Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 S-Series LEADERBOARD

The oldest video footage of 505 racing dinghies

by Magnus Smith 5 May 04:00 PDT
First 505 hull completed, just awaiting varnishing and fitting out © Jack Chippendale

Our video archive is fully searchable, and linked to all the clubs and classes in our database. It is updated weekly with the latest videos of sailing, but here we delve into the past, and round-up everything that shows early racing in the 5o5 class.

The oldest footage we could find was from Emsworth (UK) during the 1950s and it is a long video covering many classes. You may not have an hour free to wallow in nostalgia, so feel free to skip ahead according to this guide, since the first two 505 moments are mere seconds:

  • 24 mins - See number 49 launching, with her age also betrayed by the cut of the sails
  • 49 mins - a reefed 505 can be briefly seen
  • 54 mins - newer models launch and are seen racing (keep going till the end)

Next up is a wonderful promotional film for Fairey Marine, outlining their range of dinghies, in the late 1950s. The 505 features at 2m45s but only btiefly.

Then we move to the sixties, with 505 racing in Argentina, 1969 with spinnakers flying. This silent footage is courtesy of British Pathé.

There is only one boat in this next video, but it is fun to see a 505 in Stockholm, 1971. Someone is having a great time singlehanding it! (Note, half-way through the video it changes to a slideshow of still photos.)

Now we move to a series of great footage from the Worlds, starting in 1973 with the 505 World Championship in Hong Kong (see also some extra video and event photos and results).

The next year the event was in Marstrand, Sweden, 1974 (see also event photos and results.)

Then we move to the eighties, with the 505 Worlds in Cork, Ireland, 1982. (See also event photos and results.)

We now have nine links from Youtuber Ebbe Rosen, covering the 505 Worlds in Enoshima, Japan, 1985. Take your pick!

Ending our eighties focus is the 505 Worlds at Felixstowe, Great Britain, 1989. (See also event photos and results.)

A random selection of archive 505 material from the 80s and early 90s now. There are some land-based sailor quotes as well as plenty of on-water blasting. Amazingly, for 1990 there is even some brief masthead footage! No GoPros in those days.

In the early nineties we next have the 505 European Championship at Quiberon, 1990.

Last of all we move to the UK for the 505 World Championship at Mount's Bay, 1995.

What of the rest?

Do you know the location of any Five-Oh videos that show racing fleets from the early years? We would love to share these with other sailors. You can submit video links to us for immediate review.

Keep watching with:

The UK's leading dinghy historian recorded a series of videos about the life of John Westell, the 505's designer. (Skip to part 3 if you are interested in the Coronet, the forerunner to the 5o5, or to part 4 for the 505 story starting.)

Related Articles

A moment in history - 1966 - Sir James Hardy
5o5 Flashback to the first Worlds in the Southern Hemisphere With the 5o5 World Championship coming up in Adelaide, Australia, this historic sailing flashback is a glimpse into the early days of what has become perhaps the world's most successful sailing dinghy. Posted on 23 Oct
Ovington Multiclass Open at the WPNSA Preview
This is the final big multiclass event of 2024! Entries are now open for our multiclass event down at Weymouth, WPNSA on 5th / 6th October. This is the final big multiclass event of 2024 and features top coaches Adam Bowers and Sam Pascoe, who will host a racing de-brief on Saturday night. Posted on 20 Sep
505 Worlds at Varberg, Sweden
96 boats competed from 13 different countries and 4 continents The 2024 running of the 505 World Championships was held August 3rd through the 10th in Varberg, Sweden. 96 boats competed from 13 different countries and 4 continents. Posted on 18 Aug
505 Pre-Worlds at Varberg, Sweden
Emphatic win for Jan Phillip Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff Five races were held in very challenging light and shifty conditions. Big congratulations to Jan Phillip Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff for their emphatic win. In what was a high scoring regatta for most, they won 4 out of 5 races and discarded a second. Posted on 4 Aug
Bill Barker is raising funds for Blood Cancer UK
Unexpected diagnosis of leukaemia for International Race Officer Bill Barker, a well-known, respected, and beloved member of the Marine Industry, received an unexpected terminal diagnosis of Acute Myelomonocytic Leukaemia at the end of May 2024. This devastating news has shocked his family, friends, and acquaintances. Posted on 17 Jul
Celebrating 40yrs of Newport Regatta
A premier East Coast Sailing event four decades after its launch This weekend marks the 40th Anniversary of the Newport Regatta at Sail Newport, featuring 147 boats and ten one-design racing classes. Posted on 11 Jul
505 UK Nationals at Rock
USA's Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn beat the British fleet on their home waters Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn of the USA bested a fleet of 25 teams representing five countries to claim the 2024 International 505 UK National and Open Championship title. The duo built upon their victory last month at the North Americans in Long Beach, CA. Posted on 11 Jun
505 Southerns at Hayling Island
Six very tight races in a light to moderate shifty breeze Eleven 505s joined the burgeoning Hayling 505 fleet for a weekend forecast to have glorious weather. The Southerns were part of a joint event with Fireballs, Contenders and Ospreys, making for a very busy start area. Posted on 14 May
505 class gathers for North American Championship
Competition will be fierce but fun, on Alamitos Bay Twenty seven teams from across the country will descend on Alamitos Bay Yacht Club for the 505 Class North American Championships this week. Posted on 13 May
100 Years of Jack Chippendale
One of the greats behind the golden era of the UK's domestic dinghy scene Regular readers will hopefully have enjoyed the recent 'Fine Lines' series of photos, times to coincide with the centenary of one of the greats behind the golden era of the UK's domestic dinghy scene, Jack Chippendale. Posted on 13 May
Trinidad and Tobago - Sail Service StayMaritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER