Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
I am not sure whether we have ever had 5.5’s in our local waters, but way back in 1962 Cape Town yachtsman Stephen Flesch was fortunate enough to spend a season in Europe racing one, and today shares his story.
“Having just returned from Europe after a most exciting season’s racing in what is to-day one of the fiercest competitive classes, I feel that some of my experiences may be of interest in South Africa.
“The 5.5s are a thoroughbred class of offshore racers – a distillation of the old 6 metres which, although magnificent in their heyday, have now become so expensive (£9,500) that they are beyond the reach of even more-than-ordinarily well-off men. The average 5.5 out of the water is a joy to the eye. They are about 32 ft. overall, 21 ft. on the waterline and 6 ft. 6 in. beam; draught is usually about 4 ft. 6 in. These dimensions and the hull form are all determined by the designer, who works to a formula similar to that of the 12 metres . Sails are about 300 sq. ft. The most out-standing feature is that the ballast ratio is almost 75 per cent. Hull weight from a good builder is about 1,100 lb. and lead keel 3,000 lb.”
This is an interesting account of a thoroughbred offshore racer.
READ MORE HERE: 1962 09-10 – SA Yachting – racing 5-5’s in europe – OCR
