For Sale - 'The Weapon'

For Sale

GBR 3119 (4098 in old numbers)

Mistress 3V (V for modified in Valencia)

Fastacraft foils

Aerofoil wingbars

New boat for Garda 07

Choice of sails and masts

New Marlow ropes

Cover and new launching trolley

Price - £7250 for a basic package, but negotiable depending on kit supplied.

Can supply with a new CST 40mm mast, or no rig at all if you have enough kit already.

Moths go offshore...

Volvo Ocean Race.

It seems to have sneaked up on us, but the 9month or so race is now underway. It is a shame there are only 8 entries, especially when the Vendee Globe race which starts soon has about 30, but it is a great race anyway that I have always followed. This years race is an interesting one for me because I actually know so many people in the race this time. I think I know people on every boat except Delta Lloyd. A lot of the guys I worked with at Victory Challenge are involved, making it tricky to know who to support...

There is an online game running alongside the race, and with about 28,000 entires so far it is proving quite popular!


We have a small moth population in the race at the moment, but I'm sure there are more out there, so get in touch if you are getting addicted to checking your position, and waiting for the next weather update.


Currently we have:
Position: Boat: Helm:
264 Foilborne Adam May
874 Carbon Footprint Offshore Katherine Knight
1368 Road Runner Alex Adams
4975 Pudence Toby Heppell
6340 Tigger Helen Rollinson
17220 Tom Whicher Yachting Inc (Tom spent the night aground!)

Stop press - new entry in at number 822 Upsanddowns Pete Henderson, Lowrider moth sailor from Sydney and Dave in Workbench

and two entries from Dubai - 'Figjam Dubai' and 'The Express'

Mach 2 joined last night - is that Amac out there? He started late but with his pace don't bet against him!


You can still register, you just get put in the back 20% of the fleet. But there are many more legs to go.

Holt Tide Ride

It was the Holt Tide Ride at Hayling Island a week or so ago, and it was a great event. Although the wind made it feel like we were back at the Worlds for most of the time.

With racing for the Moths scheduled for 4pm, a few of us decided to go for a sail in the morning as the forecast didn't look so good for the rest of the day with 50knots forecast overnight. Simon, Mike Lennon, Jason and myself all went for a quick blast around. It was a bit daunting sailing around inside Hayling at pace with little confidence of where the shallows were. I got a shock when I looked down at my GPS to see it reading 28/29! but then I remembered I'd changed the units to go for a bike ride a few days before.

Sunday dawned with planty of breeze, but all the fleets stuck around for a bit more tea drinking until in moderated. We got out around midday for 4 very short tight races. Typical race length was 12/15 mins, and with 4 laps in that it was a question of good clean lanes and boathandling. Overall, Simon was on good form, winning the first three races, and coming 2nd in the 4th, to win the no discard series. His boathandling was very good, and he was happy in the Hayling tide that caught many people out. Jason Belben was second overall with top three finishes. I was 4th with a 4,2,2,4. Poor start in the first, then got it together for the next two, and then a poor lane in the left corner in the last one left me with too much to do during the race.
Everyone enjoyed the short course racing, although there were lots of tired looking people later.. (Especially Rod, although the evening drinking probably was the cause....) The fleet is keen for more racing so I think we should have a good turnout in Wales in a few weekends time.

Development wise it was great to see such a huge variety of wands on display at the front of the fleet. Simon had his latest paddle version in high lift mode, while Mike Lennon had a fancy adjustable length paddled one, although it swung fwd so far when all the way up that we'll have to be careful soon on our 500mm bow fittings allowance.... Another thing to mention in the measurement manual I'm trying to update.

Photo from http://www.photoblink.com/sailing/tideride08/ where there are several more good shots from the weekend.

I finally got round to painting my boat, after I'd left it with just one coat of lacque for the light wind Weymouth Worlds! So I've tried a metallic blue, white & carbon combo.

China Paralympics Review in Photos

Arrived in Qingdao in time for the Olympic team celebrations. Above is Shirley Robertson interviewing Bryony Shaw mid party.

We went to the sailing closing ceremony. I'd been given a comedy umbrella hat, and it seemed like a suitable time to wear it.

Check out the huge boom that surrounded the entire sailing area to protect from the potential onset of more green slime!

The Paralympic flame came through Qingdao, and it was an excuse for more fireworks.

Racing was rather close!

The main stadium in Beijing.

Mid closing ceremony.

Flying home, about to land in the 2012 Olympic venue.

Like the Olympic team before us we were flown home in a BA 747 with a Gold nosecone, but this one had Gold wingtips as well because the Paralympic team won more medals than the Olympic team.