505 World Championship 1968
Philip Wilson reports from Kiel

For the first time, entry for the International 505 World Championship was restricted to 75 boats. This resulted in an extremely high standard of racing between top helmsmen from 15 different countries, gathered in Kiel harbour from August 25th to September 1st.

In the light, variable winds which were the order for most of the week, place changing was often dramatic and only three boats, all French, showed any measure of consistency. In the end it was Marcel Troupel and Phillipe Lanaverre in 'Rififi' from Bordeaux who snatched the title, at the eleventh hour, from 16 years old Yves Pajot and his 14 years old brother Marc in 'Leopard'. Marcel Buffet in 'Ya Za' was his usual brilliant self in light weather but was unable to stay with the leaders in a breeze and sank to third after heading the overall list at the half-way stage.
The courses were huge and it was essential to pick the right way up the first two mile beat. Perhaps so many well-known names were left stranded because it rarely paid to tack on the many windsbifts, but to go right out on one tack, usually the wrong one theoretically. Few of the British boats really got to grips but Derek and Robin Farrant, former world champions in 'Miss VI' averted a complete rout by finishing in fourth position. Larry Marks, current national champion and hot tip for the title before battle commenced, was seventh.

As the fleet beat out to the start of the first racc on a Riviera-like day, a dense fog suddenly appeared. The start was delayed for over an hour and then the fog dispersed as rapidly as it had settled and the championship was on, unfortunately without four boats including 'Samuel Esquire' and 'Orang Outang' of Britain, stranded a mile away. Their protest against the cornmittec was disallowed.
Troupel showed from the outset that he meant business by securing a handy lead for 'Rififi' at the weather mark. Buffet followed, chased hard by Pierre Poullain in 'Viking'. Behind, the fleet spread out remarkably, those choosing the port side of the course being out of the racc already. Peter Bainbridge in 'Anaconda' was the only Englishman in the first twenty on the first lap but lost over fifteen places on the second beat. The leading three inereased their advantage and Troupel was able to take it easy on the final leg, while Buffet and Poullain had a great tactical battle up to the line. Poullain failed to break through, and then learned that he was adjudged over the starting line, letting 'Piok' sailed by J. Lauritzen, danish national champion, into third berth.

Marcel Buffet strengthened his claim to a third world title with a victory in another Force 1-2 north easterly in the second race. Again, the starboard side of the course was favourite and 'Ya Za' and Larry Marks in 'Mu-Watsui-Go-Go' chose the right path and headed the downwind stream, with Peter Bainbridge in fourth place. Buffet and Marks really opened out on the second spinnaker reach and at the start of the second beat, the Englishman appeared to be through but Buffet tacked away as a gigantic wind shift carved down the middle of the course. Those below it were left struggling whilst those above were freed off for the mark. Buffet came out of this with a longer lead over Marks. The intended dead run proved to be a trapezing spinnaker reach, giving competitors their first taste of speed. The wind gradually died off again on the beat home, a leg made even longer by repositioning of the top mark. Buffet had increased his lead and Marks dropped one place on a windshift to Jean-Marie Danilou of France, who was later protested out. Official third was Pajot.

The sun gave way to a misty, grey Tuesday for the third race with a Force 3-4 creating a confused chop in a surprisingly short time. At the third attempt from a slightly starboard-biased line, crews found the truest wind of the week. The Scandinavians found this to their liking with the Swedish 'Pueblo' sailed by Tomas Haraldson leading the way with compatriots Goran Kallfelt in 'Scaramoucne' and Christer Bath in 'Kalabalik'. 'Miss VI' was at last away well in fifth place and 'Anaconda', 'Samuel Esquire' (H.Bourn), 'Seduction' (J.Pattinson), 'Puddle-duck' (G. Wilson) and 'Orang Outang' (M. Platts) were all in the first twenty.
The wind could not hold a steady course for long and strange things happened on the second beat, 'Anaconda' again being on the reeciving end, losing places wholesale. 'Miss VI', moving into fourth downwind, lost two places at the end of the beat in a sticky patch, but 'Pueblo' hung on to the lead with 'Faux Pas' (Danilou) sailing fast to windward behind. With a little more wind on the final beat 'Kalabalik' really started moving and thrashed through from fourth place to snatch the gun from 'Pueblo'. 'Faux Pas' was third with Troupel in fourth place and 'Miss VI' recovered one place to finish fifth.

The next day was a rest day and, of course, provided a perfect sailing breeze. (typical!)

The fog again clamped down and the start of the fourth race on Thursday was postponed from the shore. Eventually, there was a slight improvement and the decision was taken to race just outside the harbour wall. The breeze again was only around Force 1-2 and the majority of the fleet, after two general recalls, beated towards the shore. 'Miss VI', after a poor get away, tacked out and arrived at the windward mark first, squeezing through on port ahead of previous winner 'Kalabalik'. J.Cordonnier of France in 'Cul See' was right up with Buffet with H.Cudmore of Ireland in 'Overdrawn' challenging. 'Kalabalik' could not sustain the pressure in the light going and dropped back on the wind. 'Miss VI' looked set for an easy victory and Buffet's' Ya Za' was pulling through to second place. At the start of the final leg. 'Ya Za' split tacks and unaccountably negleeted to cover those behind, losing four places immediately. Cudmore drove under 'MissVI's' lee when she tacked off to cover 'Cul See'. At the line, 'Overdrawn' was still there with 'Miss VI' just behind. 'YaZa's' disastrous manoeuvre had let 'Leopard' into fourth place and with Troupel caught in the ruck, 'Leopard' seemed the best bet for the championship.

