Aaaaaargh!

I have not blogged for a bit but feel the need to share with you all after all this time.

Moth One Design

We have had 4 new Mach 2.1 Moths arrive over the last 2 months, bring the total Mach2 fleet to nearing 20. There are virtually no other Moth designs at Hayling Island now which makes you wish for something new and radical to appear. We did get our hopes up when Simon Payne turned up with the new reduced main foil last week but it was rather an anti climax, with initial tests appearing inconclusive in comparison to a normal foil. Simon's tie on points at Paignton last weekend with Chris Rashley in a Ninja did not really help matters.

I do understand that reliability/warranty plays a big factor in any change to the Mach2, making anything done "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary" and rightly so -  after all you have to finish a race to win it. But it is rather dull.

Gossip!

Being English, I love a bit of gossip. From the Mach2 camp, I hear that there is a high aspect main foil being tested which I understand to be longer but thinner, both in depth and width, than the standard one.

That sounds very much like the path that UK designer, Kevin Ellway, has been going down over the last year, certainly judging by the evidence of what I saw Phil Oligario was sailing with at the UK Nationals this year. Painfully thin and light, I had to hold on to the rudder foil as it would have blown away in the breeze.

I now hear rumours that Simon Maguire (maguireboats.com) is now working on a complete Ellway designed boat with these new anorexic foils.

England Moth Worlds 2014

It has now been confirmed by the IMCA Exec that Hayling Island Sailing Club will host the Moth Worlds in June 2014. There can be no doubt that HISC is more than qualified to host our event, having successfully  pulled off the Laser Worlds in 2010 (400+ boats) and the Flying Fifteen Worlds this year plus having possibly the largest Moth club fleet in the World. The UK Moth committee will be meeting with the club in November to put together a plan and lay down some timescales. Our emphasis will be on providing an event that puts competitors at its heart - both on and off the water.