Tag Archives: 2016 International Moth Australian Championship

2016 MOTH AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP: Interview to Kirsten Norris, how does a regular female club sailor get into foiling?

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

Kirsten-Norris1_low

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Jonny Fullerton: How did you start sailing and in what classes?
Kirsten Norris: I started sailing when I was 10 years old sailing a local WA class the Pelican and then 420’s as a kid, then I moved to match racing and keel boats and a bit of Tasar sailing.

JF: Thats very different to a foiling boat like a Moth when did you get the bug to go foiling?
KN: I found that I had become strong as an allrounder in sailing over the years but the area I hadn’t tried was skiffs so I was keen to give skiffs a go and obviously the hydrofoiling side became very popular so I had a go on one of my friends boats once and was hooked so I decided to give the skiffs a miss and go straight for Moth foiling.

JF: So once you got the Moth how long did it take you to get used to sailing it and then foiling
KN: So what I did was, I probably went out about 4 or 5 times with a friend of mine and we had a Laser and a Moth out and I would take the Laser and when once we were away from all obstacles I swapped to the Moth and towards the end of the 3rd time, I started sailing the boat in by myself so then I could sail it and tack basically, but to be sailing well, it took me about a couple of months. I could foil well but it takes a bit longer to master tacking and gybing on the foils but I am getting better all the time.

JF: It is one thing getting up on the foils and another thing foiling around a race course, thats another step?
KN: Yes absolutely I am just working on that step at the moment, I am looking at upgrading to a more competitive boat, I have become hooked and so keen to give this racing thing a hard go rather than just the joy of foiling.

JF: What are your ambitions for the future?
KN: It’s really addictive after you give it a go, its nothing like anything you have done before, its really challenging, its a whole new aspect of sailing, its really fun, its terrifying when its windy but I am coming to terms with that and hopefully I will get more confident in the wind as well.

JF: Any tips you can give any female club sailors wanting to get into foiling boats like the Moth?
KN: Yeah they are difficult boats to sail, you really need to be good at sailing another dinghy class before you give it a go because a lot of your responses need to be instinctive but once you do anybody can try it at a ‘Try Sailing Day’. You just need to have someone there who does know what they are doing who can give you pointers.
Go sailing in the right conditions, when its not windy you are not going to hurt yourself, you just fall in the water al lot, you just have to persevere. When it gets windy it gets difficult but make sure you tell someone you are going out and make sure there are people around and work up to the stronger breezes.

JF: The boats are very technical aren’t they?
KN: I focused on getting a relatively basic boat that was well set up to start with at first so i could focus on trying to sail it and using all the settings as they were and now I am starting to tweak it more.

JF: Good luck with the rest of your season
KN: No worries, thanks very much

2016 Moth Australian Championship: Interview to Emma Jane Spiers – 1st female

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

Emma-Jane-Spiers_low

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Jonny Fullerton: What type of boats have you sailed before you got a Moth?
Emma Jane Spiers: When I came to Australia I had a 29er and then a 49er, then I bought my first Moth six years ago in 2010.

JF: Coming from a skiff background that gave you a good background for foiling but what inspired you to try Moth foiling?
EJS: There was an opportunity to have a go on a demo boat in Woollahra (Sydney) and that was it, I just wanted one, I was hooked!

JF: How long did if take you to get foiling?
EJS: It took me quite a while, I’d say about 6 months before I was able to get around the race track regularly but I had a lot of help from the people at Woolara so I think that was key for me, having other people at the club who could give me advice on how to get a bit quicker.

JF: You have been quite successful in the Moth class?
EJS: I have had success at the Nationals but not at the Worlds!

JF: Well the majority of the female competitors at the last Worlds were Olympic sailors but for the amateur club sailor, what advice would you give to other club sailors wanting to get foiling in Moths?
EJS: Find a club where there are other Moth sailors because it is much easier to fast track is to find people who can explain how the boat works. It is a very friendly class, there is heaps of information on the internet and class sites. You can find videos. If you reach out and ask questions, people will always help you so it actually not as daunting as some might think.

JF: What are your regatta plans for 2016
EJS: I would like to go to the Worlds in Japan if work doesn’t get in the way! I will be very focused on the Worlds in Lake Garda, Italy the following year but I really want to sort out my fitness so I am going to do a lot of cycling this year to improve my fitness.

