Larson-Baylis clinch title

A reports from the LightSurf International 505 World Championships in California

The parade of 102 505s out through Santa Cruz's narrow channel began at noon for races 5 and 6 of the LightSurf 2004 International 505 World Championships. The teams drifted through a few fingers of breeze on to the mirror that was the racecourse, to wait under postponement until the committee registered five knots at the windward mark boat. The breeze was lighter in the starting area, and the light breeze with an out-going current had more than one team scrambling to get back behind the pathfinder's course, and there were numerous 720's being turned.

The first beat of race 5 was a solid line of sail as the fleet was indecisive about whether there was an advantage outside. More than halfway up only a few souls gambled to the right or left but the majority stuck to climbing the ladder up the middle. Around the weather mark and hanging left following a light wind line downwind as the ceiling descended and darkened, effectively choking off the possibility of the breeze building. With the light wind at the leeward gate the collapsing rainbow of cloth was only slightly more colorful than the language.

The leaders rounded the leeward gate marks and fought there way through the wind shadows of the trailing boats coming down under spinnaker, and the chop to the windward mark on the second beat of the windward/leeward-twice-around course.

Two-thirds of the competing boats jibe-set upon rounding the windward mark tetrahedron for the second time.

Skipper Carol Buchan of the United States with husband crew Carl Buchan took first place. Carol is possibly the first female skipper ever to win a race in a 505 World Championships. She was followed by U.S. sailors Tyler Moore/Steven Sparkman, Morgan Larson and Trevor Baylis were 3rd and the team of Jeff Miller and John Bell 4th. Mike Martin/Jeff Nelson were back in 19th, giving Larson/Baylis a significant advantage overall going into race 6.

Race 2 of the day (6th of the series) was a windward/leeward, triangle, windward/leeward course. The sequence started in 5 knots and the fleet bunched up at the pin for the gate (gating early). During the rabbit's run there was huge port lift of nearly 30 degrees. The water upwind was choppy with occasional whitecaps and the briefest of sun breaks appeared as the leaders rounded and went to the left side of the course or down the middle. It was too light to wire-run effectively and those who went high on the first run lost ground to those who went low. The next beat saw the lead change hands as the wind went left.

The sailors came to the wing mark with a bit of a cross swell, on a very tight reach. The second reach was almost a run, as some teams gybed at the mark, while others carried on on starboard.

At some stage on the last beat the wind clocked giving a major advantage to the left hand side. The subsequent rounding had half the fleet making huge gains and coming into the mark on port. The finish had Sandy Higgins /Paul Marsh of Australia 1st, Ian Pinnell/Steve Hunt of Great Britain 2nd, Americans Morgan Larson/Trevor Baylis 3rd and the team of Carol and Carl Buchan, also Americans, 4th.

Results:

Pos	Helm	Crew	Nat	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Tot
1	Larson	Baylis	USA	1	2	1	3	3	3	10
2	Martin	Nelson	USA	3	1	2	1	19	18	25
3	Hamlin	Alarie	USA	2	4	12	6	7	7	26
4	Thompson	Zinn	USA	5	6	13	2	15	6	32
5	Higgins	Marsh	AUS	12	12	9	15	8	1	42
6	Pinnell	Hunt	GBR	103	23	4	5	10	2	44
7	Beeckman	Glass	USA	8	3	21	13	9	17	50
8	Holt	Smit	USA	4	7	11	4	31	36	57
9	Kellner	Schoeler	GER	10	20	8	10	26	10	58
10	Buchan	Buchan	USA	17	31	10	62	1	4	63
11	Edwards	Shelton	USA	9	8	22	9	23	22	70
12	Higgins	Johnston	AUS	15	10	5	12	29	29	71
13	Miller	Bell	USA	7	17	103	34	4	11	73
14	Chappell	Gill	AUS	24	13	6	103	14	16	73
15	Renehan	Lanzinger	USA	26	14	28	25	5	8	78
16	Nathanson	Machin	AUS	19	5	23	19	18	27	84
17	Taugher	Tripp	USA	22	24	7	26	13	60	92
18	Bixby	Boothe	USA	103	9	30	43	6	9	97
19	Moore	Sparkman	USA	33	29	36	27	2	12	103
20	Scutcher	Diebitsch	GBR	6	103	29	7	37	25	104
21	Boite	Goerge	FRA	25	103	32	32	11	5	105
22	Voelckner	Dehne	GER	11	27	19	30	22	37	109
23	Hagan	Park	USA	103	15	26	14	21	33	109
24	Jackson	Nicholson	AUS	28	33	18	22	28	19	115
25	Cox	Grange	USA	36	18	24	28	25	23	118
26	Harris	Silverman	USA	41	22	31	44	12	14	120
27	Poe	VonGrey	USA	27	38	27	11	24	32	121
28	Boyd	Schell	CAN	35	103	16	23	27	21	122
29	Meller	Falsone	USA	31	45	103	18	16	13	123
30	Findel	Tellen	GER	14	103	17	16	34	51	132
31	Chatham	McQueen	USA	32	16	46	35	20	34	137
32	Nelson	Schelter	USA	21	26	25	21	48	78	141
33	Herlihy	Buttner	USA	13	49	41	24	74	15	142
34	Brown	Fry	CAN	30	40	34	31	17	44	152
35	Oswald	Woelfel	USA	23	103	50	8	33	55	169
36	Quirk	Showell	AUS	48	47	14	54	36	24	169
37	Fowler	Fowler	CAN	34	66	37	41	40	26	178
38	Van Munster	McAllister	AUS	49	19	35	36	55	41	180
39	Smith-White	Fulcher	GBR	16	51	103	17	60	38	182
40	Walters	Cram	GBR	20	103	3	103	32	30	188
41	Larsen	Andersen	DEN	45	28	42	53	103	20	188
42	Harris	Saunders	USA	50	11	59	20	54	67	194
43	Bojland	Stormark	DEN	43	42	44	37	59	31	197
44	Meyer	Jess	USA	46	46	15	56	78	35	198
45	Lieb	Smith	USA	44	37	40	29	72	48	198
46	Amthor	James	USA	47	43	43	42	45	40	213
47	Lott	Franks	AUS	53	44	33	39	75	46	215
48	Ross	Pearson	USA	71	36	58	58	38	28	218
49	Turnbull	Lunn	GBR	38	21	47	50	70	63	219
50	Napier	Bristow	GBR	18	61	38	52	65	57	226