Singapore Moth

Moths @ the Extreme Sailing Series

2011-12-16T05:33:00.000-08:00

Well the extreme 40 circus came to town in Singapore for their last leg of the season. Also included Arnaud crewing on Team Tilt. But we also had 6 moths joining in the sailing activities in probably one of the most unique venues around. Our rigging area was on the F1 track next to the Singapore Flyer. One side of the course are 2 huge glasshouses as part of a new garden complex, the casino that has God's ironing board on top, and the city skyline. It is also part of the city's water reservoirs so fresh murky water.For the moths we had Dion from HK and Pete from Australia fly in. Picked up lot of tips of what the Aussie fleet is doing, cheers for that Pete.We attempted to do some racing, but the wind/weather and availability of power boats made things a bit hard at times, so showing off was the order of the day. Pete did the running man through the Opti fleet, I attempted the same in front of the vip tent but ended up water skiing/dragged along behind the boat holding the mainsheet whilst the boat still foiled before it went all pear-shaped. But I did manage to go from lowriding to foiling whilst standing up the whole time. Did it a few times, but hard on the legs trying to balance. Also we generally got the better breezes to sail in when the x40s were on shore, but for some reason there was a lack of cameras turned on. Have to thank the extreme 40 organizers for letting us be part of the event. Not too many times you can go for a moth and then leave the boat at the dock and be 5th man for one of the x40 races.Some photos here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Singapore-Moth-Association/161312453885399More to come I believe.

So the President says "I Do"

2011-10-14T01:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend saw Moth Prez Mark and his gorgeous fiancee Elizabeth "tie the knot" in Singapore. Was a great wedding on a lovely sunny (and not too hot) day in Singapore.

Wish all the best to Mr and Mrs Robinson!

Starting them young

2011-08-31T23:16:00.001-07:00

Helena being introduced to the Mach2 for the first time. A lot more years before there will be a second moth in the family... (but been told these things creep up fast).

Spaghetti Western

2011-08-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

Western Circuit is done for another year and over 3 weekends of racing and 10 races, i actually got a perfect score with all bullets. But of more interest is the growing competition between Dan/Will/Paul. Second place in the regatta was open until the last 50m of the last race, so they certainly had a good time battling it out. Going to be good to see these guys develop more over the coming months as they are developing some rivalry on the water.

But this was the first time I really got to sail my new boat as previously distracted with my baby girl of 2 months(and she is a cutie). For those who don't know, it is a Mach 2.1 and at first glance isn't much different from the old one except that it has bungs which is a positive move forward.

However, the new boat seems to be quicker than my old one (sailed by Dan) and lining up with the other guys they really couldn't hold on. So not sure if down to more experience, but I never walked away from them that quickly before on the old boat when lining up. Differences I can see is that the new main flap has a lot less drag, plus the foils are painted from the factory and rather smooth compared to bare foils. Could that be it? Otherwise was trying to use max amount of gearing as possible as the wave conditions were flat. Regardless happy with the end result.

Only things i need to work on is sealing the new wing bars. They don't have any cap on the inside at the forward end so fill up with water which makes them heavy. Also using a boatbreaker to tension the rig. Finding that having consistent tension makes the boat more consistent each time you sail so recommend that to anyone who wants to try.

But immediate plans to re-earn brownie points with the wife, so painting this weekend. Fortunately the wind forecast is rubbish.

Pics and info about Singapore mothing on facebook, search for "Singapore Moth Association". Page is open to anyone to join!

First Weekend of Western

2011-08-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

5 moths turned up for Singapore's largest regatta with a mixed fleet of yachts, cruisers, SB3s, J24s and catamarans. Quite good that all different types of classes can be on the same course racing and everyone seems to enjoy it.

The morning treated us to rolling storm squalls coming through from Sumatra and Noah would have been in his element with the amount of rain pouring down. But with Singapore rain, it doesn't last too long and racing was underway with only an hour delay.

First race was a drift-off and the moth fleet collectively decided at the top mark that 1 lap was enough (rather than 3) and to the shock of the race committee finished at the bottom. Fortunately we were going so slow there was no issue with the timings, but they weren't expecting us to finish in those type of circumstances.

Fortunately about 10 mins later the wind came in at a nice 8-10 and a second race got under way. What took us 50min to do in the first race we managed to do 3 laps of in a total of 26 mins in the second race. I managed to scoot away in the breeze and left the other 4 to battle it out. To the shock of the 3 mach2s, Francois on the Bladerider was on fire and was almost 2nd to the top mark before Will decided that it best that he gets things moving along and put the accelerator down. Paul/Dan and Francois battled it out for third spot, but Paul managed to get through as Dan seems to be too timid when the boat foils too high and hasn't learnt to sheet in and send it yet. That will come in time.

Third race was marginal foiling at the bottom with the top of the course having nice breeze. The others struggled to get foiling consistently in the marginal stuff and a case of he who foils first wins.

This weekend coming sees racing on both Sat and Sun. Hoping for more consistent breeze.

Photos can be seen at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.266764130006897.86600.161312453885399&type=1

Silver

2011-07-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Been a while between blogs, but with a baby girl (Helena) recently arriving in June, change of job, and a new boat arriving, things have certainly been busy.

