505 Worlds 1971
by Arnold WechterTWO-TIME Champion Larry Marks may have deserted the ranks for the Flying Dutchman class and a shot at an Olympic berth but England still reigns supreme in the international 505 scene. Veteran Derek Farrant with brother Robin as his crew regained the title by winning the 16th world 505 championship held at Santa Cruz, California.
The championship was held on the waters of scenic Monterey Bay under the sponsorship of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club at the end of August.
Farrant made a fast start in the regatta by winning the first two races and led at all times-though he was forced to stave off challenges by Sweden's Stefan Sjöström and unknown Dave Vickland of Palo Alto, Calif. Vickland finished only 2.7 points behind the veteran Farrant under the Olympic scoring system. Farrant finished with 37.4 points to Vickland's 40.1.
Three other English boats were entered. Peter Bainbridge did an excellent job of sailing to finish in third position with 48 points. Mike Derry was tenth with 72.7 and the fourth skipper, Peter Buttigieg, finished far down the list of 78 competitors with 251 points for 48th spot.
Monterey Bay's famed westerly winds did not disappoint the large fleet. Only the opening race was held in moderate winds, 3 to 12mph. Every other race was a heavy weather event with a combination of high winds and big seas.
The reaching mark, placed more than a mile from shore, became known as `suicide point' and at times the area around the mark resembled a disaster area between turtled boats and those with broken spars.
The Farrant brothers were in complete control in the first two races. Each time they seized the lead at the start and never relinquished it to the finish. Bainbridge pressed Farrant in the opener and finished only 25 yards behind.
In the second race held with the winds ranging from 15 to 20mph, Farrant was chased doggedly by Dr. Dennis Surtees, the three-time North American champion. But the Farrants got the edge shortly after the start with a perfectly timed tack. Surtees would gain on the English boat on reaches only to fall back on the beats.
The winds and sea kicked up a bit more during the third race and Sjöström found the sloshy going to his liking. It was similar to the first two races in that Sjöström took the lead at the start and was never headed. It was the most one-sided race as the Swede finished more than two minutes ahead of the second place boat skippered by Dick Deaver, a Lowell North sailmaker from Seal Beach, Calif. Farrant was sixth and Derry finished 11th.
Farrant had an opportunity to nail the lid on the series in the fourth race. He started behind former world champion Marcel Buffet of France but overtook him on the reach to the gybe mark but a bad gybe sent Derek and Robin tumbling in the water. By the time they righted the boat a large segment of the fleet had passed them, led by Buffet. Farrant used the 23rd place finish as his throw out race.
Twenty boats failed to finish the race as the combination of heavy winds and high seas dumped boats by the dozen. The lay day which followed the fourth race was much needed by the tired skippers and crews and gave them a chance to repair their boats.
The fifth race, which was won by Australia's national champion, Rod Dalgleish, was another survival test. The race committee was forced to shorten but even over the shortened course only 49 out of the 74 starters finished. The press boat was forced to stop following the race and help join in as a rescue craft.
It was the lone race in which the westerlies played cruel tricks on the skippers. The winds were not only shifty but inconsistent. There were light winds at the start and near gales at the windward and gybe marks. And no wind at the leeward mark.
Buffet and Surtees staged a duel for almost the entire race until falling into a hole at the aforementioned mark. Dalgleish drifted around and found the air before them and was able to scoot home free. Farrant finished eighth to remain in the series lead.
The final race saw the winds continuing to howl-though somewhat lighter than the previous two races-and the leaders playing it cautious. The race was won by Santa Cruz' youthful Ray Pingree. It marked the first time an American has won a race in 505 world competition. Farrant played it cool and smart in an effort to make his dwindling lead hold up. He even tacked around the gybe mark rather than risk a repeat òf the fourth race. He finished sixth, good enough for the championship.
Farrant almost played it a mite too cautious as only a bad break halted Sjöström from sneaking in and stealing the title. The Swede was in second place going for the final reaching mark. But his crew, Reine Andersson, was hit by the boom during the gybe around the mark and suffered a painful dislocated shoulder. The pair elected to complete the race but slipped from second position to ninth. Had they been able to hold their runner-up spot they would have edged Farrant. Vickland and Pingree, complete unknowns and without a major regatta victory to their credit, were the surprises of the regatta. Both, if they continue to develop, should provide top helmsmen for the US, in future competition.
Farrant proved a popular winner in the California resort city. He received cheers when he told the crowd at the awards dinner that the area's sunny weather, beautiful scenery and hospitality had made him consider moving to Santa Cruz. "But then I thought of regularly gybing around 'Suicide Point' and I've decided to return home!"The Top Ten Boats
Derek Farrant (England) 1-1-6-23-8-6 37.4
Dave Vickland (Palo Alto) 19-5-3-33-7 40.1
Peter Bainbridge (England) 2-75-DNF-2-13 48.0
Ray Pingree (Santa Cruz) Dsq-10-7-2-11-1 49.0
Stefan .Sjöström (Sweden) 8-4-1-8-7-9 49.0
Dick Deaver (Seal Beach, Calif.) 27-6-2-6-4-10 50.4
Dennis Surtees (Palo Alto, Calif) 6-2-4-DNF-18-3 52.4
Marcel Buffet (France) 1342-9-1-5-8 57.0
Rod Dalgleish (Australia) 11-62-8-5-1-11 58.0
Mike Derry (England) 4-3-11-10-20-DNF 72.7
Photo: The Farrants take the winner's gun for the first points race - photo Bill Lovejoy.
From September 24th 1971 issue of Yachts & Yachting (page 669)