The 505 Sailboat
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The 505 Sailboat |
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The 505 is a performance sailboat which will challenge the best sailors, while being manageable by intermediates. 505's have been active for more than 25 years in Ottawa, Canada. We race on a two mile wide stretch of the river called Lake Deschenes. The lake has a 20 mile stretch oriented with the prevailing north-west wind, presenting some fun waves when the wind picks up. Other days, the wind can be shifty or light, particularly in the hottest part of the summer. The location is close for most of us, at the western city limits. Racers hail from several local sailing clubs. There is club racing on evenings and weekends, May through September. The water is warm during most of these months. At other times of the year, December to March, you should be iceboating! News: The book "Gary Jobson's championship sailing : the definitive guide for skippers, tacticians, and crew" is an excellent read, though it does lean towards keel boating. It is in the Ottawa Public library, here. Try to find the February/99 issue of Sailing World. It features 505's, and there is a great cover photo! See it here, or borrow a copy. This is a must-read!
A nice model: Trapezing TechniqueThese quotes are from the international mailing list. Allan Johnson: Upwind in breeze, I often go lower than a lot of crews. It is not very comfortable, very wet and difficult to see. The proper technique is aft hand behind your head, fore hand on the jib sheet. Or better yet, Two hands over your head, jib sheets in your knees. If you are constantly geting hit by waves, you are too low. If you are hitting waves, that means your skipper is sailing flat, which is crucial. One should simply not be knocked back behind the skipper. Put more of your feet on the rail, if you are unstable. If you do get knocked back, one step behind the skipper and then back is o.k. Also teach your skipper to knock you hard with his shoulder when he feels you invading his space. This works well. Upwind fore and aft: You and the skipper should find your spot and then stick together. I might lean back or put more pressure on my aft foot when going through waves. Rarely in breeze, will I be going forward, unlees there is an upwind swell or something. I try to be a constant weight, pulling against the C.B. and the rig, and let the skipper work the boat. Downwind in breeze: Treat it like a surfboard. You should be going up and down that rail like crazy. When you find the right spot, or jump forward to get on a wave, and then go back, stay there and keep the speed groove going. Mike Martin does this move where he walks back quickly on the rail in an effort to send the boat forward under his feet. Pretty cool. Also a good nudge with your foot to the shroud, guy cleat or that area can do great things. We see it often, but let me remind everyone that ooching is illegal in the 505 and all other classes. You also have to have the right attitude. Quite simply the crews union is a tough group in which to gain membership. Take the whole world view, be a good lover and Have Fun out there on the wire. It is a great view and a fun experience. In closing, the most important thing of all is to constantly critique the skipper (even if he is 2 time world champ) and tell him to go faster.... Brenda Romans: I'm a lightweight crew (though I must admit to having done some helming recently) so I have a few comments on how to deal with the front end of a 505. Do you put your aft arm behind your head, so you can pull on the jib sheet with your forward hand? I always hold the jib sheet in my AFT hand. I noticed that Allan does the opposite - Does this reflect the positioning of the cleats? With the sheet in my aft hand it comes straight out of the cleat. I couldn't hold one arm above my head for a whole race (let alone three in a day!) so I don't. Except when the helm tacks too early for a mark and we need every bit of weight we can get to pinch up to it :-) Do you move fore and aft on the rail while going upwind to work the boat through waves? When do you go forward on the rail and when do you go aft when planing fast over big waves on the reaches? Yes. I run forward when chasing a wave, back when we catch it and are planing. It feels sort of like you are tipping the front of the boat over the crest of a wave so it starts to run down, then you get back fast so it doesn't go down like a submarine. This is fun. When you are right up against the helm, how do you avoid being knocked aft (you cannot step back on the rail to stop the swing, as the helm is in the way)? Several things to do here. Allan has it right to get the helm to push you back with his shoulder when necessary. It