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...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
So long Blitzkrieg Bop!
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My worlds
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...
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...
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Waiting Game
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.
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.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Singapore Moth Nationals Report
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
So there is a Singapore Moth Association now
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!
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!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Drag Racing...
...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.
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.
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