The eight visitors to Stewartby Sailing Club’s annual British Moth Open were greeted by Force 4 winds gusting 6.  However, Commodore Carl Pountney reassured the fleet that all would be OK. 

With half the fleet opting for smaller sails the fleet launched for the First Race.  The Race Officer set the tone of the day by opting for a long beat diagonally across the lake.  Mark Wiltshire (872) reached the first mark 1^st closely followed by Toby Cooper (754) and Roger Witts (885).  A screaming reach across the lake was followed by a very gusty gibe before heading back down the lake.  Just after the third mark Cooper took the lead.  At the end of the first lap Cooper was in the lead, with Wiltshire and Witts in close contention.

During  the second lap, the 3 leaders continued to battle away together, with Ed Deacon (808) closing in on them.  At the back of the fleet there was also close racing with continually changing places.  The race finished with Cooper coming in first followed by Witts just beating Wiltshire on the line.

After a well-deserved break and an energy top up by the Galley the fleet set off again.  With the wind shifting slightly and the strength increasing, the Race officer changed the course and put in 2 beats.  Once again the fleet split into two, with the leaders Cooper, Wiltshire and Witts continually changing positions.  At the other end of the fleet there was also close racing, with their positions changing. Again the first three boats finished in the same order as the first race.

With tiring competitors, the majority decided to sit the last race out.  With 3 boats venturing out –Wiltshire, Deacon and Gary Tompkins (862) this  race became a bit of a procession, however, Wiltshire on the last lap decided he wanted to test the water by capsizing at the windward mark.  This allowed Deacon to catch up. The last down wind leg saw Deacon challenging Wiltshire all the way to the finish line, with only 4 seconds between them.

With thanks to Carl Pountney and his team for excellent racing and to the Galley staff for keeping the sailors hunger away.  The next open meeting is at Medley Sailing Club on the 26^th May, the first of the 2013 river venues.

Wood construction

Would benefit from some attention as there is some damage to the deck

Comes with:

* Trolley

* Spare Center Board

* 2 Full sails (1 Fair, 1 Good)

* 2 Mini moth sails

* Cover (Worn but serviceable)

£250.00 ono

Currently located in Hertfordshire and buyer needs to collect

Ring Michael 07789 400785

Can those entering please add their names to the forum to give an idea of who will be attending.

Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club welcomed 13 entrants and families for its 4th British Moth Open Meeting on Saturday 13 April 2013, which included 4 members from the home club. Competitors were greeted with sunshine, a steady breeze and a good water level on the small reservoir at Leamington Spa which is ideally suited to the British Moth. The forecast for the day did, however, predict that the weather would change.

In Race 1 the fleet seemed a little line shy, perhaps wary of a repetition of last year’s multiple General Recalls. Roger Witts from Frampton got cleanly away from the downwind end of the start line and built up an early lead whilst much of the rest of the fleet found themselves bunched at the pin end. Mark Wiltshire tried to keep in touch with Roger and Duncan Laverty from the home Club managed to hold third place for a few laps. In a freshening wind Roger went on to build an impressive lead to take the race and lapping some of the back markers forcing the Race Officer to shorten course. Mark Wiltshire held on to 2nd place and Andy Matthews from Chew Valley worked his way up to 3rd place.

After a hearty lunch and a beer or two it was noted that the wind had freshened further and swung a few degrees so a very slight adjustment to the course was made for Race 2. Andy Matthews made the best start but it was Roger Witts who rounded the windward mark in first place. One of the gybe marks, conveniently situated outside the Clubhouse window, caught out a few of the competitors. Roger capitalised on his lead right to the finish and was not seriously challenged throughout. Similarly Andy sailed a consistent race throughout to keep second place. The battle for third place was a little more interesting and it eventually went to Colin Hall following a tussle with Gary Tompkins and Richard Keefe, all 3 being members of Hunts SC. The worsening conditions clearly took their toll with 4 retirements and a DNS.

With the wind now at its peak the race officer changed the course significantly to reduce the number of gybes (kindly leaving the Clubhouse one in for the benefit of the spectators!) Just 8 boats ventured out for Race 3 and with the event safely in the bag Roger Witts wisely chose to remain with those who stayed ashore. The final race actually proved to be the most entertaining of the day with a bit more planing in evidence and a cracking tussle for 1st place between Andy Matthews and Gary Tompkins. With much position swapping Gary lapped first for 5 of the 8 laps completed but when it counted at the end of the race it was Andy who took line honours, but by a very close margin. Once again Colin Hall found himself working his way through the fleet dispatching a few challengers on the way including Peter Lee from the home club who was showing his best form of the day.

Whilst numbers in attendance were slightly lower this year, the fleet that assembled was of notable quality with many seasoned campaigners lining up at the start. The sailors were met with beautiful sailing conditions which Phil Kirk and his race team made good use of setting up a course that made the most of the conditions, despite the shifty wind.

In race one Roger Witts (FOSSC) managed to extend a lead and never really looked back. Richard Keefe (Hunts) did well to go with him and get some clear air ahead of the pack which saw numerous place changes, with Tony Latham (FOSSC) breaking through to take third at the finish.

Race two again saw Witts take the bullet whilst the chasing pack battled it out for second. Andrew Perrott (Chippenham) proved too quick for the rest of the bunch and took second, ahead of Ian Haywood (FOSSC) in third. The results in the morning meant that there was still plenty to sail for in the afternoon as several sailors went into the lunch break with a strong chance of finishing in the top three.

Having been very well fed over lunch by the volunteers in the galley, the sailors returned to the water for another two races. Race three saw Mark Wiltshere take the initiative as he took an early lead for the early parts before being passed by Roger Witts, who was already showing that he would live up to his billing as pre-race favourite, taking a third win in three races. Wiltshere comfortably took second whilst Andrew Perrot took third.

By the start of race 4 the title had already been decided, with Roger Witts taking three wins from three races. The battle was still on for second and third though. Tony Latham took an early lead and held on for the first lap before Witts passed him to take a clean sweep of wins. Latham held on to second with Nicola Barrett (FOSSC) taking a deserved third, having overtaken a large number of boats to get there.

In the end Roger Witts comfortably won back the ‘Suspense Trophy’, counting three wins and discarding another. As the results show the fight for second and third was keenly contested, with Tony Latham taking second ahead of Andrew Perrott who finished third and took the honour of being the highest placed visitor.

1^st Roger Witts (FOSSC) – 3pts

2^nd Tony Latham (FOSSC) – 9pts

3^rd Andrew Perrott (Chippenham) – 10pts

4^th Richard Keefe (Hunts) – 11pts

5^th Ian Haywood (FOSSC) – 12pts

The day proved to be typical of the class with some enjoyable close racing and good fun had by all.