Fly with smile

Happy Christmas! The kids were up early but now are back asleep! And I find myself with a little time to reflect on yesterdays Christmas Cracker race at HISC which was also the first event in the Moth Winter series here in the UK. It was great to see so many visitors, and especially to see Olympic silver and bronze medallist Simon Hiscocks going so well in his new boat.

The course was typical Hayling, a nightmare for visitors to follow, but as the Winter series only piggy backs other large events, such as the Bloody Mary at Queen Mary sailing club and the Steve Nicholson Trophy at Northampton, then we've got to recognise its a bit of winter fun which goes wrong if you apply a championship attitude to it.

Still I thought I'd won until confronted by Ricky on the beach who from 400 metres back apparently saw me and Jason Belben miss a downwind mark we were supposed to keep to port of on lap two. I didn't want to upset anyone, especially at Christmas, so I retired from the race. It had been a good day out and I was going really well! But listen kids if you ever get accused on the shore of doing something you're not really sure you did or didn't do on the water, then do I what I should have done and tell 'em to find a witness and protest. The winter series results are now a bit fucked up as everyone else who missed the mark scored points and prizes.

The most heartbreaking thing! As I hurtled towards the finish a young boy in an RS Tera, sailing so well and still in the lead, was only a hundred yards from the line as he was completely engulfed by the Moths, which arguably took the first six places, and then the rest of the fast boats! Character building? He'll need it!

1st Ricky Tag

2nd Mike Lennon

3rd Jason Belben

4th Peter Barton

5th Simon Hiscocks

Right coffee time! Have a great day!

Sweat, Tears, or the Sea

I went to the sailing club yesterday to see if the boats were ok after it blew sixty knots in the night. They were, but the sea was a maelstrom and what a gift! I watched it for a while and went back to work exhilarated. Boats aside, I'm really glad I went down.

There's a lot of sailing to watch right now, and each morning I dive for the computer to see how everyone is getting on in Perth. I thoroughly approve of Ainslie trying to take the colonies back, and after hand pumping a Finn down the course, I admire his restraint. I've spent my life yelling at media boats, not lately of course because (at the last worlds) you don't generally find them hanging around 13th place, but before then yes! The only thing that has stopped me diving over the side to confront them is 1) the uncertainty of being able to actually climb onto the media boat, and 2) that most of the time the camera crew are bigger than me. I'm sure he'd choose to handle the issue differently next time but if Ben's actions do wind you up, it must also mean that you take Jeremy Clarkson's views seriously, and this means you're thick.

But our year is next year and I'm uncertain whether the current World Champ can make the unchanged Garda Worlds, but even if not, I'm excited already. Finally Finally, a place as cool off the water as on it, and I think it will be a big event. Mach2 took the first 30 places at the worlds this year and with a strong focus on the 2012 Worlds you'd be hard pressed to bet against much change.

Last night I was in the gym flogging away on the rowing machine watching Sky's coverage of Perth, and Tom being interviewed. It certainly made the 2000 meters go quicker and I'm getting a bit stronger, weight is 65kg, hand don't hurt, and Clinique for Men is taking care of the ageing, but salt water is the cure for most things I think, whether its sweat, tears or the sea.

Tough Economy

There must have been 7 Mach2 's sailing yesterday at HISC. I wasn't one of them but I did get to see the smiles on the guys faces as they came in, and so last night I went to bed early determined to do well today.

A reaching start with a big windward/leeward was very "America's Cup" and I think I'm finding my feet again after a non too impressive period. Ricky and I rounded the bear away together and I led by a boat length at the leeward mark, which at 26 knots wasn't far away. I felt I had really good upwind speed but couldn't tack, until I reminded myself that you do actually have to cross the boat at some point! Ricky's vang rope broke and that was his race over, and I found myself a really long way in the lead.

I'm still surprised how it happened, and still kicking myself for not doing a "gack", but anyway trying to tack in about 18 inches of water tends to produce only one result.

I could see Mike Lennon in the distance and was frantically dragging my boat back upwind into deeper water. It was a long pull and in the end I just jumped in, and with the boat bouncing along the bottom I took off again with the uncertainty of Wilbur Wright's first attempt, I was on on a dead run but up nevertheless "up".

I'm still amazed at the punishments these Mach2's can take and equally my ineptitude in a harbour that I've only been sailing in for 3/4's of my life. Anyway I just crossed Mike, keeping my lead and had no further incidents.

When I got in there wasn't even a scratch on the foils. just a bit of sicaflex missing from the tip. A bit that I'd put in last week. Sure, other designs may be cheaper but none are as tough as a Mach2!

