fivepointfive - April 2023

CLASS DEVELOPMENT
As someone who has sailed 5.5 Metres for over half a century,
Gavin has seen most of the changes in the class from the
wooden carvel hulls through the modern boats and all the
innovations along the way.
“There were a lot of new ideas in the 1980s and 1990s which
meant that there were constant changes. For example, Bobby
was the first person to raise the cockpit so you could get rid
of water more quickly. Both ends of the cockpit had a canvas
curtain held up by shock chords. When you took on a big wave
the shock chord would stretch and most of the water would go
into the bilge, so unlike today it was not very efficient. Also, we
put about a 6 inch canvas curtain resting on the front side of the
mast and behind the jib track and attached it to the shrouds to try
and keep water from getting into the cockpit. It was better than
nothing but not very effective.
“We had two three-inch hand pumps so on the reaches you
would push the discharge hose between the stays close to the
deck and start pumping. You were also expected to fly the kite at
the same time. On the heavy days you could barely lift your arms
at the end of the triangle.
“Also, there were boats that could be 1-2 minutes behind the
leader at the first windward mark then take out 2 minutes on the
two reaches. This hasn’t happened in a long time, but it illustrates
how different the designs were.
New design ideas are what the class rule encourages but it is
48 • fivepointfive • APRIL 2023