Racing, Italian Style

Photo by kind permission of Thierry Martinez

"Is your boat tied down?" "Yes".
(Boat flies through the air as 60 knots of wind hit the dinghy park)
"Your boat is not tied down!!"(Shouted this time, not spoken..)
"That is not my boat"

And so a touch of Pink Panther style humour ended an excellent Moth World Championships!

Stand out performances came from Anthony Kotoun who sailed into 4th place overall, Tom Offer who came in 15th, and of course Josh McKnight who decided to win. And did!

This World Championship was an experience for sure, in all aspects actually, and whilst one might argue that the qualifying goes on too long, in the same way that Christmas seems to go on too long these days, there is no denying the new levels of excellence that the top boys have taken the class to.

We used to have the 20 knot club only 5 years ago and now the front runners are hitting 17 knots upwind, and its clear that despite the more evolutionary development of late, the boats are going faster and faster in a way that no other class can or does. What a great time to be sailing Moths.

And whilst we at Mach2 came equipped with the excellent Simon Owen Smith and a couple of crates full of spares, there was probably less breakage than one might have imagined. There would have been even less if the start line wasn't so chancy.

Its clear that the new KA MSL16 has taken the rig to the next level too and that Mach2 Moths remain the leaders choice. Another great regatta for us which of course makes us very proud.

For me? Well I was pleased to make 9th overall and achieve 2nd in the European Championships. I'm looking forward to working with Andrew on a new rig for the lightweight sailor and I take back all I ever said about adjustable wands, and I'm going to get one of those soonest!

I loved the last day!  Sometimes we get into thinking that we shouldn't sail when its too light or too windy, but we must remember that we are a sailing class that foils, not a foiling class that sails and in years to come we'll cruise round in those winds and waves, but only because we are going out in them today.

Very many congratulations to Josh. He sailed superbly and said, as does every winner, that his overwhelming emotion was one of "relief". As he was waving the Aussie flag I remembered that feeling from 2010. Not any delirious happiness at that stage just sheer simple relief. He will be an excellent World Champion and I suspect he is the youngest ever. Time for plenty more.

The UK fleet did OK! If we can figure out how to work together better, a great strength of the Aussies and the Americans, then we can get more than two boats in the top 10 for sure!

Right now I still feel exhausted. A by-product of giving it my all, and a long drive home. I may not manage rigging the boat tonight, but I probably will the day after!

S

2012 Moth World Championship Form Guide!

Lagio del Garda. Dramatic breathtaking scenery where we rig in the stillness of the morning, and as we launch the Ora wind slowly wanders down to greet us on the racecourse. Now it’s a great time! The onshore wind smoothes the sounds of the day and if we are lucky might mercifully drown out the noise of those who are incapable of launching without yelling at themselves.
Still, the evenings! With fine dinning and that “come on and relax” feeling that only (in our experience) the Italian Lakes offer. This is the place where the Worlds will be fought out! But who will win? Here is our light hearted form guide in order of only how we wrote it. Of course we won’t be right, but we won’t be far wrong either….


Scott Babbage, AUS- been there or there about for years. Was racing Moths when the Dead Sea had only just called in sick. Still, always fast and likes Garda. Coming into this off the back of a fairly successful Aussie summer. Everyone will be happy if Scott does it, no one deserves it more. Ride it like you stole it mate.


Rob Gough, AUS - Current Australian National Champion. No one will be more prepared, a past windsurfing world champ, he's proved he can win. Sometimes though it's a fine line between trying hard and trying too hard. Which side of the line is The Tasmanian Devil? No flash photography or you might find out! Anyway, we will see in a couple of weeks.


Chris Rashley, UK- great to see a promising young Brit! Chris works hard and his tacking is the best. He's fast across the range and added the UK National title to the European title he won last year. The Worlds will be his first big event, and of course it's another level higher. Will he handle it? We suspect so! Weaknesses are that he's late onto the foils, and if we get more than two low riding races the restaurants will be shut by the time he gets in.


Peter Burling, NZ- could be coming to Garda straight from the best week of his life! Peter is one of the favorites for a 49er medal. Super fast, super good, but in Moths hasn’t always managed to stay attached to his boat for the entire race. He's a big bloke and might be a bit sticky if it goes light. If it doesn't, the trophy will go to NZ for the first time ever.