AC or WWE?

I was always slightly resentful of the new Amercia's Cup format, the claim of "Formula One" of sailing was a long held but only latterly truly earned tag line of the Moth class. They may have the helicopters and broadcasting rights but I still have a 2004 boom sticker. Scissors Paper Rock.

When I watched it in Plymouth I was amazed at the speeds of the AC45's, until it dawned that they were reporting in kilometres per hour and not knots. Thats when I knew we were probably faster, and last night as a green light turned to a err flashing blue, and I switched from white wine to red, I knew I was watching a spectacle. It certainly wasn't Formula One though, no not by a long chalk, it was more like WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment for those who don't spend lots of time in gyms.

The start appeared to be everything and for fuck sake how many times do you need to go round a track to know that left is paying? Dont get me wrong, it cant be easy but if you are going to have match racing, a sport thats traditionally been more boring to do than it was to watch then at least let's go upwind first. Confusing for the spectator? Confusing for us all I think. Aleph had the only passing move of the day when they brilliantly hauled themselves past Artemis, and then the race committee canned it, largely I understand because they had technical issues. Who cares if the race committee has technical issues? I still dont know what those were and I'm supposed to have an idea about sailing. I suspect the software was hacked.

Anyway pan to the mystified spectators and they didn't have a clue either. Most of them were looking at USS Midway, which proves one thing, to impress Jo Public in sailing, just make the boats very very big!

However all that being said, I did enjoy my evenings entertainment very much.

Still if they are going to enter our world then its perfectly acceptable in my mind to enter theirs. I've long since fancied a channel crossing and the whole thing has moved on of late. Unfortunately the Abominable No Men have said "Non" to a Dover Calais dash. I pointed out that people do swim it, and that we'd only be about an hour, but it seems that if we get within 300 metres of the shore then its off to jail. Clad in tight rubber... I think not.

So me and and my little Mach2, my wonderful sponsors Abarth, and Thierry Martinez have something else planned for next year, and I wont tell you anything more now as we've got some logistics to do, but it will start from Hayling Island. And its a bloody long way.

S

Please vote for Thierry!

Last year Thierry Martinez, good friend and legendary sailing photographer, who's wonderful images have helped to shape the Moth class over the last 5 years, won the "Yacht Racing Image of the Year" competition presented by MIRABAUD.

His entry was "Walking on Water", a picture of Bora and me having fun together in Dubai.



This year he's up for it again with "Ejector Seat!", his picture of current World Champion Nathan Outteridge being flung out of his Mach2 at the 2011 Moth World Championships in Belmont.



This breathtaking image has appeared in many of the worlds leading yachting magazines and I think symbolises the Moth class today. Now is our chance to repay Thierry for his devotion to the class by voting for "Ejector seat".

To do so just click on the link below.

http://www.worldyachtracingforum.com/yacht_racing_images_of_the_year_2011_voting.html

Thanks
S

Through the looking glass

photo courtesy of Marcus Payne

Six Mach2's raced windward leeward courses on Saturday , Me, Mike Lennon, Ricky Tagg, Ollie Holden, Ian Gotts and Andrea Biagioni raced in a cool northerly with race officer Graham Simmonds managing to run the club racing and do repeat starts for the Moths in nice long one lap races.

I won the first race but drifted backwards onto the Winner Bank before the start of the second race. That didn't do the flap on the main foil much good actually, and I had to come in. Stupid mistake.

Great to see a number of boats out and people putting some effort in.

Financial Times

I think that Greece should default on its debt, come out of the Euro, devalue its currency and become cost effective again for us Brits to go there on holiday. God knows what the Greek God of financial collapse is, but it will soon be "Merkel" if they don't do something soon. Italy cant be far behind and whilst the moth class will make only a modest contribution to their GDP it would still be nice to get the dates and venue for the World Championships published. Apparently it may be Campioni or it may be Malcesnine but at this rate I'm not ruling out Germany.

My own particular Greek Gods of 2011 were "Courseidon" the Greek God of being over the start line, and "Markemis" the Greek God of missing the lay line, and although both need practice, the gymnasium has reared its ugly head and I'm back doing what I don't do very well at all. Still the thing about the gym in the winter is that at least you feel you've earned the right to do well the following year.

Despite no winter World Championship this year sales at Mach2 are still going well with 235 boats now sold, which must be a sign that at least the Moth class is healthier than ever, and although I missed it, I hear that the UK training weekend at Hayling Island was a resounding success. We were fortunate to have Dubai's Chris Graham who has moved back to the UK and living near Hayling Island Sailing club as the coach.

S