5.5 Metre World Championship - Day 1
by Robert Deaves 9 Jun 21:43 BST
9-13 June 2025
No racing on Day 1 - 5.5 Metre World Championship 2025 © Robert Deaves /
www.robertdeaves.uk
No racing was possible on the opening day of the 2025 5.5 Metre World Championship in Sopot, Poland, with winds of 30 knots across the bay for most of the day.
At the morning briefing, it was clear it was going to be a windy day with a strong westerly gusting over 30 knots. A two-hour postponement was later increased to a four-hour postponement, but there was no improvement in conditions by mid afternoon, and eventually racing was cancelled for the day.
So racing will now begin on Tuesday with a possible three races on the schedule.
Red&White is the first American team entry at a world championship for 24 years. Sailed by William Turner, Philip Davis and Ryan Sheridan, they took part in the Scandinavian Gold Cup last week after borrowing a boat from Germany.
Turner and Davis were part of the team, along with Tal Hutcheson, that won the US National Championship in Texas in April, the first US championship for 34 years, continuing the resurgence of the class in North America.
Turner said, "I grew up around the lore of the class. I was born a little too late to really experience it in the US but in 2019 I got involved in the group up in Canada and they invited me to come up and sail the boat - that's a group of classic - and I got sucked in. I came back and got my own boat, Firestorm, took it to Canada twice to race and the class has been growing steadily in Canada and the US since.
"We were keen to come last year but couldn't make it to France so came to Poland instead. Kaspar [Stubenrauch] was nice enough to provide a boat for us, so we had no excuse not to come. I am so glad to be here at this fabulous event and be involved. I've followed the class for years, and it's great to finally meet all these faces and I kind of feel I know many of them through the articles over the years and now we get to meet them face to face."
In North America, "There is a lot of renewed interest in North America and right now we have more boats than people and that's a good problem to have. We have a lot of classics, and some Evolutions. We're just trying to foster the growth and promote the class. The event in Houston generated a lot of interest. Many people had not seen the boat in 20 or 30 years."
The boat the team are sailing in Sopot has a chequered past. “Red & White was built in 2016 and then set aside. It had no rudder, no keel and no mast but Kaspar took it on and set it up. The hull was a Johan Joensen design for Jesper Bank, but I believe he lost interest. It’s since been used to bring in new people at the smaller events in Germany.”
"It's very different to my boat and getting used to the layout and we've no frame of reference so we're playing with the settings a lot. The mast has a lot of rake compared to the other boats, with very neutral helm, so I have to be conscious where I am going because it doesn't tell you. But it goes well through the water.
"It also has a bigger jib with a lot of shape and a smaller main, so the boom sits higher off the deck. We're going to play with the jib tomorrow, get some draft out and open the foot up a bit. We were not able to point very well, so we'll play with that tomorrow. We were unable to feather up in the gusts and point and you can't have those issues in this fleet."
"The Gold Cup was a great baptism by fire. The best of the best. Everyone is very open and welcoming and telling you their secrets and suggestions. They want to race against the best as well so it's a very good fleet in that regards, and very generous sharing their knowledge and experience."
He concludes by saying how open and welcoming the class is. "It's very easy to fit in. Everyone here has known each other for years and they have welcomed us into their group. Very nice, very welcoming, not intimidating at all. Some classes can be very standoffish, but while everyone is here to compete, they are also here to enjoy themselves as well and foster growth and they are very nice people.
"So, we've been having a great time, both on the water and socially."
In the evening the first of the famous class dock parties took place with, hosted by the French and German teams. Gallery here.
The conditions for the rest of the week look much better with light to moderate wind strengths. Up to three races per day may now be sailed. Racing is scheduled to start at 11.00 Tuesday.
Results page available here.
Photo gallery Day 1 available here.