the horizon, anything was possible. The race was being contested by a number of teams and on the last run to the finish the much anticipated storm hit the racecourse resulting in only 4 boats finishing the race. The race was won by Klaas and von Gruenewaldt, followed by Funke and Funke in second, Holm and Holm in 3rd and the newcomers D’Engle and Tarboton finishing in a commendable 4th place. Race 2 got underway after the damage was assessed, which included many torn jibs and 2 broken masts, nevertheless 13 boats lined up for the start of the race. Again the competition was fierce but this time the Funke’s pulled off a comfortable victory followed by Klaas/von Gruenewaldt in second and Hans Rogotzki and Peter Roos in third. Other well placed competitors included D’Engle and Tarboton in 4th, Biagio and Quarmby in 5th and the Robinson brothers in 6th.
Day two dawned with a light easterly breeze and the promise of yet another exciting day of racing. In race 3 the Robinson brothers showed the fleet how to race 505’s and dominated the race from start to finish scoring their first victory of the series. The Funkes ended second followed by Klaas/von Gruenewaldt in third and the Holm/Holm combination in 4th. The rest of the day again saw some close racing with positions being regularly exchanged and the battle for the top position being extremely tightly contested. Funkes won race 4 with the Holms in second and Klaas/von Gruenewaldt 3rd, race 5 saw the Holm team taking first place with Klaas/von Gruenewaldt in second and the Robinsons third while race 6 saw Klaas/von Gruenewaldt coming home in first place followed by the Funkes and the Holms in third. After day 2 the standings looked as follows: Funke 1st, Klaas/von Gruenewaldt 2nd, Holms 3rd, D’Engle and Tarboton 4th.
The final day of racing dawned, overcast with a good northerly breeze. Racing got underway just after 9am and it was the intention of the bridge to run 6 back to back races. Every competitor knew that this meant 2 discards and was a test of perseverance which meant that positions could be gained if one could out perform your competitors. The team that showed extreme consistency and some excellent talent were the Robinson brothers. They sailed with their new sail which Brennan had won at the AGM, the night before, courtesy of Supa Sails! They managed to improve from sixth place and finish the event in 4th. After 6 races on Monday the teams were tired but those who competed in all of them showed that they could indeed move up in the overall results. Proof of this was that the tough battle at the top of the fleet continued for the rest of the day and in the end was decided in the last race when the Funke brothers managed to pull one clear of the Holms and Klaas/von Gruenewaldt combinations, which resulted in them being crowned the 2010 - 505 South African National Champions and with that successfully defending their title. The overall results were as follows:
1. Peter and Thomas Funke 17 pts
2. Kyle Klaas / Robert von Gruenewaldt 18 pts
3. Rudolph and Ferdinand Holm 23 pts
4. Ricky and Brennan Robinson 42 pts
5. Stephan Kuhn and Dudley Isaacs 59 pts
6. Alexander and Warwick Ham 69 pts
7. Mark Biagio and Scott Quarmby 75 pts
8. Albrecht Holm and Willie Buhrmann 82 pts
9. Jay D’Engle and Andrew Tarboton 85 pts
10. Hans Rogotzki and Tristan Rogotzki 87pts
11. Steve Hegeström and Alan Haylett 95 pts
12. Tim Gibbons and Julian Wertheim-Aymes 131pts
13. James McWha and Andrew Arthur 131 pts
14. Grant Ballentyne and Eddie Foster 154 pts
15. James and Ian Hogg 170 pts
16. Justin Tempelton and Kobus Holtzhausen 170 pts.
In 2010 a contingent of five 505 teams will be representing South Africa in the 505 World Championships in Denmark, in addition a number of new entrants to the class will be importing new boats into the country. If you are keen to get involved in the country’s most exciting double handed dinghy then contact the class association at rsa505@rsa505.org.za.
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