505 European Championship 2025 at Club Nàutic Estartit

Roger Gilbert and ian Mitchell leading Jan-Philipp Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff - 505 European Championship in Spain © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

GBR's Roger Gilbert and Ian Mitchell win on countback from top German team Jan-Philipp Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff

The International 505 Class headed to the town of L'Estartit on Spain's Costa Brava for its European Championships this year. It's the first time the Class have held an international event in Spain and it was a great success - not least because in late October the weather was far better and warmer than a rain-lashed Northern Europe.

58 teams competed which is a superb entry away from the 505s traditional strongholds. Most boats arrived on multi-trailers - some of which had been purpose built and donated for the event.

Before the event started we did some short sprints and practised gate starts - useful for the competitors but also to enable the Spanish race team led by PRO Tim Hancock to learn how to do gate starts - which they then ran flawlessly throughout the event.

The wind seemed to be driven by a combination of strong katabatic mountain winds to the North and to the South, local geographic features such as the Medes Islands and local thermal effects. This meant that conditions changed quickly and forecasts were of very limited use.

Gate Start Race 1 - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

The first racing day was Thursday - it dawned with light to medium winds but once we got out there it was a solid 15-18 knots with a good sea running - in other words perfect 505 conditions. International Class President Michael Quirk and Tim Needham duly blasted out of the gate early and led at the top mark with GBR's Roger Gilbert and Ian Mitchell just about keeping in touch.

These boats extended on the fleet for the remainder of the race with Gilbert/Mitchell managing to pass Quirk/Needham in the final couple of gybes to the finish. Many people's pre-event favourites, German Champions Jan-Philipp Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff used their downwind ability to recover from fairly deep to 3rd at the finish.

For the second race Gilbert/Mitchell started early and got inside a big lift to have a huge lead at the first mark - downwind USA's Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel cleverly used the leaders to gauge the breeze and closed the distance right up. With no changes on the second beat it looked like the race was over. Hofmann/Brockerhoff had other ideas. They gybed early having seen pressure along the shore and trapezed flat out for the whole leg.

Meanwhile the leaders were dead running in very little breeze and could only look on as Felix and Jan-Phiipp flew in from the right gybed into a controlling position and triumphantly took the winners gun to put themselves right back into contention overall. Gilbert/Mitchell were overnight leaders (just).

Day 2, Micki Daisenberger and Johannes Tellern - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

On Friday the fleet launched into the edge of some very strong mountain winds and had gusts of 30+ knots before the start. This moderated a little as the gate start got under way. Quirk/Needham stormed to a lead at the first mark but tangled spinnaker clews saw Gilbert/Mitchell take over with GBRs Paul Brotherton and James Fawcett in hot pursuit with Manxman Michael Wilson and Stu Bithell also in the mix. The lead changed hands a few times before Gilbert/Mitchell used their upwind speed to close out a second win.

The wind then died for 20 minutes or so before filling back in ready for race 4. In the lighter moderate breeze North American Champion Howard Hamelin and Andy Zinn were first round, expertly gybed into a gust and extended away to make their win look easy (although it was anything but with passing lanes aplenty both upwind and down). GBR's Ben McGrane and James Ross sailed their best race to bring home a second with Hofmann/Brockerhoff finding their stride in third.

The breeze kicked in again with a solid race 6 win for Hofmann/Brockerhoff, with Hamelin/Zinn second. The minor placings were a scrap right to the finish with Holt/Woelfel using all their experience to hold on for 3rd place.

By now the wind was gusting 30+ knots again as a tired fleet battled a long beat home in gusty, shifty winds that was funnelling between the islands and the shore and so got worse as we got closer to the marina. Ashore it was warm and sunny as the fleet relaxed into the daily après sail routine of free food and beer dockside. Gilbert/Mitchell kept the overnight lead on countback from Hofmann/Brockerhoff.

Day 4, paddling out - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

The mountain driven winds moved away overnight so Saturday was a beautifully sunny day - but no wind - despite the best efforts of the race team who spent a long day on the water waiting/hoping for a thermal breeze that never came.

Instead Howie Hamelin led a debrief session where the sailors had a Q&A asking the front of the fleet how they had set up, how they had sailed and whether that had worked or not. This was a great hit with Felix Brockerhoff, Mike Holt, Rob Woelfel and Andy Zinn particularly helpful.

Everyone learnt something and I don't think anyone there will forget Rob's fully acted description of his and Holtie's super slick (but borderline insane to the uninitiated) gybing technique - overcoming g-force to come in off the wire after the boat is already turning hard downwind.

Howie Hamelin leading a very popular fleet debrief - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

Sunday dawned grey and colder with a promising forecast of 7-9 knots - the fleet duly launched on time but without significant heating and no mountain winds the fleet spent the day afloat waiting for a fickle breeze that never stabilised or filled in despite some promising signs. After a long wait the race team finally called it a day at 3pm.

Roger Gilbert and Ian Mitchell therefore became European Champions by the narrowest of margins, with pre-event favourites Jan-Philipp Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff beaten for the first time this year and California's Howard Hamelin and Andy Zinn completing the podium.

No wind - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

German team Nicola Birkner and Angela Stenger retained the Women's prize while French light wind aces Florence Lebrun and Ludovic Roblin won the mixed prize. GBR's Gary Fowler and Harry Moffat were delighted to win the Classics Prize which was a just reward for getting their vintage Kyrwood round in some very testing conditions.

The 2025 505 Europeans was a very successful and well attended event, not least because of the support of local volunteers, the Spanish and Catalan Sailing Federations, as well as the local town council and Club Nautic Estartit. Thanks also to our world class Principal Race Officer (and former 505 World Champion) Tim Hancock for his commitment to the class and for his immeasurable contribution to making this event a success.

The GBR 505 teams continued their resurgence with 4 in the top 10 for the first time in many years. 11 GBR boats made the trip with half coming from Hayling Island Sailing Club.

Day 2, Jan-Philipp Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

Our next European events will be the 2026 Easter Eurocup traditionally held in the South of France followed by Garda in May and then the Class World Championships at Hayling Island 2-11 July 2026.

So far as the UK is concerned, this autumn/winter there is an Open Winter Series at Hayling Island which will be well attended by 50s (all welcome), then leading into the Spring where we will have a good mix of training events, 50-Friday sailing and competitive regattas all leading towards the Worlds at Hayling in July.

Preparations are well advanced for the Hayling Worlds and we are anticipating a turnout of 100+ boats. If you would like to get involved and try a 505 then please contact us and we will be delighted to assist.

At the club - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com

Overall Results:

Race 1 upwind leg - 505 European Championship in Spain - photo © Christophe Favreau / www.christophefavreau.com