But as the title says, the new boat is a silver Mach 2 with silver foils. Looks rather cool and I like being able to see the foils under the water. And being silver in the sun, it can be rather mesmerizing at times and can distract from the sailing. Supposedly my boat is one of the new Mach2.1s. Main thing different is that there is a ventilation tube linking the two tanks meaning no more hi-tech tape covering the bungs. Also a new gearing mechanism at the bow, but the one Simon showed recently not available so have some hybrid version.

Caught up with Brownie as well as he is in town for the Opti Asian Champs with the NZ team. Tried to arrange a sail with him, but didn't pan out. There are a large number of nations present so the obligatory fly-by was in order. Quite a few of the kids enjoyed it as most likely first time seeing a moth, but quite a few others were concentrating on prepping for the racing. They are more serious than most of the moth fleet at the worlds! Is it a case of over-coaching? But one girl from Singapore seems to be winning most of the races which is very impressive.

Western Circuit regatta next month with around 50 or so boats in Singapore racing including 6 or 7 moths. Hopefully we get good breeze as there are quite a few of the Nacra 20 Carbons here now and I haven't had a good line up against one yet. The Nacra 20 Carbon looks rather nice, but at 2x and a bit more the price of a moth, crazy money for a beach cat.

Otherwise some potentially interesting "firsts" coming up over the next 6-12 months. Case of determining logistics and time-off from work. But stay tuned...

So long Blitzkrieg Bop!

2011-05-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well I have sold my boat Blitzkrieg Bop. And within an hour had an email to Simon ordering the next one. Boat is staying in Singapore and have a very good sailor taking it over. Within in a few months I can see him potentially going quicker than me on my old boat.

Otherwise since the worlds been working on a few things I saw at the worlds and they have come along very well. Main one I like is the cascading downhaul. Still 8:1, but lot less friction in the system and never had the downhaul on that hard before compared to the standard system. Also have a coarse tune as well that allows me to pre-set the strop length, but that is a between races adjustment.

Other bits were taking all downhaul/vang ropes out to the wing bar itself, heaps easier to adjust whilst still hiking. And the sailingbits ride-height adjuster is awesome.

So now to wait for the new boat, but have a very welcome surprise coming in a month or so which will mean the new boat may be ignored for a while, so best to probably go get the hulls and foils painted before I get the foiling itch again.

My worlds

2011-01-12T02:06:00.000-08:00

So 2/3 through and in 53rd. Not quite where I wanted, but considering, I am happy.

First day started with a great start, great first beat, but looked for the starboard lay line and got lost in a massive hole which saw about 10th at the time become also ran. And in this type of racing I don't have the ability to claw 20+ positions back. But main aspect that this day influenced rest of the regatta in that I pulled/tore muscles in my right fore-arm. Saw a physio friend briefly and analysis was to rest it, but with a regatta to complete that can be next week!

So it means I have been limping round the course. Being unable to hold the main with my right hand for long means tough going upwind in 20+ knots. Really frustrating, but managed to get into the gold fleet and complete every race. So many times had great starts and then 2 mins into race have to dog it and ease up because I just can't hold on.

But other regatta comments:
- the red sail stands out against the boring clear sails. Of 110 boats on the course, having the red sail up I was the most visible. Wonder if amac can do safety orange for the next sail...
- the weed isn't as bad as I have seen in the past. Lived here for 12 years long ago when growing up and sometimes it is horrendous. But not as bad as the jellyfish plagues. In a sabot/flying ant it would feel like sailing through lumpy gravy, a moth would be terrifying in those occasions.
- regatta coverage tending to have the traditional home coverage slant. Expected, but sitting with some o/s sailors today comments were it would be nice to extend to those who made the effort to get here and outside the usual suspects.
- standard keeps increasing by the second. Can't afford to stand still in the moth class. But biggest thing is needing training partners who will challenge you on the course and try new things. Having only sailed against Robbo twice in local regattas since Dubai and those times in less than 10 knots, I feel under-trained for this regatta even though I was out most weekends sailing. So next is more on quality as well as quantity.

So 2 more days to go. Going to be a case of painkillers before racing and grit my teeth and htfu. Arm really not in a good state but only 6 races/ 2 days to go...

Waiting Game

2010-12-26T21:35:00.000-08:00

Boat is in Belmont. I am in Singapore. And the NE Monsoon has finally hit and the breeze has been great lately (with some awesome tropical storms in the evenings) and I don't have a boat to go sail. But at least all the overdue household chores are done...

So bit frustrating reading about the keen beans already there practising whilst I am stuck in the office until the 4th Jan. Only able to get to Belmont on the afternoon of the 5th. Oh well, patience patience. It is a great spot to sail and only lived there for 12 years or so, so should remember it sell. Reading about the westerlies recently had made me laugh. They are notoriously chaotic with holes galore and big wind shifts.

Anyway found this pic from prior to the 2007 A-Cat worlds in Florida. Ben Hall decided over the winter to build one for himself.

Anyway, caused all sorts of debate prior to the worlds etc. Very much a mirror image of what we are seeing now, but without the blogosphere and that place called Sailing Anarchy.

It measured in. It sailed. And Ben Hall ended up getting the same position overall as he did at the previous year's worlds, that is 30th. Eventually it was picked up by BMW Oracle for training by Ashby/Spithill.

