50S

I am not sure if you think I am an alcoholic or an accountant but I can only assume you are speaking from a position of knowledge and you have sailed both Merlins and 5O5's in a variety of conditions, raced against the caliber of people that race both boats and no doubt beaten them regularly, probably by cheating the tide....

Graham

Originally posted by Gordon 1430 Graham Mike is an Essex boy who went to a 505 worlds in America( having just won the UK Nationals at Lyme), fell in love (not sure if the lady is Mrs Holt now)and now lives there. But he is still an Essex boy at heart and a really good bloke. He has been sailing 505's for ever and really knows how to make them win and as Clive said multiple world champ. Believe he owns one boat in Europe and one in California.

Thanks for explaining Gordon, I genuinely didn't know, I don't actually follow anything that goes on beyond my little world, so the boat being used was a USA boat then, is that the way it works, you can't use your nationaility on your sail if you're using a locally registered hull? Can't say I'd have liked that, in our world your sail number and national prefix was as much a part of your identity as your name, I didn't even subscribe to the change from the K prefix to GBR.

Oh and it's GRAEME (just as important as K over GBR )

Edited by iGRF - 10 Mar 22 at 1:34pm

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by iGRF is that the way it works, you can't use your nationaility on your sail if you're using a locally registered hull? Its not your nationality, its the boat's nationality. Irritates me too. But I suppose it would be equally irritating if you were supposed to change letters on the sail if you lent the boat to someone from a different country.

Originally posted by Mike Holt Still married happily Gordon! And yes, from deepest Essex originally. The USA on the sail is because you represent the class association that you are a Member of, in my case, the US one, it did take some getting used to for sure... Worth adding that it is a 2 man boat and the crew being every bit as important as the helm and mine are American. <span style=": rgb251, 251, 253;"><font face="Helvetica Neue, Lucida Grande, Segoe UI, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif">GRAEME, you really need to sail a 5O5 and a Merlin to appreciate what you are missing before life has completely passed you by.</span>

Oh, OK, can see that now..

And seriously you need to have a try at least in the Alto, rather than contemplating a BMW316 of a 505 it would be better to use the Alto as a feeder to the class. It was developed by a good ole 505 boy, it has a lot of 505 DNA (and yes of course I've sailed one (a 505)and in the sea in waves and tide, And a Merlin for that matter both helm and crew (didn't fare so well at that bit). For years we all regarded the 505 as the boat to own, there were several at my club back in the day, a lot of my ideas to modify boards came from 505, (retracting CB, jibing CB, twist in sails), but in my day Colclough and Parkers ruled that's how far back I go with them (Parkers built me a board).

So, I hope you'll spot the piss taking element of my posts, nothing would make me happier than a 5 oh revival, but really, it ain't going to happen anytime soon. Which was part of the reason Mike developed the Alto, indeed it was a shame P&B didn't spot what he was trying to achieve and plugged it rather than sitting on it. The 505 would still be the aspiration but the Alto which at that time was seven grand, could have enticed modern style assym sailors and perhaps converting them to conventional poles, or it could have been fully developed like the 505 and the heavy old girls grandmothered. That is if you could have got Rondar to make one that didn't have it's bottom stripped off at high speed.

Edit. Oh and just to clarify the Accountant v Drunkard, it was an in joke in my business, My CFO sailed a five oh (and they're sponsored by an accountancy software compnay) but my main sales guy who once got so p1ssed he came to naked on a sofa in some apartment block in Torbole with the occupants kids playing happily until the woman of the house who had kindly collected all the clothes he'd left up the stairs and into the hallway gave them to him and didn't ask him to stay for breakfast, have a guess which class he sails?

Edited by iGRF - 10 Mar 22 at 3:37pm