5.5 Class AssociationDecember 26th, 2011
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Speed Comparison
 
Recently I had the pleasure to visit England, where I did meet the ISAF team and the DARING Class.

 

While our racing activities are generally seen positively, ISAF would welcome growth in fleet levels and would encourage an increase in joining other Metre Class race events. ISAF will contact all Metre classes in this matter in the new year. Contacts with ISAF will be kept frequent and support offered will be highly appreciated.

 

Then, I had the chance to get to know many of the Daring Class sailors, during their Christmas dinner in London. The Daring Class is keeping a fleet of 30+ boats in Cowes and has been racing an impressive series of 81 races in 2011, with a good average of 13 boats racing. Given their one design concept (5.5m design freeze GRP boats), irrespective of boat age results do vary nicely, their owners are a solid group of friends and the class has quite a bunch of silver to go for:

 

Daring 1 

 

During the Daring AGM, I have made an offer to 4 teams of Daring sailors to join the VintageYachting Games, provided that 5.5m charter boats can be made available, as the Darings do not fit the NOR of the event. The Italian, French and German Class Associations are the ones to having best chance to arrange for charter options. The Daring Class has made a reciprocal offer with some of their boats, for visiting 5.5m sailors, to participate in the Metre Regatta on the Solent, in summer next year. 

 

Picking up the idea to have boats of similar speed racing joyfully on local level - quickly looking at more silver -

 

Daring Silver 

 

We do have up to fifty 5.5m boats - the majority not having been active - seeking new ownership. Placing these in the right hands & locations can bring racing excitement back to the harbours, if we manage to selectively rejoin sisterboats and/or one-offs of similar speed. This task needs the support of all active 5.5m sailors and frequent communication in this matter. I do welcome all active sailors to contribute with ideas and contacts. The Fleet News will contain a first selective example info.

 
Now it is time to work on the boats in winter storage - or racing downunder, which ever side of the medal you are looking at. A first chance to talk personally about new travel plans for the 2012 regattas, will be on the skiing slopes of Gstaad in early March.

 

I am sending you my best wishes for the new season!


Yours,

  

Kaspar

  


Kaspar Stubenrauch
President Int'l. 5.5m Class

Fleets' News 

 

Australia

 

On offer is 5.5 AUS 18, a 1964 boat, which would be well placed with the racing fleet in Sydney, but could also be a nice add-on in the German Kiel Classic fleet or on the Lake of Starnberg, in Germany. 5.5 AUS 26 is on offer and would perfectly fit in Laveno, Lago Maggiore, to locally build a fleet around "Carabella".

 

 

Canada

 

In Canada 5.5 CAN 3 is on offer, but she should stay locally to help build the start-up group of 5.5's there.

 

 

Curacao

 

The Willemstad boats would best be seeing NED 33 (for sale in the Netherlands), FRA 51 (if still available) and AUS 82 (for sale in Finland), being added for growing the local fleet.

 

 

France

 

In France 5.5 FRA 48 is for sale. She could be best placed in new hands with the other Muir designs on the Bretagne coast, but could also fit well with GER 74 on the Alster Lake in Hamburg.

 

 

Germany

 
In Germany 5.5 GER 65 is for sale and would best be placed on Flensburg Fjord, with her sisterboat GER 30, but could as well be a nice add-on to meet with her other sister FRA 33 on the Bretagne coast. The Flensburg based GER 37 would welcome other Murray/Hudson boats to join, like NED 11 (for sale in The Netherlands) and AUS 52 (for sale in Sydney), as well as the hull of GBR 38 (for sale in Switzerland). In order to grow the German Modern fleet, SUI 207 would be a nice add-on, to meet with GER 55 and GER 42 for training sessions in Kiel. For sale is also 5.5 GER 68, a 1960 Bjarne Aas boat, which would fit best to Kiel or Berlin.

 

 

Italy

 
In Italy SUI 128 - for which sailnumber ITA 59 is reserved - is for sale and she could fit perfectly to Laveno as well, there meeting & then match racing with ITA 57 adn thus growing the local Evolution fleet.

 

 

Switzerland

 
In Switzerland it will be key to see 5.5 SUI 218 sold to Rolle, to match race with SUI 225, her sister boat. Then, it is a general task to place many of the unused Swiss Evolution boats with new owners, who are keen to race, on the Lake of Thun, the Lake of Geneva and the Lake of Constance. 5.5 SUI 130 would be best placed on the Alster Lake in Hamburg or in Berlin, Germany.

 

 

The Netherlands

 
Here the task is to keep 5.5 NED 35 in the country, to race against NED 26 and NED 31. 5.5 NED 9 would be another candidate for the Laveno Classic fleet.

 

 

USA

 

 Here a 1968 Classic is for sale, nicknamed "Pregnant Whale", of which the original US-sailnumber is unknown. That boat would perfectly fit the Laveno based Classic boats, to match race with "Carabella". Also on offer is 5.5 USA 62, a 1965 Bjarne Aas design, which should be placed with new owners in Buffalo, NY.
 
 
The Shop

Coral Reef Sailing Apparel announces new polo colors in both short and long sleeve models!

 

 

 

Support your Class by ordering from CRSA online store ~ 15% of the annual purchase amount is going back to the Class and you won't be disappointed by the quality of their products! - Thanks.