505 North American Championships at The Gorge, Oregon

Day 1

The 2008 505 North American Championship kicked off with a bang with 20+ knot breezes and the level of carnage one would expect from The Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge is situated at a geographically unique location midway between the cool Pacific coast and the hot dry regions further inland. The wind springs to life due to a large thermal funneled by surrounding mountains, delivering chaos and wide grins to those who choose to enter its waters.

With competitors arriving from as far away as Germany, 33 boats have entered this year's championship. As an event associated with the popular annual Gorge Games, the course was populated with camera boats that no doubt caught some spectacular TV footage.

Thursday morning, competitors waited until the very last minute to launch, as they watched the breeze build throughout the morning into what is a typical day at The Gorge – blowing like snot and 2-3 foot waves everywhere. After a short delay, Race 1 started in breeze in the upper teens with gusts in the high twenties. Taking a cautious route (dropping the kite midway down the second run), Nick Adamson and Steve Bourdow took the first race with Mike Holt and Ben Benjamin finishing second after a brief capsize. Howard Hamlin and Peter Alarie finished third.

Race 2 was a much tighter game with numerous lead changes throughout and just thirty seconds separating the first fifteen boats. Carnage continued, as only 19 of 33 boats finished. Holt and Benjamin took the bullet. Mike Martin and Jeff Nelson recovered from their first race jitters and took second. Third place was taken by Nick Adamson and Steve Bourdow.

Following the second race, the fleet was sent ashore by the RC to wait for the breeze to lighten. It did not, and racing will continue tomorrow at 0930. After the first day of racing, The Gorge has been responsible for 1 broken mast, 5 bent masts, 1 broken shroud, 1 broken spreader, 1 sheared off rudder, a folded spinnaker pole and a busted set of gudgeons. Sailors commented that the RC's promised lunch breaks would likely end up being "repair breaks" more than anything else.

Day 2

The heavy air excitement continued on Day Two of the 2008 505 North American Championship held at Cascade Locks, Oregon. Being sailed in the Columbia River Gorge, this year's competition is being held as part of the Gorge Games. 33 boats have entered, and more than a few have suffered some wounding in the extreme conditions of The Gorge.

On Friday, the Columbia Gorge Racing Association veteran race committee fired the starting gun on three races held in breezes ranging from the low teens to mid-twenties and the usual Gorge two-foot chop. Racing began early in the morning as the RC aimed to pull off more starts before the breeze kicked up to nuclear. Courses were windward / leewards twice around and lasted roughly forty minutes apiece. Competitors were sent ashore following the third race at 1300 to wait for more manageable winds. However the thermal continued to develop and the RC had flags “N” over “A” flying by 1400. Racing was abandoned for the day.

The damage report for the day was a much shorter list than Thursday's: 1 broken mast, 1 damaged deck, and 1 torn mainsail.

Following racing, a raffle was held with gear donated from the regatta sponsoring companies, Zhik, West Marine, Fisheries Supply, and Kam Gear.

Day 3

The third day of the 2008 505 North Americans continued in tough conditions as the notorious Gorge wind pumped up during the day. Racing was tight, with four general recalls throughout the afternoon. Add a short line, and a sharp left shift near the pin and the 505s had difficult sailing conditions which challenged the tempers of both competitors and Race Committee.

The morning was frustratingly variable, with the breeze ranging from 8 to 12 knots and full of shifts. Californians Nick Adamson and Stephen Bourdow took Race 6. Race 7 was won by the Northwest team of Dalton Bergan and Fritz Lanzinger, and Race 8 was taken by world-champion Howard Hamlin and Peter Alarie.

Into the afternoon the wind built a bit more, measuring a steady 15 knots with gusts to 25. The large shifts continued, and the breeze oscillated back and forth. The stronger wind again favored the West Coast boats, with Mike Martin and Jeff Nelson of California taking Race 9 and 10's bullets and Hamlin and Alarie taking both seconds.

As for today’s carnage, The Gorge continued to prevail, though to a lesser extent. The damage tally included a broken gooseneck, a snapped main halyard, and of course, a few bruised egos.

Competitors from the West Coast continue to dominate heading into the final day. After 10 races, only 9 points separate the top three boats.

Day 4

With a profound sense of relief, the weary competitors of the 2008 International 505 North American Championships packed their gear after four tough races on the final day of the regatta. There was no let-them-down-softly, anti-climatic departing shot from The Gorge today.

Starting the day with almost placid trapezing conditions at 8-15 knots it was the variability of the shifts and puffs that tripped many sailors. It was easy to lose four or five places in a single oscillation. Or end up on your ear. The drained “5-oh” group confronted the conditions boldly and courageously.

Final results after 14 races (one discard):

1 - Mike Martin/Jeffrey Nelson 28 points
2 - Nick Adamson/Stephen Bourdow 34 points
3 - Howard Hamlin/Peter Alarie 37 points
4 - Dalton Bergan/Fritz Lanzinger 49 points
5 - Mike Holt/Ben Benjamin 71 points
6 - Doug Hagan/Rob Woelfel 78 points
7 - G Macy Nelson/Parry Barclay 99 points
8 - Adam Lowry/David Byron 108 points
9 - Jeff Miller/Mike Smith 112 points
10 - Ramsay Key/Andrew Buttner 114 points
11 - Henry Amthor/Adam Schell 125 points
12 - Tom Gosch/Douglas McKeigh 136 points
13 - Pierre Jeangirard/Paul VonGrey 148 points
14 - Mats Elf/Jon Henderson 150 points
15 - Angus Brackett/Colin Orsini 152 points
16 - Aaron Ross/Rob Waterman 166 points
17 - Jeff Boyd/Stephen Adolph 176 points
18 - Philip Cragg/Reto Corfu 180 points
19 - Jen Morgan Glass/Benjamin Glass 182 points
20 - Mark Dowdy/Jason Bright 219 points
21 - Lee Laney/Blaine Pedlow 224 points
22 - Evan Thompson/Craig Thompson 244 points
23 - Katherine Long/Stephen Long 269 points
24 - Hubert Guy/Philip Toth 272 points
25 - Eben Russell/Matthias Kennerknecht 274 points
26 - J B Turney/Ned Turney 278 points
27 - Andrew Schmidt/Charles Asper 294 points
28 - John Wyles/Michael Renda 319 points
29 - Stuart Sinclair/Peter Tuck 324 points
30 - Charlie Dore/Christian Pittack 347 points
31 - Erik Coburn/Piper Dunlap 396 points
32 - Paul Pihl/? 396 points

The American Section of the International 505 Yacht Racing Association would like to thank:
Regatta Chairman – Paul VonGrey
Race Committee – Columbia Gorge Racing Association

Sponsors:
Far East Boats
Fisheries Supply
Glaser Sails
Kam Gear
North Sails
West Marine
Zhik Sailing Gear

And the Gorge Games LLC along with Andy Mack and Andrea Ligammari.