Brad Funk, USA - Top bloke, stick your boat next to him in the dinghy park and by the end of the week you will be faster, and also probably a scientologist. Bloody fast, very fit and Moths seem to suit his natural “march to the beat of a different drum” style. He isn’t good at boat work however believing they heal over night. Strong in the light for a biggish guy.


Joe Turner, Aus– Naturally fast and with the least wetted surface area. (Joe cuts his foils down to the minimum) . Earlier this year Joe looked to have wintered well and, probably, as a result wasn’t so flash at the Australian Nationals. If it’s windy “Big” Joe may go very fast indeed, but aesthetically better off not wearing Lycra ;-)


Jason Belben, UK– Don’t call starboard on him as he’s wearing headphones, and he won’t hear you. And he ain’t young either. Surprise the old boy however and watch him tack! Ex Olympian, albeit from another time, he’s got the skills to pull this off.


John Harris, AUS- 2008 world champion now living in the US. Early form this year in Miami showed promise. Would've been faster without a girl in the front, but still.  Bit of a wild card this one, on the one hand naturally fast and proven winner, on the other living in land of supersize, and consequently could be carrying a few more pound than he ought...


Francesco Bianchi ITA– Possibly the fastest Italian. Won all the races he sailed at the recent German Nationals. If they ever translate the rule book into Italian he might benefit from a quick flick through, and too unpredictable to top this list, but with all that Italian flair! You never know.


Andrew McDougall, AUS- rumors of superfast straight line speed (at times-ed) and his boat has more lines than a Zebra wearing corduroys ….Anyway If we are racing in the middle of the lake he's made. If not, its six tacks to the first mark and he'll fade. A mix between Mark Webber and a “high heeled girl on a wet floor” depending on whether its straights or corners.


Bora Gulari, USA - Quiet as a mouse and not even on the entry sheet yet. 2009 World Champion at the Gorge, which isn’t too dissimilar to Garda. Very accomplished with probably an invention or two up his sleeve, or in his container... Looks Italian which is just as well.


Simon Payne- GBR Simon Payne GBR - With two world championships under his belt, you can’t bet against this wily sailor. Unless it is windy of course, then bet away! Has put more hours sailing a Moth than any other contender, but that could be because he is really old! Claims to be the inventor of the now obsolete Cleat de Payne in desperation for recognition for services to the class.   In all seriousness, he could… no, dammit, how can we take him seriously, he doesn’t! (Andrew wrote that! – Ed)


The “ex Olympic sailor “– Several “new to the Moth” World-class sailors will be competing. Can be identified by boats covered in sponsors logos and burst of brilliance mixed with some minor moments of a more humble nature. Those who stick at it will be great. Yet to learn that the protest room is really just a place for storing stuff.

And the Rest? Mike Lennon of the UK, Arnaud Psarofaghis (if he races but we don’t think he can), Anthony Kotoun... there will be more

Weston Morning News

Wow! How a week can change things! Last week it was the third month of rain cold and wind, and suddenly Weston Open Meeting turned into a sunny sea breezy event that lifted the heart as early as it lifted the boats.

For me it was a positive event but I had mixed feelings after saturdays racing, I hit the bricks pretty hard while leading the first race saturday and had to retire with a damaged foil. That was stupid of me. Next race I was leading and speared a fish which had to be pulled off by hand. That was stupid of the fish.

Still I was going fast I suppose. Both Jason Belben and Mike Lennon were sailing well.

I owe my sunday to Peter Barton who had a spare wand, I must have broken my wand holder as I went over the front in Saturdays first race. I won the first race comfortably on Sunday and then did we have fun in the second! Ricky Tagg did all hard work to get to the front but on the run there were signs of a sea breeze and I hit the deep water hard. Ricky, Mike Lennon and I somehow got to the first mark together and we reached down the run, and then procession like, we then reached back up the beat, Mike nipping inside me when I couldn't gybe at the spacer mark due to traffic, and won the race. The final race was a flicky "careful you don't capsize to windward/is the sea breeze here to stay or not type race". There were certainly quite a lot of holes and Jason and I duked it out quite a long way in front of everyone else. I led initially, Jason came back at me but then I crossed him back. It went on this way for a very long time and was good fun and hard work but I just got a gust to whip me round the windward mark while Jason struggled to foil after a tack. In the end it was a big gap that didn't tell of the closeness of the race.