The fifth race was unusual in that, with the light breeze coming slightly more from the north, it paid to hang on to the port side of the course. Two English boats 'Wazzamarack' (N.Duguid) and 'Anaconda' rounded but the Tanon brothers in 'Alea' moved through downwind. The Tanons have won world championship races in the past and although they sail somewhat infrequently now, their tactics are still excellent and they kept ahead on the next beat. 'Wazzamarack' and 'Anaconda' lost touch, keeping to what had proved the best way on the first lap, but 'Miss VI' had recovered from a terrible start and was steadily catching the leaders. At the start of the dead run, it was 'Alea' and 'Leopard' together, 'Ya Za' third followed by 'Miss VI', 'Overdrawn' and 'Rififi'. This was an agonising leg with barely enough wind to keep the spinnakers flying. 'Alea' went off on the Port gybe followed by 'Miss VI', 'Leopard' and 'Ya Za' chose the other route and at the bottom mark, it was apparent that the former two had benefited and 'Alea's' spinnaker came down two minutes before 'Leopard's'. 'Miss VI' was round in front of 'Ya Za' and with only the one beat to go, it seemed that these would be the final positions. However, Troupel, well behind in sixth place, steadily took yards out of those in front. 'Alea's' lead was gradually whittled down by 'Leopard' but she covered all the way to the line and won by a whisker, whilst Troupel had passed three boats by pure boat speed to finish third. 'Miss VI' and 'Ya Za' slipped back to fifth and sixth behind 'Overdrawn'.
The results gave the charnpionship a dramatic turn - three boats 'Leopard', 'Rififi' and 'Ya Za' within one point of one another, with only one race to go. Of these, 'Leopard' was the most consistent, her worst position so far being a seventh. The other two had to have a good race to win.

The committee brought forward the starting time of the final race by an hour to 10.30 a.m. This was not a popular decision as most crews were somewhat weary after a week of cocktail parties and they were greeted by driving rain and a Force 4 wind, with odd gusts a little more and a heavy, rolling sea built up. Unaccountably, after all the early preparation, the start was delayed for half an hour. At last the start came and it was right first time. With a good wind and miles away from land it was unthinkable that one side was going ta pay much more than the other but those who stood right out on port were at least a quarter of a mile ahead of those who chose the other way. John Pattinson arrived first at the weathermark in 'Seduction' just in front of Gordon Rogers in 'Hornblower' with the heavy weather expert 'Kalabalik' in third place. 'Leopard' was next round, well ahead of 'Rififi', with 'Ya Za' nowhere. It looked as though the Pajot brothers were certain to be the youngest winners of the world championship as they moved up to the lead when disaster struck. Their spinnaker ripped clean off from the head. Despite this tragedy, they still carried on and although dropping to fifteenth downwind, came back on the beats to finish ninth. 'Seduction' held on to her lead grimly over the first lap, but once 'Kalabalik' was through, she thrashed away to a really convincing win. Troupel, seeing his chance with 'Leopard' limping, urged 'Rififi' along and on the final beat, when a vicious rainstorm reduced visibility to 100 yards, eased into second place to take the 1968 world title. Danilou, after a bad start, came through to take third place, whilst Pattison faded slightly to sixth.

The results were:

1st F3100 'R'fifi' (M. Troupel and P. Lanaverre,C.V . Bordeaux; 1, 6, 4, 16, 3, 2 = 28,4 p)

2nd F2767 'Leopard' (Y. Pajot and M. Pajot, C.V. La Baule; 3, 3, 7, 5, 2, 9 = 39,7 p)

3rd F2940 'Ya Za'(M. Buffet and D. Nottet, C.V. Paris, 2, 1, 26, 6, 6, 16 = 48,4 p)

4th K3032 'Miss VI' (D. Farrant and R. Farrant, Hastings S.C., dsq, 17, 5, 2, 5, 15 = 67 p)

5th S3046 'Kalabalik' (C. Bath and P. Bath, Gothenburg Yacht Club, dnf, 16, 1, 8, 26, 1 = 68 p)

6th F2907 '?' (dsq, 7, 13, 11, 11, 4 = 74 p)

7th K2626 (L. Marks and R. Hughes, 14, 2, dnf, 12, 21, 7 = 82 p)

'Rififi', the winner, was made by Lanaverre and very simply fitted out. The only gadget on board was a mast adjuster. Her Tasker sails were set on a Proctor E section mast and stiff boom.
'Leopard', the runner-up and most consistent boat there, is British-built by Parker, as were the next six boats. Both Pajot and Buffet set sails by Christ of Paris, again on E section masts, but Pajot used a Proctor bendy boom.
The majority of the fleet seemed to favour British boats with Parker having the lion's share. Rondar boats, too, were well in evidence. The championship certainly caused a great deal of interest in new British boats.
Most of the boats are now rigged with centre travellers but it was interesting to note that the Swedish boats all are sheeted at the transom and there is no question that they are the fastest boats in a breeze, led by 'Kalabalik'. It was difficult to tell very much else regarding boat speed in the intensely variable conditions, but the outstanding feature of the week was the emergence of 16 years old Pajot as a possible future Elvström.

From a 1968 issue of Yachts & Yachting (page 544)

Back to menu