Int'l Moth European Championship - Rashley victorious a third time

by Domenico Boffi on 7 May 2013 On the final day of the International Moth European Championship, Marsala was a surprise and exceeded all expectations. There were special people, situations and surprising disappointments. The weather this week betrayed expectations, forecasts and statistics. The area is known to be one of the four windiest in Italy : we had too much wind at the beginning, then none and we risked closing this European Championship with only three valid races.

Today a north-easter of 9/12 knots, later reinforced up to 15, allowed the committee to run another two races. The Kuehne + Nagel 2013 International Moth European Championship closes with five races completed and one discard.

For the third time in a row, Chris Rashley won the European championship, showing an incredible supremacy with three first and a second, discarding a fourth place and being first in 75% of mark roundings.

This is the Moth, the speeds are so high that capsize means receding inexorably but the speed differences between the best and the rest of the fleet are even more impressive. On a 470 there can be differences of 02./0.3 knots between the first and the last of a race, in the moth the differences are of 4/5 knots!

We felt like special guests in the hands of Circolo Vela Marsala, amateurs at the service of passion, not just a pastime but the ability to convey emotions. Three people in particular have been able to give us a warm feeling: Claudio, Gianluca and Angelo, for them alone was worth being in Marsala. 40 years of history is not a joke, the history comes back showing value, honour and sport. The Circolo Vela Marsala is a young man, reaching the age of reason. Other Italian sailing confraternities have stories spanning over centuries but we found an uncommon capacity of sharing simplicity and passion.

The committee and jury has worked with dedication, has been also criticized, but the respect and fair play are running in the veins of the Moth class roots and the value of the jury was to listen to the criticism as you listen to advice.

Light, heat, flavours and emotions. Perhaps this was the European with less races from the first in 1955, certainly has been loved as the others, just ask the English squadron who flew with dominance, ask the Swiss often believed to be cold and instead are tenderly sincere. And at FIT (f…. Italian team) who returns home with aching cheeks with laughter, to all those who have participated, to the presidents of the Circolo Vela that in 40 years have brought it where it is now.

Marsala deserved an event such as the Moth European, we deserved more consistency .But for this, Marsala cannot be held responsible.

Final results: 

No	Sail no	Name, Country	points	1	2	3	4	5
1	7	Chris Rashley, UK	5,0	1	1	2	(4)	1
2	3980	Michael Lennon, UK	8,0	(3)	2	1	2	3
3	3942	Jason Belben, UK	17,0	9	3	3	(10)	2
4	3982	Ben Paton, UK	19,0	2	4	(8)	5	8
5	4038	Tom Offer, UK	23,0	5	5	9	(14)	4
6	3975	Pablo Arandia, ES	24,0	6	(ocs)	7	6	5
7	3626	Renker Matthias, CH	27,0	7	10	(11)	1	9
8	4037	Jason Russell, UK	27,0	12	(raf)	5	3	7
9	3915	Good Morgan, BE	28,0	(13)	6	4	7	11
10	3955	Chris Rast, CH	33,0	(15)	8	6	13	6

http://www.moth.it/european2013/" target="_blank">Moth Europeans website