Sorry to miss the prize giving, I was running late for another meeting about cars! In my experience the event was not dissimilar to how I remember Campioni can be. It was great training for the big one.

Great to see everyone

Si

New Mach2 small rudder 2012

This is the new Mach2 small rudder foil. It has been in development for 7 months and X Foil and the in house McFinn software programmes had to be re written to cope. Then a quad core i7 computer ran for 4 full months analysing it against other shapes. We are not revealing the size at this stage but the mould was submitted for machining today, and this is a true image looking from the front.

Of course it is designed to plug on to a Mach2 rudder vertical. See it in Garda!

Worlds Form Guide - Help Needed

With the summer on back order in Northern Europe we are clinging to the prospect of two beautiful weeks in Campione del Garda. The Moth Worlds at its best in a country who’s history is filled with so much culture, innovation and sophistication that the Italians were eating with a knife and fork long before we’d finished eating each other.

Campione is blessed with stunning scenery, and is probably the one place where a hundred yard walk will reverse any sour feelings from a bad race, a welcome alternative from the desire to punch a slot machine, and it is the perfect stage for us to write our own classic on the waters of Garda under the direction of the Ora wind.

But before all this, and of course right up there with Dante’s Inferno, is our Worlds Form Guide! It’s published here prior to most World Championships and it offers an insightful, impartial and informed appraisal of the Worlds best Moth sailors. Kind of...

This year however it’s harder to write, and that’s because there are more Moths and more good sailors competing. Doubly harder because we no longer know them all well!

So we’d like your help! If you feel strongly that someone you know can make it into the top ten and they don’t owe us any money, we’ll mention them as long as we think you are being serious. Email us 

Mud Men

Sooner or later the summer will come to Northern Europe and we will all feel better. That said it was with a good feeling that I left the Moth Nationals on Sunday and drove home into a 40 knot headwind. We had fun but didn't race on the final day and Chris won, which he thoroughly deserves. He puts the time in, sails well and is prepared. In life one gets the opportunities to really go for it, and he's doing that and must be considered a bet for the Worlds.

For me, well I got a bit out gunned in the wind and punchy chop, but also felt I could have sailed better. I finished 2nd and it was good learning, but my handling wasn't that sharp and tactically I was a bit short. I should have got there earlier. Still better than last year!

Nevertheless I hope Garda isn't a place where I have to dither about which mast to use, a by product of being a lightweight, and I'm looking forward to trying the new KA MSL16 this week on my Mach2 to see if I can get to one rig for all conditions. 

It has been said elsewhere how much fun the 2012 Nationals were, despite the weather and I think the class is really healthy, and it is in good hands. The committee worked hard and Olivier Vidal has now taken on the presidency, and with discussions surrounding the class tag line ("Formula One On The Water" now being seen as old) showed his immediate understanding of the class with a new tag line proposal that reads.. "Cock Off, You're Not Having A Go"... Brilliant in my book.

So the next event is the World Championships, and Chris and I are sailing at HISC next week, Peter Barton is off to the German National Champs and there is training at Castle Cove planned. Let's see if Campioni can measure up! On paper its blue skies, dramatic scenery and cappuccino's should trounce brown water, mud and nuclear power stations, but as we know, it doesn't always go to form.

S

Moth Nationals: The only way is Essex

Stone Sailing Club in Essex UK: The Brits mix with the French, Swiss, Dutch, Swedes and Irish, and a total of forty two competitors hang around waiting for things to happen. It's day two of the UK Moth Nationals and it howling outside right now. There are weather checks every hour but we are on hold for the moment. Last night a Mach2 and a Ninja design blew over and landed on top of each other and there is speculation that a "Minja" will soon be born! Basically all the usual chatter and joking that comes from sailors hanging around and not knowing if we are racing or not today. It doesn't look too bad right now actually, but we will see. Yesterday was good racing and I was lucky to score a 2,2,1 which gives me the lead by a point. Chris Rashley had a 1,1,4 and is only one point behind. His boat handling is very good, much better than mine, and it's something I need to focus on. In any event there is less of a gap between the leaders and the rest of the fleet these days, meaning its all tighter at the top. Right now it's a choice between a run to Starbucks or some boat work! There is a good report here on Yachts and Yachting.com