JF: I wish you all the best with those plans
EJS: Thank you

2016 Moth Australian Championship: Final Day, Josh Mcknight finishes the job in thunderstorms

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship in Perth, WA

Thunder and lightning threatened over the Perth city skyline on the final day of the McDougall McConaghy Australian Moth Championships but an early start meant a number of competitors were slow to get afloat for the first of three final races.

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

The PRO Les Swinton fired his gun for a 3 lap race in a shifty 15 knot NE/E breeze. Britain’s Ed Chapman was still frantically foiling to the start line in the final seconds, rounded the committee boat and picked the first shift perfectly to lead around the course and never look back. Some of the favourites were less fortunate. Runaway leader Josh Mcknight (NSW) hit the ground in one of the many shallow patches and limped round to finish 31st (his second discard). Many other competitors went for a pitstop ashore to change foils due to the the impending storm clouds. Rob Gough (TAS) used the situation to his advantage to finish in second with Reece Tailby from RPAYC in Sydney, enjoying the freshening conditions in third.

As race 2 started the breeze was already shifting further East and building and the lightning flashing around the shoreline. It was back to business as usual with Josh Mcknight doing somewhat of a horizon job on the fleet with the ever consistent Rob Gough in second. Reece Talby claimed third again.

As the final race approached the thunderstorm really broke and a reduced fleet blasted around the track in a gusty 25 knots with gusts of 30! It was wipeouts everywhere, even the top sailors had control issues especially at the bottom rounding. However it didn’t slow down the flying Sydneysider, who finished the regatta in style with a bullet to build his tally to 12 wins in 15 races. Rob Gough sealed second overall and Ed Chapman settled for third crashing around the course at every turn.

Steve Thomas. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Steve Thomas. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

WA’s Steve Thomas also suffered some impressive face-plants but managed to hold on to 4th overall and Grand Master Andrew ‘Amac’ McDougall (VIC) 5th despite his wipeouts. The fleet got back ashore just before it got a bit ugly.

Emma Jane Spiers (NSW) finished as top female in 30th place.

The host club, the South of Perth Yacht Club did a good job in a variety of testing conditions and hospitality ashore was well received. A large number of spectators afloat and ashore marvelled at the site of the flying moths and it is no doubt the class is growing in WA.

For full results and more info go to: sopyc.com.au
Facebook site: 2016 Australian Moth Championships

Sponsors & suppliers to the event include: McDougall McConaghy, Deck Hardware, Zhik, CST Composites, Knee Deep and Matso’s Brewery.

2016 Moth Australian Championship: Day 4, Moths wilting in the heat

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship in Perth, WA

The moth fleet sweltered in the heat scattered around the boat park at the South of Perth Yacht Club under the shade of trees and in air conditioned rooms waiting for the scorching Easterly breeze to stabilise.

With the thermometer reaching around 42 degrees mid afternoon, race officer Les Swinton sniffed a small window of opportunity to squeeze two quick races in when the sea breeze finally forced its way down the Swan River.

There was a lot of ‘bimbling’ around the boat park and mothies strugglng in their choice of size of foils, (critical to have the right foil for the wind speed as it turns out!).

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

In race one of the day (race 11 of the series) the unstoppable force that is Josh Mcknight (NSW) again led the fleet round the race track in the short two lap race held in a 11-12 knot WSW patchy breeze.

Places from 2 – 5 changed on almost every leg but the ever reliable Tasmanian Rob Gough sealed second with the lone British competitor Ed Chapman taking third. Andrew McDougall (VIC) took fourth and Steve Thomas (WA) fifth.

Rob Gough. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Rob Gough. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Race 12 started soon after with an extra lap before a big thunderstorm threatened to shut down the breeze again for the day. Andrew ‘Amac’ McDougall bolted off the pin end of the start line timing it perfectly and challenged guess who? (yes Josh Mcknight) for the lead on lap 1 but it didn’t take long for the irresistible force to snatch the lead and never look back. WA’s Steve Thomas pushed Josh hard on the second lap and looked good for second before just losing out to the flying Brit, Ed Chapman on the final lap. Amac dropped a few spots allowing Rob Gough to recover to fourth. Victorian Harold Mighell scored his best result of the championship with a 5th.

Steve Thomas describes his day:

I started the first race a bit shaky, I didn’t get off the line very cleanly, i worked my way back into the race to score a keeper.