Noone else in the class took them up for various reasons. So having seen it happen before it is a case of wait and see for me as regards to the wing's performance. It could be a game changer or just provides that incremental improvement which could probably be matched by training. Though think it may be closer to the former rather than the latter.

Singapore Moth Nationals Report

2010-12-06T02:39:00.000-08:00

Been a while since I posted, but we ran the first Singapore Moth Nationals on weekend past. Below I copied/pasted the report I sent out to a few people in Asia to publish.

Hopefully it is a bit of an alternative from the wing debate and the upcoming worlds.

But if you want to see pix, hopefully this look should work otherwise look up "Mana Mana East Coast" on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=577860&id=351963830601

The inaugural Singapore Moth Nationals was hosted by Mana Mana East Coast over the weekend of Dec 4/5. 6 intrepid mothies entered to see who would win the Carbon Gantry Perpetual Trophy for the first time. With a range of mothing experience from 10 years to a couple of times on the water, courses were set short and close to the shore with grand prix style finishing. This ensured that most boats had a chance of a finish, plus helped with the spectators watch these amazing flying boats in action.

Saturday saw mixed conditions with race 1 in marginal foiling, race 2 in 10 knots, and race 3 a drift off. Mark Robinson had to sail up from the National Sailing Centre, and due to the tide being against him and the wind taking its time to filter down to NSC, he unfortunately missed the first 2 races which cost him his chances of Carbon Gantry glory. He made up for this be showing us all how to balance a moth in the drifting conditions like the "good ol' days" before foils were on the boats by cleaning up the last race of first day. James Cole won the first 2 races followed by Will Berney. Roz Spink who has only sailed a moth a handful of times managed two thirds and showed that she has a lot of potential when she gets some more experience under her belt.

Sunday greeted everyone with bright blue skys and a hesitant wind. Mark Robinson had ensured that he would make the start on time this day by leaving his boat at Mana Mana overnight fully-rigged "A-mac style". With a lot of umm-ing and ahh-ing on the shore as to whether the breeze was stable for racing the start was slightly delayed, but when we all finally got motivated the breeze cooperated and a great 12+ knots seemed to come in out of nowhere.

The 3 races run were hotly contested for the lead by James Cole and Mark Robinson with many changes in position in the short courses as boat-handling was pushed to the limit. First race was taken by James as Mark saw his rudder suck out of the water during a gybe whilst pushing hard on the back of James' transom. The second race saw Mark able to utilize his extra upwind pointing advantage to get to the layline and tack before hitting the bricks. James had to keep tacking early and these cost him in time, but still was able to keep Mark honest at the front. Third race was a real battle with many lead changes. Mark was able to lock James out from gybing downwind and pushed him past the layline, and with a bad gybe that followed, he lost precious ground he was unable to make up.

In the fight for the minor positions, Will and Paul pushed each other hard in the conditions and this resulted in some spectacular crashes. Both Will and Paul managed to have major nosedives approaching the finish line and were recorded finishes with themselves being dragged by the boat and tide over the line. It was great to see them battle it out whilst trying to keep some sense of control of the boat. Nick battled gamely around the course to manage 2 finishes in the conditions. Still learning how to handle these flighty boats, it was a great effort to see him persevere to get a finish.

Overall the Carbon Gantry went to James Cole, with the podium filled out by Mark Robinson and then Will Berney.

With 6 boats on the line, and another 2 sitting on the shore unable to participate due to injury and brand new ownership, there is the beginning of growth and potential in the Singapore moth fleet. They are certainly exciting boats to sail and watch with a surprising number of spectators watching the action. There looks to be a number of potential mothies in the wings so we are aiming for double digits on the startline for the second edition in 2011.

For further updates and information, check out "Singapore Moth Association" on facebook. We would also like to thank Mana Mana East Coast for hosting the event.

So there is a Singapore Moth Association now

2010-09-23T02:02:00.000-07:00

Well with 8 moths now in Singapore, we felt it was appropriate to formalise ourselves and create an association and work out what we want to sailing/racing wise. So over many beers at the pub we created our fledgling association with me being nominated as the President.

Probably best to give a breakdown of our fleet.

4 Mach 2s
3 Bladerider X8s
1 Assassin

We also have a range of ages and both sexes represented. It is great that we have a Singaporean junior on the Assassin at 15yrs old. He even plans to go to the Belmont Worlds which will be a great learning experience for him.

There is an Assassin dealer in Singapore with a second one sitting in the box as "stock". An ex-mothie from Perth is considering getting back into the class and even attended our meeting and set up our facebook page. So we could be 9 boats soon...

So if you want to see what is happening in the world of Singaporean mothing, you can "like" us on facebook by searching for "Singapore Moth Association".

Inaugurial Singapore Moth Nationals being tentatively planned for early Dec when the NE monsoon swings into action. Who knows how may could be on line, could be in double digits by then!

Drag Racing...

2010-09-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

...at 2 knots.

Western Circuit finished up a few weeks ago and last race was a drag race between Robbo and I punching into a strong outgoing tide while trying to finish in the dying breeze and get back to the bar for a beer. Was thrilling stuff at 2 knots whilst we balanced side-by-side down the run, just what mothing is all about.

