Sailing Magazine
Pic by Christophe Favreau/SAP
Sparkling Water and Light Shifty Conditions for first pre-worlds race in Port Elizabeth
The first race of the 5O5 pre-worlds and South African Championships in Port Elizabeth, was sailed in very light shifty conditions.
The first race had to be abandoned halfway through after a 180 degree wind shift.
Back at the starting area Race Officer Di Hutton-Squire attended to the resetting of the course and started the race once again. Only one race was sailed in the South West breeze on flat seas in a day scheduled for two races. The South West breeze allowed the fleet to come close inshore and sail around a mark laid close to Shark Rock Pier.
Preliminary Results from the 5O5 pre-worlds – 25 March 2015:
1 Jan Saugmann and Jakob Karbo – Debmark
2 Ted Conrad and Brian Haines – USA
3 Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh – Australia
Top South African team: Thomas and Peter Funke in 6th place.
Full Results here: 5o5 Pre-Worlds Results Race 1
The final day of the pre-worlds is on Thursday with the weather man predicting more wind from the South West ranging from 11 to 17 knots.
Then it will be a race back to the harbour for the crowning of the South African Champion with the official opening ceremony from 17h00 followed by a civic reception in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan City hall.
Local Algoa Bay Yacht Club sailors, Sigi Bailes and Dudley Isaacs will be sailing the pre worlds and world championships in black vests whilst the rest of the fleet sails in SAP Gold Vests.
Sigi and Dudley applied to the race committee to sail in black vests in order to pay homage to and in memory of Glynis Baer and Joy Finn who both died in a car accident outside Swellendam on Monday 9 March 2015.
Glynis was a member of ABYC and was one of the main organisers of the 60th SAP 5O5 World Championships event. Joy was the wife of the South African Sailing Eastern Cape Councillor – Andrew Finn.
Sigi Bailes and Dudley Isaacs sailed to 22nd place in the 28 boat fleet.
