505 class gathers in Long Beach for North American Championship
by Lexi Pline 13 May 2024 13:26 PDT
May 16-19, 2024
Mike Martin and Adam Lowry at the 2023 World Championship at St. Francis Yacht Club © Christophe Favreau
Twenty seven teams from across the country will descend on Alamitos Bay Yacht Club for the 505 Class North American Championships this week, May 16-19.
Competition will be fierce but fun, with former world champions and teams new to the boat on the same starting line this weekend.
The duo of Mike Martin and Adam Lowry - having won six 505 World Championships between them - are looking like the team to beat. Also fighting for the title is Mike Holt, three-time World Champion sailing with Rob Wofel. It may well be a battle of the Mikes at the North Americans!
"The 505 NA's is always one of my favorite events of the year, great competition, great venues, fun on and off the water," said Holt. "This will be something like the 20th time I have competed in the event and despite my best endeavors I am yet to win it! Something I aim to put right every year! But win or not, I know we will all have a great time!"
But it's about more than just winning a title in Long Beach. Camaraderie and a collective spirit runs deep in the class, with those at the top helping those new to the boat or continuing their learning experience. Throughout the regatta and training period, the class will hold daily debriefs where the day's leaders talk through their process and answer questions from the rest of the fleet.
"The thing that makes regattas like the North Americans so great is that it's like a big reunion," said Blaine Pedlow, the US Class Vice President. "During the day you're doing your best to gain inches and places all around the course, but as soon as you're ashore it's catching up with good friends, sharing in the glory - or embarrassment! - of your last gybe to the finish, comparing notes on how everyone sailed and set up their boats, and making plans for the next event.
"The 505 is incredibly fun and challenging for all levels and conditions, but it's the people who sail these boats that are the real key to keeping us all coming back."
For others involved in this year's North Americans, the 505 Class has become a family affair. Father-son team Brian & Brendan Trainor will be on the line this week, along with married couples Chris Pittack and Anne Fitzpatrick, AJ and Ted Conrads, and Elsa Balton and Miles Johannessen.