But the regatta was a good showcase for the moths in general to the rest of the sailing community in Singapore. Though the winds tended on the light side, gave Paul and Nick a chance to learn their boats and get some on/off water coaching from Robbo and me. Most races were a mix of foiling and lowriding. With some strong tides, usually outgoing, and the breeze going the opposite which meant some of the angles were horrible. 1 race it was quicker for Robbo to pinch straight at the mark lowriding with the tide directly behind that it was for me to foil due to the extra distance and 'orrible angle.

Robbo beat me in more races than I beat him, but because he missed 2 races on 1 day being super-coach for the keelboat trials which meant he had to swallow a DNC. So I walked away with Mumm Champagne. That was a nice prize, but not sure that 100m of 10mm polyester rope is going to be useful on a moth...

But the 8th moth in Singapore arrived this week. X8 from Dubai has been shipped over and means we have a chick sailing amongst now!

Just need some good breeze for a change. Watching all the Euro youtube clips and kicking myself that I had to cancel at the last minute due to work commitments. Grumble.

Oxygen Masks Will Deploy From The Boom...

2010-08-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

...For those times when the wind craps out or some big yacht steals the breeze away.

1st weekend of Western Circuit saw some 50 boats out and about racing. This is the biggest yacht regatta in Singapore, and the first time there was enough boats for a Moth division. We managed to get 5 boats registered out of the 7 in Singapore (with another 2 in transit).

Wind was patchy and variable with the strong tides and passing clouds making a big impact. Probably had a max of 12 knots, but most of the time 6-10. And for a moth sailing amongst the yachts, they certainly can suck up whatever air there may be on the course and you really did need oxygen masks at times!

So we managed to get 3 races done. Robbo and I raced amongst ourselves, whilst the others are in learning mode and tried their best to get around the course and stay out of harms way. Robbo got 2 wins, and I got one. Races were won by who managed to stay on the foils during the first leg and were able to get out of the brutal 2-3 knot tide. Robbo unfortunately had the edge over me, need to work more on this marginal stuff.

First race I didn't do myself any favours when my high-tech electrical tape covering the high-tech bunghole came off before the start. Was wondering why it was hard to take-off and where all the sloshing noise was coming from when on the foils. Back to the beach for the long drain out before race 2...

Race 2 I managed to get to the top mark just before Robbo and catch a gust with some massive pumps and foil away whilst Robbo sat stranded waiting for the next line of breeze.

Race 3 had a painful low riding leg to the finish punching the tide. Could hear the gurgling of the tide in the gantry making it sound like you were going fast albeit lowriding, but any look at the shoreline was demoralising as you were fairly much holding station.

All in all a good day and attracted a lot of interest. Had a couple of tyre-kickers after the race, so hopefully this translates into boats.

2 more weekends to go. Next weekend is distance racing for everyone else, whilst we do our own thing with some short course racing.

Moths Flying In From Everywhere

2010-07-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

Well our little Singapore fleet has exploded in numbers! There were 3 of us at the start of the year, Robbo, Will and myself. Well now we have 8! Guess we should start creating a Singapore Moth Association...

So I sold my old bladerider to Birdman and got a new Mach2 in time for the Dubai worlds. 2 Mach2s landed last week. 1 has hit the water, only to be greeted by an awesome sub 5 knots post rain storm wind. The other will be on the water this week as he only just moved to Singapore over the weekend. Good planning, get the boat to the new place before you get there, hehe.

Now some local guys in Singapore have taken up the Assassin dealership for Asia and have rigged up their boat in their loungeroom. Not sure if that was good planning, lack of a girlfriend, or an indication that there really is nothing to watch on tv, but they will be moving the boat to the club shortly.

And to make sure it isn't a blokes club, a young English lass has bought a second hand X8 and it will be winging its way over in the next weeks.

So all happening. Next month is Western Circuit which is one the big regattas on the Singapore calendar with assortment of yachts and beachcats out and about. Moths have been invited and hopefully we should attract a few more people who find that there is a lack of racing action here.

Why don't you have the worlds here?

2010-06-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well that was the question posed by the wife on the weekend. We had headed up to Koh Samui in Thailand for her birthday and were having a lovely lunch in Bo Phut. But nice to see she is on the moth program.

Well...

It was a very nice 15-20 knots the whole weekend from the west with no waves. And in a place the better half will certainly have fun relaxing on the beach and having massages.

And there is a big gap in the calendar between Jan11 in Belmont and Aug12 in Garda.

But something to ponder for the ever growing Singapore fleet. We have 2 Mach2s arriving in July making us 6 strong. Happy days. Maybe we should go on tour and join the Samui Regatta held every June.

Weekend Tooling Around

2010-05-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

Breeze been great lately. A nice 8-12 ESE most weekends which runs sort of parallel along the shore. And with the ships blocking the waves, super flat for blasting.

Since the worlds been playing around with foil settings to try and get the most out of it all. Worlds were sort of a "she''ll be right" set up, but I only had the boat for 2 weekends beforehand and was sort of distracted by getting married.

Well finding that my changes is seeing the boat coming out really nicely and being really stable. Not too much back and forth body movement or ooching required which is cool.

But don't have too much to measure against as Robbo hasn't been sighted due to all the preps for the Youth Olympics and Asia Games, plus Will only just recovered from his bad ankle injury. And the new guy Andy is just trying to get into the boat and keep it upright. So all I know is that boat just feels nicer to sail, so that must be good?

