Pelle showing Larry Marks and Derek Farrant his respect



Here we can see Larry Marks followed by Derek Farrant in Nassau embarking their flight back to Europe after the 1966 World´s in Adelaide. Pelle Bath seems to be showing his respect for these 505 giants, but from a well informed source we now know that he is only checking his fly!

The experience from this first yachting World Championship in Australia ever was, apart from the social side which was super, that;

1) bring your own dinghy (Larry did and finished well up)

2) arrive well in advance to acclimatize and prepare yourself (all the europeans apart from Paul Elvström arrived only a few days in advance of the first race in early march - Paul finished 2nd!)

Comparison travelling & dinghy costs in the 60`s and today

In 1966 it took the webmaster more than 60 hours to get to Adelaide from Gothenburg with stops in Copenhagen, London, Zürich, Rome, Karachi, Calcutta, Singapore, Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne. Boy, I was exhausted.....
Today you make the same journey with maybe 3-4 stops in less than 30 hours.

In 1966 the Gothenburg - Adelaide ticket for a crew of two was around 650 pounds which was more or less exactly the price of a brand new fully equipped Parker 505 with wooden seat tanks and a suit of sails!
Today you pay for the same trip less than 1700 pounds! Figure out how much 505 you will get for that kind of money.

Makes you wonder wether travelling has become a lot less expensive or 505´s more expensive. I think the answer is; both!

Back to menu