Day 2 Report - SAP 505 World Championships

January 28, 2007 0 comments

Another gloomy day in Adelaide. Winds still from the south and low clouds. Days like these generally mean big pressure and direction changes in the wind at Brighton and that's what we saw. Generally it was 13-18kn, but occasionally it was above and o

Another gloomy day in Adelaide. Winds still from the south and low clouds. Days like these generally mean big pressure and direction changes in the wind at Brighton and that’s what we saw. Generally it was 13-18kn, but occasionally it was above and occasionally it was below.

It was only one race today and it really was a great days sailing, particularly for South Australian’s Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh. They won their second heat of the Worlds after some brilliant sailing.

Off the start, it looked like the left was going to pay, but eventually the boats from the right lead around the top mark. Bill Cuneo and John Warlow led first, but there were a pile of boats there. It was interesting seeing the Nicholsons and how quickly they have re-acquainted themselves with the 505. They are certainly formidable sailors. Downhill though, Sandy and Marshy were on fire. They were clearly the fastest, but upwind they also sailed very smart.

It was an easy day to get hurt today with big shifts and plenty of boats that were at the front early ended up a long way back after going the wrong way. That being said, the fleet is tightly packed, one mistake can cost you 5-10 boats instantly.

Regardless of the shifts though, two boats have been very consistent. Nick Adamson and Steve Bourdow from the US and Mike Holt and Carl Smit also of the US are tied for the lead. Both boats have posted a second, third and fourth and don’t look like making any mistakes.

Race 4 and 5 looks like it will be more of the same for the competitors wind wise, though if the cloud burns off early, there could be a greater thermal effect and therefore, a little more stable directionally. Monday night also sees the return of the games night at the Worlds, with our visitors sure to be treated to some ‘unique’ local games.