And the boat is rather wicked looking with the black tramps. Despite being in the tropics, they don't feel any hotter and sort of reduce glare.

Singapore Fleet Growing!

2010-04-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden heaps of interest and new boats coming. Start of the year there were 3 boats, then I got my Mach 2. So need to get rid of the Bladerider. Well only really looked to sell that once the Mach 2 got delivered and after my honeymoon/worlds. As soon as that sold to a Brit ex-pat earlier in the moth, then I find out we have another 2 boats coming. Means our little equatorial fleet could be 6 boats soon! Woohoo!

The new boats will be owned by a British girl in her 20s and an Aussie guy re-locating. Bladerider and a new Mach2 respectively.

And the "sailing club" is loving it. "Sailing club" (called Mana Mana) in hyphens as it is really a beach resort with hire boats and windsurfers available, with a nice beachfront bar & restaurant.

We sort of muscled the moths in during the Volvo stopover. Mana Mana sort of had the 2 local moths & the 2 Puma moths turn up on their doorstep with us asking if we could rig up for the day there and leave the boats overnight as the top mark of the inport race was just off the beach. Well, nearly 18 months later the moths are still there.

Great spot for moths too. Grass rigging area under palm trees, and nice sandy beach for launching. Even have undercover parking when not sailing. And the beach is really steep with no waves. Waves sort of don't exist in Singapore. Can have the tip of the mast on the beach and right the boat and the foils won't be near the bottom, and even though the tidal range is large, no issues ever with depth. Can really freak out the people in the restaurant by foiling within a couple of metres of the beach and then capsize it in style.

So if all goes well, could have a Singapore Moth Nationals by year end...

Distraction

2010-04-11T04:19:00.000-07:00

Had the big triathlon in Singapore over Sat and Sunday with the swim leg next to Mana Mana (the sailing club). So on Saturday put up the bright red sail, and nice onshore breeze building to 10 or so, decided a few fly-bys were in order.

In little to no time the commentators moved their attention from the swimming to the moth wondering what on earth it was and how cool it looked. Kinda funny and the red sail stands out for sure.

On Sunday the breeze was a light to begin with. But with nothing else planned thought a sail was in order or at least boat work. Breeze came up again after a while to 10-12. Again I was distraction, but this time to the windsurfers. Went through what looked like a wind surfing school at full noise, and think every kiddie dropped their sail and fell in. Haha. Next was creeping up on the Formula boards and blasting past. Nearly caused one guy to have a big stack when I blasted past as he wasn't expecting anyone to pass him.

So all cheap thrills to make my sailing day better. Hopefully the other moths come out and play soon. We are up to 4 in Singapore now with an ex-pat buying my Bladerider. We never got all 3 on the water at once before, wonder if we have more chance getting all 4 out.

Rain

2010-03-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

Rain, what it has been doing ever since I got back to the little red dot called Singapore. February was supposedly the driest month ever since they started records in 1869 with only 6mm of rain which is really crazy for this place. The past few weeks has seen the normal torrential rain back again. Means the NE Monsoon winds will be easing and the normal variable who knows what you could get but generally not much winds are back again.

Also means the roads are really slippery and had a massive face plant over the weekend whilst out riding. Was squeezed into a gutter by a passing car who didn't want to provide room and the drainage grill was missing parts of the grill. Handlebars and front wheel mangled, and helmet cracked, so was a biggie.

Well the worlds are over for another year and I had my best results ever. Had finished 34th in an A-Cat worlds (98 boats racing), but 21st in a small but competitive fleet was a lot better in comparison. Even had a top 10 finish (6th) which made things even nicer.

As everyone knows, the winds were light, but didn't mind too much. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I was super lightweight for me at 70kg. All down to eating some very dodgy food in Morocco the week before. For about 2 days in Morocco I wasn't too good at all. At the worlds was still feeling the effects and having to take imodiums most of the week before going out onto the water. Not really the best preparation or fitness levels.

Most of the week was learning how to set up the Mach2 since only just got it 2 weeks before the worlds. Used an old ride height adjuster which I could only really adjust before the race. Sort of preferred the set and forget settings as there was certainly a lot going on whilst racing to wonder also if I have the right height or not. On the to-do list for next few months to learn.

At the end was really happy with my downwind speed. Seemed to have a slight edge in speed amongst the mid-fleet guys and also sail lower.

Upwind was where I really need to improve. Example was last race having a brilliant start boat end and clear air the whole way up to the lay. But still ending up 15-20 at the top mark. Will have to work on that as I don't have any clear ideas. Think need to work on rake. Means trying to get some chainplate adjusters as the boat didn't come with any but with turnbuckles instead on the stays. These were way too short and had to add a shackle to get the mast forward as I couldn't get under the boom when fully extended.

Anyway, lots to do before next worlds.

Red

2010-02-07T04:57:00.000-08:00

Red is the colour of the new mainsail. Looks good and bright, plus really easy for the punters on the beach to see.

Red is the colour of my face after spending the weekend in the sun putting together the new Mach2 and working out how to sail this new weapon. Feels really good out of the box and have it going quite well I think. Spent 3 hrs+ on Sat/Sun sailing it. Feels fast downwind, but need to work on how to get it foiling a bit better in marginal conditions upwind. Would start to foil, and then once you thought ok, fall back down. Had to be really aggressive bearing away to keep up.

