Post Photo Fest

Its been a few days since I got back from Mar Menor. I am intensely grateful to Alan and his father David and everyone else that went for making it a fantastic week. I won't repeat what was said in Simon Propper's review as it says it all. However, here are few photos, taken by Alan or me, of the people and the place to make sure I don't forget what it is like to be warm!

This is where we launched from each day. One of the French is already on the beach waiting for the breeze to fill in.



This is David, Alan's Father, on guard, making sure no-one walked off with his screwdrivers. More importantly, this special man manned the rescue boat each day and did a cracking job running the racing.

This is the paella being prepared for the opening meal of the event. It was a great way of getting to know everyone.

This is Pablo Arandia with his Mach2. I think it was a bit of a shock for him to be suddenly sailing with so many fellow Mothies all in one place. Still he rose to the challenge and was one of those who improved greatly during the week.

Alan Hillman, Moth Fest Man and total all round good guy. He's been down the supermarket to buy the Cava that is soon going to get chucked around at the Prize Giving.


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One of the things Alan did not tell us about was the Air Display he treated us to as part of the Moth Fest. The man's power of the blag knows no limit

Simon Payne not only gave vital help to Moth sailors but showed off a few dance moves on the sand. We sat in awe.

Here is Ben Paton sailing his Ninja before he ran it up a beach. However to us he will be known as "Muscles" for obvious reasons. However, he is a great bloke and will be force to be reckoned with if his boat can stand up to his very physical sailing style.

Peter Barton came on leaps and bounds during his time at Mar Menor. Here he is midway through what was a successful gybe when I was taking pictures on the end of the pontoon.

This is German Fred . He is an extremely competent sailor who spent the week sticking his Assassin back together or emptying the water out of it. The final straw for Fred was when he borrowed Jason Russell's Mach2 for a race and almost won leaving Jason at the back of the fleet in the Assassin. Yes - the Assassin's Assassin has struck again.

Sam Tozer was another heavy user of the CTM sponsored carbon repair kits on his Mistress. When his boat was working he was impressively fast.

This is me enjoying the perfect Mar Menor conditions. One thing I learnt is that every time you dismantle the boat and then put it together it is never quite the same. Alan awarded me the "Nose Bleed" award for foiling higher than anyone. I must admit it felt OK to me.

This is the French boat with the lyrics to Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing written down the side of the hull in felt tip. The French definitely added a touch of style to the event.

We raced many times over the week at Mar Menor. Here is one of the many well-contested starts of the week.

Patrick Cunningham taking a rest on his Axiom. No-one spent more time sticking their boat together than Patrick. To cap it all having glued his wings on, he then had to saw them off to get them in the transport box.

Simon Reynolds, a new convertee from the Musto Skiff, was instrumental in attracting sponsorship for the event from Harken and Marlow. Where's my rig pack, Simon? Only joking!