Tag Archives: moth

Hannah White sets new singlehanded record across the English Channel

Posted in TFW's news on by .

By Land Rover Sailing

Hannah White crosses the English Channel solo in a record time of 3 hours 44 minutes Photo © Anthony Cullen

Hannah White crosses the English Channel solo in a record time of 3 hours 44 minutes
Photo © Anthony Cullen

Hannah White, Land Rover Global Ambassador, has become the fastest person to cross the Channel in a single-handed dinghy. She completed the gruelling task in an International Moth. Starting from Cap de Gris in France, she landed in Dover, England, after crossing the 24 mile English channel in a record time of 3 hours, 44 minutes and 39 seconds.

Hannah, a relative beginner in hydrofoil sailing, only started to learn how to master this unique boat in February. Training for this Channel crossing challenge is a precursor to her ultimate quest: to break the Women’s Speed Sailing World Record over one nautical mile next year in a unique, purpose-built sailing hydrofoil.

A keen adventurer, Hannah has previously sailed the Atlantic solo three times, participated in the gruelling Haute Route Cycle Race across the French Alps and kayaked 205 miles across the rivers of England. She has been a Land Rover Global Ambassador since 2013.

Hannah White said: “I’m much more used to an arduous 3000-mile slog across oceans as opposed to a 24-mile sprint across the Channel, so the transition has been a real eye-opener. Speed sailing requires a very different physiology to long distance races, so this was really an opportunity for me to build my skills over a shorter distance in a hydrofoiling boat”.

Mark Cameron, Jaguar Land Rover Global Experiential Marketing Director said: “This Channel crossing highlights Hannah’s incredible ability to push herself beyond the limits of normal capability. As a global ambassador for Land Rover, Hannah embodies all the characteristics that are so central to our brand; strength, determination and an ability to go above and beyond.”

Hannah will be attempting to break the Women’s Speed Sailing Record over one nautical mile in the first quarter of 2016 in Speedbird, her state-of-the-art, unique hydrofoil sailboat. Land Rover is collaborating in the development of the Speedbird boat, drawing from its unparalleled innovation, engineering expertise and industry-leading facilities to ensure the boat is capable of breaking the current world record.

Hannah will be exhibiting the Speedbird boat at the Cardiff Act of the Extreme Sailing Series™ on the 18-21 June 2015.

March 1972, the first foiling Moth

Posted in TFW's news, Web's news on by .

From moth-sailing.org
Franks Foiler  

By 1970 I had been interested in hydrofoils for some time as a
member of the Amateur Yacht Research Society, and I had made several
successful sailing models. It occurred to me that any high performance
racing dinghy should make a good platform for adding hydrofoils.

frank_foiler1

I had a moth “Renegade IV” which had been Queensland Champion in 1969. The sail
area at less than 82 sq. ft. was smaller than any sailing hydrofoil that
I know of. (And may still stand as a record if you discount foiled
sailboards?)

In adding foils I did not want to modify or ruin the boat so I
utilised existing attachment points for stays and rudder. I did have to
screw the bow foil gantry to the noseblock however.

The configuration I developed was unique – two main lateral
foils, 6′ by about 14″, surface piercing, for lift, stability and
lateral resistance set at about 45deg. dihedral. For steering and pitch
control there were rudders fore and aft with foils. On the aft rudder
was a low-dihedral submerged foil 6″ chord by about 3′ span. The surface
piercing foil on the bow rudder was of somewhat greater span and set at
about 30deg. dihedral. The two rudders were linked so that the lateral
foils were not loaded or unloaded when turning. The linkage could be
adjusted so that (in theory) more or less pressure could be thrown on
the lee foil.

The foils were shaped by hand in the laundry of my Shepparton
unit out of the toughest Australian hardwood I could find. The section
was flat on the bottom with a slight curve up at the leading edge, and
arc of circle on the upper surface. The leading edge was sharp.
Thickness would have been less than 8%.

The first trials at Albert Park Lake and on Lake Glenmaggie were
hopeless (and incidentally everyone who saw the boat strongly affirmed
that foiling would be impossible). The “stick and string” structure was
a bit like a certain brand of collapsible furniture in that nothing held
up until everything was locked in place.

frank_foiler2

The boat could be launched and sailed off a beach in conventional
mode, then in deep water the foils lowered and the centreboard
retracted.

Finally in March 1972, at Cabbage Tree Creek near Brisbane,
Queensland, I achieved lift-off in about 15 knots of wind.

The best thing about it was how easy it all was – it was
absolutely controllable and stable with no vices. Any dummy could have
sailed it, though I think only my mate Tony Turbot ever did. It was he
who took the photos with my Box Brownie and his colour camera.

frank_foiler3

On the foils it was about as fast as the Mark II Moth that was
sailing there at the time. Once, as I remember, I almost managed a gybe
on foils. It came down after the sail came across and just before I
could power up on the new tack. I usually gybed because tacking involved
a stern board.

Off the foils it sailed ok but was slower than a sabot.