Red is the colour of my temper. Returned from sailing on Sat to find some w@nker (who needs a massive kick to the nuts) had gone through my sailing box (which is an open area between the bar and sail hire spot) and taken my bag out. The said w@nker took the bag to the toilets and stole my phone and wallet. Extremely annoying as I now have 2 weeks to resurrect all the cards with new ones before I get married and go on honeymoon (with return trip via Dubai worlds).

Top 10

2010-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Well thought I would start off the top 10 pre-worlds banter tradition.

Since there will be a number of late entries and the current list on the official site, http://www.dosc.ae/moths-entry-list/entrants-list/2010-puma-moth-worlds-entry-list.html doesn't even include the defending World Champ Bora, thought I would do an alternative. Sign up mothies!

So here goes:

Tiller of doom à mast of doom à boom of doom à boat of doom??? Where will the doom end? Arnaud and Mikis will certainly be working on ideas...
Someone has been working on Scott’s formula and the answer is… (for the original formula, you will find here: http://scott.projectsomewhere.com/2008/11/13/by-the-people-for-the-people/)
"The wind is not usually like this". Standard quote from the locals.
Top 10 list including sailors not going to the worlds
Mad dash on the beach to have the latest “must have” item. Last year was height adjusters, what will the secret squirrels bring to Dubai this year?
Watching Bora’s efforts to bring his boat back to his hotel each evening to tuck it in for a good night’s rest
Clear sails are so 2009. 2010 is all about colour and bling. Bring the bling and help the WAGS in the gin palace point out their worse halves.
Need a name for twin wands look. The walrus? See this link for ideas, http://www.sailinganarchy.com/fringe/2010/postcard%20bora.jpg
The usual internet whinge about lack of timely results/pictures/reports blah blah blah. Though if Clean from SA is covering the worlds, then this will degenerate into a whinge about him instead as per usual programming on Sailing Anarchy
BUT most of all, it will be great racing!

See you all in Dubai! Not sure on which boat yet. Down to whether they build the Mach2 in time or not.

Ships

2010-01-10T02:21:00.000-08:00

Well the wind has swung around to the NE which means offshore wind. Just behind the sailing club is a massive wind block from some big condo complexes which means floating for 500m out to the breeze. By the time you get to consistent breeze you are in the world's biggest shipping parking lot. But the haul out that distance is worth out, nice and flat water and good breeze, 12-15 a lot of the time, but lot of holes still. Does mean planning ahead when amongst the ships. Anchored ships aren't to be messed with, especially when they are big Panamax or above class. Incredible how big they are when you are close. Just a wall of steel.

Haven't sighted Robbo on his Mach2 yet since the worlds, but Will has been coming out more regularly and progressing fast. Just needs to build a bit more fitness. So I have predominantly been sailing around by myself. Using the Speedpuck a lot to work out targets for up/downwind. Numbers progression has been upwards and surprise myself occasionally. Really happy with the new mast, seems to work well with the sail.

Mate on the Red Bull extreme 40 team mentioned to me recently they are looking at getting a moth to travel with them on the circuit in Europe. Similar to the Puma Moths as a way to engage the punters. Will be good to see. Especially since Red Bull are rather good with their promotion and events.

eXtreme 40s and the monsoon

2009-12-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

The Singapore leg of the extreme 40 Asian tour is in town. 6 boats have been put in a small basin next to the Singapore Flyer. For those who have watched the Singapore F1 Night Race, it is where the entrance to the pit straights is. Not a big spot, but you are close to the action.

So managed to have a sail on the Red Bull boat on their training day with the local sailmaker. They needed some adjustments to their C0 to improve luff tension. Great getting on a boat with Roman Hagara steering and Hans-Peter on tactics (these guys got gold in the Tornado in 2000 and 2004). Very calm and collected.

Robbo managed to get on the Oman boat and the Almeira boat with Shirley. And Thierry Martinez was snapping pics too. He was wanting our moths to line up against the 40s for a few pics. Would have been good, but think next year as the local authorities don't too kindly to people randomly sailing on their new freshwater drinking supply reservoir.

Otherwise somehow managed to cover 75km over the weekend. Stuffed now. NE monsoon has just started and should last for 3 months or so. 15 knots and gusty due to all the condo's lining the beach. Had to go amongst all the parked ships to get good breeze, but catch 22 due to the big wind shadows from them.

Boat felt great too. Feel as though I am improving slowly and using what I learnt at the Gorge and applying in practise. We will see how when Robbo finally gets out on the water.

From negatives to good pace

2009-11-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

Big contrast between Sat and Sun sailing. Sat saw a lot of drifting and trying to balance, and Sun saw a gusty NW which provided quite a few good runs.

So whilst Bora may have breached 30 knots, I think I was setting records for negative vmg or staying on the spot. Started out in a light 6-8 knots, but due to lots of small storms in the surrounding vicinity the wind kept dropping out, coming from a new direction, and then repeating. Very frustrating.