In the second race I had a good one, rounding the top mark on the transom of Josh and from there stayed just behind Josh but a couple of crashes off the foils put my back into 5th. But I had a good upwind on the third lap and a reasonable downwind with only one crash.

The breeze was a lot further west than the true sea breeze and just surged a couple of times to get everyone excited but it has been quite unusual weather for the last couple of days.

Stefano Ferrighi. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Stefano Ferrighi. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

The two Italian brothers from Lake Garda, Stefano and Gian Maria Ferrighi both had a good day, Stefano with a (5,8) to move up to 7th overall and Gian with a (6,7) to climb to 13th.

Emma Spiers. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Emma Spiers. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

First female sailor is still Emma Jane Spiers from Sydney (NSW) who remains in 29th place overall.

So with one more race day to go, Josh Mcknight has one hand on the trophy with a scorecard of no less than 10 bullets as the second discard comes into play. Rob Gough looks quite comfortable in second with 25pts and Ed Chapman of GBR in third with 34pts. Steve Thomas is just off the podium in fourth.

Racing starts earlier on the final day with 3 more races starting at 1100 hrs local. The cold Matso’s beer tasted good on return ashore but lets hope the temperature drops a little for the carbon foils to cool down.

For full results and more info go to: sopyc.com.au
Facebook site: 2016 Australian Moth Championships

Sponsors & suppliers to the event include: McDougall McConaghy, Deck Hardware, Zhik, CST Composites, Knee Deep and Matso’s Brewery.

2016 Moth Australian Championship: Day3, Perth turns it on with flawless foiling day

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship in Perth, WA

Perth delivered a fantastic days racing on day three of the McDougall McConachy Moth Australian Championship in hazy sunshine and a more stable 15 – 16 knot westerly and flat water. Perfect foiling conditions for the fleet of 54 moths. Three more races and the same names beginning to take a hold of the championship leaderboard.

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

It was another masterclass by Josh Mcknight from RPAYC in Sydney. He blitzed the fleet in all three races even with a slight hi-cup in race 2 of the day when his outhaul came apart forcing him to nurse his boat downwind! His boat handling skill and raw speed sees him open up a 14 point lead overall.

Having another consistent day, Rob Gough from Tasmania enjoyed the fresher conditions. (3,2,4). Rob just dropped two places on the final leg of the last race of the day choosing the wrong side of the race track. The slightest mistake and you get punished at this level!

“On the last leg a couple of people went hard left and got an absolute ripper of a lift and came in, you have to work really hard, you can’t ease back at all, hike your guts off upwind and try and pick the shifts downwind.” Rob Gough

On sailing on the Swan River;
“I race mainly on the Derwent (Tasmania) and the lighter breeze is a bit like a westerly on the Derwent and quite flat water and big shifts so I quite like that and then we get the big sea breezes so its similar but normally we get more waves and I quite like the waves.”

Steve Thomas. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Steve Thomas. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Also sailing very consistently is Brit, Ed Chapman who finished the day with a (4,4,3) to keep third overall and local WA sailor Steve Thomas carding a (2,5,7). He sits just off the podium in fourth.

Staying in the mix at the top end of the fleet is Amac (VIC), and the NSW moth squadron, Kurtis Warner, Warren Sare and Les Thorpe.

Despite the threat of the Scotsman with the infamous starting rifle (PRO Les Swinton), a number of mothies were caught over the start line (OCS) in judging their time on distance to the gun. Unlike most classes the moths start at full tilt and the front runners are already 500 meters ahead after one minute of racing!

One sailor who got caught today was Kohei Kajimoto of Japan who uses up his discard but still stays in 7th overall. Kohei recently married Wakako Tabata who is in a real battle with Emma Jane Spiers for the title of top female in the championship. Emma currently sits in 29th and Wakako 30th.

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

The skill level at the top end of the fleet is a joy to watch but for many its a achievement to get round the course in one piece without too many wipeouts. The free supply of Redbull on shore helps some to last the distance.

In the last race of the day a cruiser fleet racing in an afternoon twilight race looked to be in danger of an invasion by a cluster of moths doing around 25 knots but thankfully the wise PRO armed with his shotgun had already made arrangements with the organising club to avoid any catastrophe.

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

So it was a weary but mostly happy fleet of moth sailors returning to the comfort of the host club South of Perth Yacht Club for the now obligatory snags and Matso beer on ice.