Its worst feature was its intolerance of even small waves. They
sucked it down off the foils. I eventually bust the bow foil pushing it
in waves. The hardwood bent like a steel spring before it broke.
Thereafter it would not foil – I could only get it to do half-hearted
“bunny hops”.

frank_foiler4

ony bought the boat as I was on my way overseas. The boat
eventually cracked up. The foils I never saw again.

All this is true, so help me God.

P. Frank Raisin (11th. Jan. 2008)

Source post http://moth-sailing.org/franks-foiler/

Bangin’ The Corners Cup – 2015 Sorrento

Posted in TFW's news, video on by .

by BanginTheCorners

Full racing coverage of the 2015 Bangin’ The Corners Cup, hosted by Randy Cunningham, Loïck Peyron & Tom Spithill.

Here are some statistics of the calibre of the fleet:
20 competitors
7 nations
7 Olympic medalists
10 America’s Cup sailors
4 Moth World Champions

About: Bangin’ The Corners shows sailing in a different way, poking harmless fun at the best sailors in the world. Here you will find the latest sailing news, interviews with America’s Cup & Olympic sailors and hilarious skits centered around making fun of these guys and girls.

The Reel Moth Worlds 2015 by SA

Posted in video, Web's news on by .

By Sailing Anarchy

The biggest and most talented fleet in the nearly 100-year old history of the International Moth class meets some of the gnarliest, nastiest sailing conditions of any Worlds in Sorrento, Australia at the 2015 McDougall + McConaghy Moth World Championship.
With the support of nautical footwear legend Sperry, Sailing Anarchy’s crack team of media pros broadcast the entire event live, while Petey Crawford and Sander Van Der Borch added their signature high-quality highlight videos and photos to the multi-media, socially curated content.
Whether you missed the live feed or watched every minute of our coverage, here’s the no-holds barred 20-minute look at what the regatta was really about. Watch this one all the way through, and don’t blink or you’ll miss something.

The ‘Oracles’ have spoken at McDougall + McConaghy 2015 International Moth World Championship

Posted in TFW's news, video on by .

Oracle Team USA is fielding a team of five at the McDougall + McConaghy 2015 International Moth World Championship and all have made it into the Gold fleet Final’s. No mean feat when some, like Rome Kirby, have only been at it for three months.

“it’s been fun, a big learning curve,” says Kirby, a trimmer with the winning America’s Cup Oracle Team USA. “You are rewarded by time in the boat, that’s for sure.”

“it’s some of the hardest sailing all of us have ever done. But it’s something new, and I love to try new things,” the 25 year-old says.

Kirby and some of his Oracle teammates’ initiation in the giddy world of Moth sailing came when they descended on Nathan Outteridge and Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen’s home patch at Wangi Wangi on the NSW Central Coast in October.

The location came on the advice of Oracle team member and NSW Central Coast sailor, Tom Slingsby. He chose it due to its similar conditions to Sorrento and because it was away from prying eyes. And it is a quiet place where they could focus solely on Moth sailing.

Doing so has paid dividends. The entire team made it into the Gold fleet Finals a few days ago. “We haven’t spent much time in the boat, so we can’t get too upset about results. There are a few good people in the Silver fleet who have been sailing Moths for five years and more at the top level,” the American says.

“These boats are super technical. There’s so much going on and everything changes, depending on the conditions,” he concedes, referring to foil selection among other things. “A lot of the principles are the same as sailing the America’s Cup boats though – including the foiling, which we’ve obviously done with the big cats.

“Big cats are obviously faster, but both boats test your reaction time and you have to have good boat handling,” ends Kirby, who became a sailing fan as a child.

He and father Jerry are the only father and son in memory who can claim winning the America’s Cup. Jerry was a bowman on America3 when it won in 1992, Kirby in 2013, in the biggest comeback since 1983 when Australia removed the Cup from American hands.

Tom Slingsby has a different mindset to Kirby. “Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. I’ve finished top five in all but one race, but you’d never know it, because things keep going wrong,” he says.

“I keep breaking things. Yesterday I snapped off my heavy air foil before the start of the first race, so couldn’t race. In the second race I got done for being over the start half a second early. I’m now sailing with my light air foil in heavy air which has slowed me down,” said Slingsby who came here to win – and had a good shot at it.

“Being 90 kilos and hiking, I run into issues. It’s about keeping the maintenance up. I can’t stop breaking things and then I’m still fixing the next day, so I’m late getting on the water. So I have to get better at maintaining my boat,” the 30 year-old admits.

The top sailors say Slingsby is very quick upwind. “I’m quick downwind too, with the right foil. Even though his heavy air foil is broken, and thereby not a prospect for today’s racing in heavy air, Slingsby is on a mission.

“Even with my light foil I’m going to beat Pete,” he says of Peter Burling (NZL) the man at the top of the leaderboard with eight standout wins on his scorecard, double that of second placed Nathan Outteridge (AUS), the defending champion and Artemis Racing skipper.

“I’ve got to get him today; I’ve just got to do it. I am going to do it,” the determined 2012 Laser Olympic gold medallist and winning Oracle Racing Team strategist says.

Today was a windy final day of racing, Peter Burling (NZL) has been crowned the 2015 International Moth Class World Champion.

By Di Pearson, McDougall + McConaghy Moth Worlds Media