Worse was that the tide was running out a strong 2-3 knots and there was a big jetty in the way which I was being dragged towards. Not wanting to do a Robbo and sail sideways underneath it (done when the Puma moths were in time), spent an hour just trying to hold station. Some breeze finally came at about 10 knots from the west so went looking for Will who managed to miss the jetty and was stranded a few nautical miles away at the National Sailing Centre. As soon as I got to him and did some circles waiting for him to get going, breeze shut down again before filling in from the east.

Somehow I managed to get home after 3 hours of balancing, where Will completely gave up and headed to the nearest shore and trolleyed his boat back to the club.

Sunday was a complete contrast with a gusty NW in from early morning. Normally a strong wind in Singapore doesn't stay too long, but this actually lasted all day. Was a good test for the front foil hinge which I had redone during the week before. Since the NW was coming off the land, and there are heaps of high rise condos along the beach, there were some big gusts and holes.

So down to the National Sailing Centre to fly-by past the Opti and Byte kids. There were hundreds of them out sailing in some event, but they all seem to stop and bang into each other when the moth goes past, haha. I am sure the maintenance guys must hate me doing that, but good to hear them yelling at each other to look at the moth.

Otherwise went for a cruise around. Hit one major gust and just sent it. Managed to hit 26 knots which is my highest speed so far (only got a GPS after the Gorge worlds). Had ships either side too at anchor which was a bit scary. One wrong move and would have been toast. Wish the global recession would piss off and the ships would start doing their routes again so my sailing area was a bit bigger.

The attached opti pic (found on http://www.sailing.org.sg/) will be able to give you idea of the thunderstorms we get daily, the countless ships at anchor, and the high rise next to the shore. All makes things interesting for sure.

Mesmerizing Carbon

2009-11-02T04:53:00.001-08:00

Always love the look of carbon and how it changes in relation to how the light strikes it. But I am one who prefers to let someone else do the carbon lay-up and get their hands stuck together rather than getting too involved.

However, I found this method of dealing with carbon on the net. Really quite amazing how they do it. I am sure quite a few moth homebuilders would like one of these:

http://www.automotto.org/entry/rotary-weaver-creating-lexus-lfas-carbon-fiber-a-pillar-for-makes-for-a-great-video/

Though not too sure about the $375k price tag of the car as the result.

Ambassadors

2009-10-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

This isn't a post about being ambassadors for sailing or mothing or foiling. No, this weekend sees the big event of the Singapore yachting and catamaran calender, the Ambassadors Cup.

For some reason a lot of the other local yacht and cat regattas suffer from poor attendance, poor race management, or restrictive sailing areas, or some other mediocrity or combination of this and more. But everyone turns up for a white sails yacht race around an island off Changi Sailing Club where you have 1 to 4 or more Ambassadors from various countries. And it is scheduled for a time between monsoons when the wind is fickle, driven by storms and all over the place.

Or maybe people turn up because of the great prizes. First year I did this race the winning catamaran got a Bulgari watch. Which was me, but then I got DNF'd as I went the wrong side of a channel marker. Had only been in Singapore for a month and hadn't sailed the area and was 10 mins ahead of the next cat so my random guessing of which marks to go around didn't pay off. I went within 50m of the mark and wouldn't have lost or gained time. Bugger. But what was hilarious was the winner didn't know what a Bulgari watch was worth so gave it to his crew/date and didn't see her again a few weeks afterwards. Was kicking himself when we told him a few months after that.

The second year a made amends and got the chocolates. Magnum of Moet that year, nice. Third year was a write off as they changed the course a bit so was an out and back. Well the out was with a spring tide, and when it got turning around, well I kept going out to sea and the shipping channels as 2 knots of wind against 3 knots of tide doesn't make for any positive progress. So towed home by one of yachts throwing back a regular supply of beers for the long trip back.

Doing it on the A-cat as opposed to the moth. 50 yachts and 20 cats in narrow shipping lanes and strong tides and light winds not a good idea or situation for a moth. So we will see what comes of it all this year. Sounds like going to be a big one based on the yachts entered already.

Drifting...

2009-09-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

Weekend of not much happening on the wind front. Saturday had morning storms which sucked the wind out. Sunday was a glass out. Fortunately did not really plan to go sailing, but since a 10min bike ride from the club if there is ever breeze I can head out quickly as it generally doesn't last too long otherwise.

But do have the latest accessory for moths with an altitude adjuster now. Took the JPZ adjuster seen at the worlds to an ex-pat in Singapore who replicated it quite nice in his workshop for Robbo and I. Done a couple of mods with the barrel a bit wider in diameter and diamond-pattern knurling so the rope actually grips nicely, plus it has bar ends incorporated into it to stop the rope falling off the ends. Should be a beauty on the water, just need some wind!

Heard a local misadventure by a couple of guys on an Inter17 cat. They were sailing around and the breeze was quite light. As is common around Singapore waters, there are lots of ships at anchor and they sailed into the wind shadow of an Oil Rig Platform. Little did they know that the Oil Rig was doing testing and had the bow thrusters on full. Well the Inter17 did the sailing impression of the Millenium Falcon getting tractor-beamed into the Death Star and in a very short period were actually on the Oil Rig Platfom themselves!!! Fortunately sails and dignity were the only things hurt in this misadventure.

Hungry Ghosts Fasting

2009-09-13T03:37:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend on another moth as mine is getting fixed up and not back as yet. Meant having to do a few things on my mates boat to tune it as the owner generally doesn't get out too often as he overtrains on the "Tiger Program". But was weird that he took out the bladders from the tramps. Made it all a bit hard for the times of little wind.