The penultimate day of racing starts at the regular time of 1300hrs local. Stay tuned for more frantic foiling frolics.

For full results and more info go to: sopyc.com.au
Facebook site: 2016 Australian Moth Championships

Sponsors & suppliers to the event include: McDougall McConaghy, Deck Hardware, Zhik, CST Composites, Knee Deep and Matso’s Brewery.

2016 Moth Australian Championship: Day2, Josh Mcknight puts the hammer down

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship in Perth, WA

After a hazy start, day two of the McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship was a much better day for racing out on the Swan river in Perth, WA.

Around midday a light and shifty breeze filled in from around 290 degrees enabling the PRO Les Swinton to bang off four short races to keep the series on track.

The patchy 7 – 11 knot breeze was just enough for most of the fleet to get foiling but the race course was still tough to read and involved keeping the head out of the boat to search for the shifts, (much easier to do when foiling 1m above the water!). After the third race of the day the sea breeze threatened with a big shift to 245 degrees and a cool feel to go with it but it really didn’t establish above 12 knots.

The starts again proved crucial and Josh Mcknight (NSW) showed his class with 3 straight bullets and a 3rd to lead the championship by 8 points. His boat handling is a class apart but he was pushed hard by Rob Gough (TAS) who scored consistently with (2,3,6,2) for the day. Rob sits in second overall with 16 points.

Ed Chapman. Image by Cameron Elliott

Ed Chapman. Image by Cameron Elliott

The top international sailor Ed Chapman from Great Britain also had an excellent day moving up from 18th overall yesterday to third today. He scored (8,2,1,3). When asked about his speed on the water today Ed explained:

“A nice day on the water, I think everyone was powered up nothing like yesterday. Today was quite a lot like when I am sailing in the UK, its quite like lake sailing so as long as you have your head out the boat, you can spot the shifts and be able to do ok. You can pull yourself back through the fleet. In a couple of races I didn’t manage to get off the start line like I would have liked but still managed to battle through and get a result.”

On his starting strategy;

“I was pretty conventional on the starts today, massively low risk. You want to be foiling with about 10 – 15 seconds to go, especially in this type of breeze. Then you really need to control your speed so that you are not covering too much distance to the pin and not burning your options.”

Fleet-Day-2_low

Image by Cameron Elliott

Most of the other leading competitors picked up at least one double digit result. Local WA sailor Steve Thomas suffered in the last race of the day to drop to fourth overall shared with Andrew ‘Amac’ McDougall who had to drop his DNC in the first race, both remain in the hunt.

The second international sailor and going well is Kohei Kajimoto of Japan who is also in the mix in seventh overall.

Of the ladies, class secretary, Emma Jane Spiers (NSW) sits in 27th just three places in front of Wakako Tabata of Japan.

So some tired mothies returned ashore for more snags and Matso beer and to share tuning tips, settings, fiddle with rigs etc etc and prepare for day three on Wednesday with a race start time of 1300 hrs local.

For full results and more info go to: sopyc.com.au
Facebook site: 2016 Australian Moth Championships

Sponsors & suppliers to the event include: McDougall McConaghy, Deck Hardware, Zhik, CST Composites, Knee Deep and Matso’s Brewery.

2016 Moth Australian Championship: Day1, Searching for pressure and staying on the foils

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship in Perth, WA

A frustrating steamy hot muggy day on the Swan River in Perth on day one of the McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championships in Perth.

The usually reliable afternoon sea breeze struggled to form all day as the thunder swirled around the Perth skyline. The breeze swung from 210 – 270 degrees and filled in pressure patches over the Melville West race course but never stayed for longer than one leg of each race.

It was all about searching for the pressure and staying on the foils. Only a small number of the top Moth sailors managed to sniff out the zephyrs but had to sail quite extreme angles to remain in the air.

Rob Gough & Kurtis Warner. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Rob Gough & Kurtis Warner. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Three short two lap races were completed but it took all day. Most competitors had to count a heavy score but most consistent of the day was Rob Gough from Tasmania who won the first race and followed with a 7,2 to lead the fleet on 10 points.

D1-Amac_low

Local WA sailor Steve Thomas scored a consistent 2,4,6 to bank 12 points, shared with the Moth master Andrew ‘Amac’ McDougall (4,5,3).

