Fit boys and fly girls

My God, when will it stop? I'm beginning to hate it. I'll never make it to July. The constant running, the weights, those silly pills that make you smell of fish...but most of all I hate the rowing machine. This is because an ageing burnt out bulk carrier of a granny, who immediately lights up outside, can pull 2500 meters quicker than me. I've never liked rowing machines, I always get off feeling slightly depressed and resentful that after all that hard work, I'm still in the same place..

Unlike moth sailing.. I've been sailing these boats since before the Dead Sea had ever thought of calling in sick and back then for me, a "vegetable capsule" was a spring roll from the Chinese take away, not "Borage Oil". Warming up was "up, one two.. then the other sock..." and rehydrating was a couple of pints of London Pride between races. ... And the UK class president was a dog, called Spot.

Wonderful then that there are some signs that things havent changed too much. I see Scott Babbage has just chinned his personal trainer, Rohan has been throwing up over most of Victoria, (I remember doing that after a '94 prize giving..) and Doug Culnane still has his period hair do, maintained courtesy of the electric shocks he's getting from his sink. John Claridge, who according to the trophy sitting in my living room, won the European Championships in 1975 is back having bought Tim Boon's old boat, and this year Colin Newman will be superceded by Pete Conway, the designer of the Womble, as the most ancient foiler - although this is academic as they are both over 1000 years old.

And all the new guys too! I can't wait to meet some of the new sailors from Eastern Europe and the Baltics, Southern Europe and America (and others) who I'm sure will do great and in there own way will bring something to the class, further enriching our fabric. I'm looking forward to new languages, different food and.. err.. firearms at each big event from now on . Anyway everyone is welcome to come over early and train with us before the worlds at Weymouth.

But surely the greatest opportunity for the class is to develop a womans fleet. It's a perfect boat and I could see the Womans International Moth World Champion being as highly sort after as the mens tag in a few years. Everything fits ladies! You are probably the right size, if you can dance you can foil and the boat fits in your handbag! Seriously, where are all the good female sailors? If you dont turn up we'll have to give it to Rohan again.



I attach a wonderful picture of Marie-Claude Faroux, not just womens World Champion, but outright International Moth World Champion in 1968. Whadda babe.