Surprisingly the wind cooperated over the weekend and able to get out for long periods. Normal procedure in Singapore is waiting for a small storm cell to drive through 15-20 mins of wind. But had 8-12 on Sat and consistent too, so went off to the National Sailing Center a couple of nm away to cause havoc/mischief with all the kids out training on the Opti's and other things. The sight of a moth going through their training is certainly an easy way to distract their attention.

Sunday the cat fleet came out to play. The wind was a bit over the place. Went from 20+ zero visibility due to a storm front that was fast coming through, to 5 knots and bobbing around, and lots of variability in between. Decided to be an unofficial starter as they can't rate me against the cats as the moth doesn't have a Texel handicap. There was also a brand new Nacra 20 on the water as well, so good chance to line up against this monster. Rather crazy how big and heavy it is, esp at an on water weight around 200kg, and asked them if they needed a crane to put the mast up as they had 4 guys trying to right it.

So moth v nacra 20? In 10 knots was matching them upwind despite starting late, but they weren't stretching away so around 100m ahead of me at the top mark. Downwind, well quickly reelled them in and passed them. They were going along really fast compared to the Taipans and Vipers, and a bit shocked when I passed them.

As for the post title, that time of the year in Singapore with 2 big religious events this month. Hungry Ghost festival celebrated by the Chinese Buddhists with the belief that the dead or "hungry ghosts" return, so lots of incense and "hell money" and other items being burned to appease these ghosts. Also the Muslims have fasting month where no eating/drink etc during daylight hours. There is a Mosque in my narrow street (as well as a Buddhist Temple next to it), so have to time coming and going as it can take 15 mins to drive 200m or so to get to the main road.

Sheep Stations

2009-08-31T03:58:00.000-07:00

Well an interesting contrast going from great race management and a no protest moth worlds, to a local yacht regatta where the owners believe they are racing for the deeds of sheep stations.

We didn't have the race to the Pulau Pisang to get bananas as the local immigration officers decided they didn't want to turn up and check all the boats and crew out. Some miscommunication beforehand, usual stuff, but reckon they weren't keen on the 5am start time to process everybody.

So some makeshift "passage races" were arranged instead. Again local authorities limited our sail area so we were only allowed to sail in a narrowish 2nm corrider, rather than an open area where a true windward/leeward course could be set. They were worried that would run into some of the hundreds of ships at anchor. Good thing they didn't see our second start where a Mumm30 tried to hold the fleet on starboard.

Anyway, usual crap start lines where you couldn't get off the line on starboard. Mumm 30 tried to hold the fleet on starboard by being most starboard, but when you are 10 ft shorter to the next boat, never going to work. So owners were called Arrogant Bastards ashore, protests filed, and they finally left the room at 1130 on a Sunday evening. Ridiculous stuff.

But onto moth-ish stuff. Boat is all back safe in Singapore. Having the sexy carbon/kevlar boxes (organised by Robbo) meant we didn't have the delays that some of the other guys had getting their boats back home. Now it is time to sort it all out. After seeing other moths and how they are prepped, doing the big program of making sure it is ready for Dubai and no alphabet scores!

So whilst that is going been taking the A-cat out for a spin. Hadn't sailed it since Feb so good idea to sweep the cobwebs out of it. Amazing the difference in feel on the water. The A-cat doesn't feel heavy and shouldn't at all up weight of 75kg, but can certainly feel it in the water. Also really noisy too. But otherwise went to normal flat water location off Pasir Ris Beach near Changi Sailing Club. Super flat water, though bit shifty at times, just plus have to watch out for all the Kampong fishermen (see pic for an example).

Beginnings

2009-08-19T03:35:00.000-07:00

Well I have just completed my first Moth Worlds at The Gorge and it was certainly a heap of fun and a massive learning experience for me. Having never done a Moth race before at any level, having a boat for just a year, and with the number of times that I have sailed in winds above 15 knots on a moth being able to be counted on one hand, it was certainly an eye-opener.

The Gorge was a great venue, and the organisers did a great job with race management. Big creds to these guys. Certainly a high quality field with the depth quite high. Looking at the entrants and some of their achievements, really quite impressive.

As for my results, didn't complete all the races as I kept having breakdowns. With 3 races back-to-back and breaking down in the first race of the day does not do wonders for your performance. Really frustrating. But for the time I was on the race course, wasn't great but wasn't bad. Just too many tacks that ended with me being on the centerboard, or the famous AMAC tack. Except I don't have his fantastic boatspeed to make up for it.

So back to work for now and catching up on the world after tuning out from the world for 2 weeks to go sailing. 2000+ emails greeting me ensured that my holiday was surely over.

But no rest from sailing this weekend. The big local regatta for yachts is on in Singapore and is called the Western Circuit. Runs over 3 weekends and normally quite good fun. Missed the first weekend, but back for the second. Got to be at the club at 445am!!! for immigration checkout as we have a 60nm race to Pulau Pisang (Banana Island) in the Malacca Straits so in Malaysian waters. Racing on a TP52 so we should be back just after lunch for afternoon beers waiting for the rest and watching the Bledisloe Cup rugby.