is in his interest to do this - you could take his head off with the wire if you were to swing behind. Otherwise, really read the waves, if you see a bad one coming you should be able to adjust your balance and get a tighter grip on the sheet. Also make sure that the helm wears his life jacket on the outside of his waterproofs. This way, if the worst happens you have something handy to grab hold of on your way past. If you have done any kind of relaxation technique this can help you stay attached to the boat. If you are really getting thrown about you tend to tense up. If you can recognise that this is happening (no mean feat in itself) it is possible to relax the muscles (particularly in the neck and shoulders) which makes it easier to balance and go with the motion. It also means you conserve energy and enjoy the ride more. I have a different problem standing right next to the helm when he's really working the main on a reach - he tends to knock my aft foot or leg (depending on how hard he is working) off the side with his elbow. To counter this I have to trapeze on tip toe with the aft foot, or (more usually) twist my foot sideways to present a smaller target. Will Hartje: Upwind in breeze.. I don't believe in going too low, the difference in flat horizontal and 5 deg up on the wire is almost unmeasurable in terms of righting moment but makes a big difference if you get stuffed into a wave, that can really slow you up. Furthermore, a now seemingly defunct technique that was popular when gybing boards were introduced, was to sail the boat heeled to weather slightly, this of course required a short trapeze position. Being real low also makes it much harder work to get in and out on the wire, especially when tacking. Of course, any knuckle dragging crew worth his salt can swing from gunwhale (rail) to gunwhale all day with impunity but why use up energy needlessly for no gain. You don't really want an exhausted crew capsizing you as you tack for the finish when you could have avoided it. Downwind in a breeze, Allan pretty well said everything except one technique we used quite successfully. In a real howler, I sometimes stood astride the helm, ie one foot behind him. This was a very stable platform in conditions when you were likely to be swept off the rail, and you wanted weight back as far as possible. The only problem was that the non slip did not usually extend far enough back for my rear foot. The 505 Sex AdvisorTom Price: In the UK I recall that there was an advanced network of what they called "trolley dollys" waiting for you on shore with a cold beer or whatever else soothes the inner man. At the parties in the bad old days of cigarrettes, there were the Dunhill girls, passing out samples (usually followed by a string of sailors, like a dinghy boot clad conga line). The Itchenor sailing club had a nice kitchen facility called a Buttery, serviced by lovely local girls known as "Buttery girls", which brought to mind a wonderful simile. Barney Harris: Babe boat? - I'll take the J30. The 505 is a great babe boat, but only if you are looking at it from a distance. No self respecting boat ornament / designated breather / life support system for a set of hooters would find themselves dead on one [ could you move those sails, they are blocking my sun.... hey! my shoes are getting wet! ....what do you mean I have to WORK?! ]. Other drawbacks are the lack of a cabin, which makes it very difficult to close the deal while on the high seas; the trapeze harness looks awfully like a chastity belt (it works like one, according to jesse); and there are no bathroom facilities or changing area, so it is tough to drink on. Sorry guys, the J30 wins this category hands down. Ali Meller: I disagree.... I'm much less interested in the "self respecting boat ornament / designated breather / life support system for a set of hooters" variety, and am much more interested in women who run, ride bicycles, don't mind getting wet, and might actually try a 505... so much more interested that I am willing to put up with the ... uhhh. challenges the 505 presents, over the Winnegabo (err, sorry, J30). There was a long running joke in the dinghy fleets in Ottawa that you were only allowed to wear a rugby shirt sailing if you had "made it" in a dinghy.... I never saw any proof, though. An acquaintence of mine year ago (an FD sailor, though), suggested that a modifed trapeze harness with him steering from the wire and his girlfriend..... well, perhaps you get the picture... but then I suppose 505 sailors would claim the FD is already part way towards the J30... Tech Corner
Last modified Jan 2005 by Rick Leir and Chris Locke. Announcements, Articles, Comments, Corrections to Rick Leir, email:
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