NATIONAL REPORT - NORTH AMERICA
Boat improvements and fleet growth
W
ith the emergence of COVID-19 the year 2020 was unlike any other – on and off the water. The Canada-US border closed to nonessential traffic in March 2020 and remained closed more than a year later forcing the cancellation of both 2020 North American 5.5 regattas. However the North American group remains focused on boat improvements, growing the fleet and connecting those passionate about the 5.5s in preparation for future racing. The passion is contagious. Take Joe Strelow, owner of Pride USA 31. “I had wanted to learn more about sailing and Joe Lambert invited me to join him on his 5.5 [Aeolus II USA 102],” he said. “Of course, that meant helping him work on the boat (in my driveway by the way) to get it ready.” He travelled with Lambert to races in Midland, Ontario for several years enjoying the camaraderie of the fleet and the interest and dedication to the rejuvenation of the boats. It wasn’t just the racing that drew in Strelow. “I found myself very interested in the construction and rigging of these old wooden 5.5s and after sailing with him a few seasons I was hooked.” For him preservation is an essential aspect of the North American fleet. “I think what we are doing to preserve these boats, while actually using them for what they were built for, is an important component of the sport. Some of these boats have a unique history, and Pride is certainly one of them.” Pride came out of the Houston Texas boat yard of legendary skipper Ernie Fay in 1962. Victorious in many an epic race course battle Pride racking up a long list of championships and world cup record wins and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in September 1963 alongside Flame, his brother Albert’s 5.5.
Jennifer Harker reports from the USA and Canadian fleets on a year of work to build the fleet in North America.
Following Fay’s death, Seabrook boatyard shipwright Len Kirkham bought Pride, moving her to Georgia where she raced under the name Woodstock. “He was quite fearless, favouring the port tack at the starting line,” Strelow reports. “Pride had a hole in the side to prove he liked to push the advantage whenever possible.” Strelow has fearlessly put a few holes of his own in Pride, but these ones are drilled rather than rammed as he continues to improve his boat. It’s all part of the adventure of purchasing and rejuvenating a 5.5. “I have to admit that the situation around buying it in Georgia and hauling it 600 miles with all the rigging in boxes, etc. sounded like a fun adventure as well,” Strelow said. “It was a chance for me to take what I had learned and apply it both the construction and rigging of the boat and how to get the most out of it.” She first splashed into Georgian Bay in 2018. “The boat had been rigged quickly with the help of a lot of our friends, just days before the regatta. We were just trying to see what we had and what needed work at that time.” An intense winter of work