Sydneysider Josh McKnight who had a bad first race but followed with 2 guns will need to wait for the first drop to catch up the leaders.

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Josh Mcknight. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Josh describes it:
“We had pressure lines filling in down the course, It was an everybody foil or nobody foil sort of day. It was about trying to link up those pressure lines to stay foiling the longest, it was probably one of the toughest Moth sailing days.”

In both race 2 & 3 Josh McKnight came from behind the fleet and found the smallest of gaps to slingshot the start and sail round on the foils to grab an early lead which he never relinquished.

“With those sort of starts with everybody on the start line, there is plenty of air going and then they all sheet on and It all closes up so if you can come in and slingshot through you can do better, all those guys on the line have got no chance of foiling. The first few guys will get away and the others will just hang there.”

Glen Oldfield’s wingsail Moth ‘Whisper’. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Glen Oldfield’s wingsail Moth ‘Whisper’. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Glen Oldfield’s wingsail Moth ‘Whisper’ made an appearance and managed to foil and make a spectacular dismount in front of the South of Perth Yacht Club lawn to much applause by the watching spectators. (look for this one on facebook!)

Ian Sim’s non foiling scow was able to lead some of the latest generation foiling Moths around the course at times running downwind as opposed to reaching backwards and forwards!

So a slow start to the championship and more thunderstorms in the air tomorrow when racing resumes with a 1255 hrs warning signal.

At least competitors were able to enjoy generous helpings of sausage sizzle and an Oppi full of several varieties of Matso’s Broome beer on ice when returning to shore!

For full results and more info go to: sopyc.com.au
Facebook site: 2016 Australian Moth Championships

Sponsors & suppliers to the event include: McDougall McConaghy, Deck Hardware, Zhik, CST Composites, Knee Deep and Matso’s Brewery.

Standby for take off

By Jonny Fullerton, Grand Prix Sailing

McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship in Perth, WA

Five days of frenetic foiling will begin on Monday 4th January as the McDougall McConaghy 2016 International Moth Australian Championship gets underway under the burgee of the South of Perth Yacht Club on the Swan River in Perth, WA.

Up to 15 races are scheduled on two race courses in Melville Waters on the azure waters of the Swan River with the Perth sky line as a backdrop.

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

55 competitors are entered in total. Sailors from Western Australia, NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania are joined by Internationals who have travelled from as far away as Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, Great Britain and USA.

Moth designs range from Ian Sim’s original (non foiling) scow to the modern foiling scows, the current foiling versions and a fixed wing experimental design launched yesterday by Glen Oldfield which is drawing a lot of attention. (see https://www.facebook.com/2016-Australian-Moth-Championships for more details.)

Foiling Scow. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Foiling Scow. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Some of the favourites to take the Australian title include Josh McKnight from Sydney who was third in the 2015 Worlds in Sorrento, Kurtis Warner also from NSW, who won both practice races in Perth today, Mach 2 builder Andrew ‘Amac’ McDougall from Victoria and Rob Gough from Tasmania. Other strong contenders from NSW are Warren Sare and Joel Castle.

Strong local Western Australian sailors include Steven Thomas and Fang Warren and internationals to keep an eye on are the Italian brothers, Stefano and Gian Maria Ferrighi.

There are three female competitors, class secretary Emma Jane Spiers from Sydney, Wakako Tabata, an Olympic sailor from Japan and local WA sailor, Kirstin Norris.

Emma Jane Spiers. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Emma Jane Spiers. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Two invitational practice races were sailed today (Sunday) in typical Perth conditions, hot sun, flat waters and a building late afternoon sea breeze ranging from 10 – 15 knots.

It was a busy course area with a lot of traffic and being a practice day it is hard to read into the results but Kurtis Warner took two bullets chased by Josh Mcknight scoring (2,6) and Warren Sare (9,2).

The championship gets underway on Monday with 3-4 races scheduled with a first start time of 1255 hrs local time. Racing takes place every day finishing on Friday 8 January.

Invitational practice race start. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

Invitational practice race start. Image by Rick Steuart of Perth Sailing Photography

For full results and more info go to: sopyc.com.au
Facebook site: 2016 Australian Moth Championships

Sponsors & suppliers to the event include: McDougall McConaghy, Deck Hardware, Zhik, CST Composites, Knee Deep and Matso’s Brewery.