2016 U.S. Moth Nationals - The Good Life

by US Moth Class on 20 Mar 2016 2016 U.S. Moth Nationals - “La belle vie” the good life, is how French sailor Guillaume Verniers described today. Seven races were completed in eight - eighteen knots of wind funneling down flat crystal clear water. Sailing with clean technique and leading the event is Patrick Wilson, the three days he spent fixing his bow and not practicing didn’t hinder his performance.

Following closely behind in a three way tie for second are Brad Funk, Jonny Goldsberry, and Matt Knowles. Matt is a full time lawyer from Boston who arrived at 2 am last night, jumped in his boat and had an awesome day!

Today the fleet naturally formed groups set up by progression; any time the breeze hits around 14 knots gaps occur - a reflection of the sailors time in the boat. Most everyone had great straight line speed but maneuvers really set the top five sailors apart from the rest.

Everybody came into the beach smiling and exhausted, yet after a quick break four boats went back out for more. “We can’t leave wind on the water!” commented Chris Meusler, who wins the daily wipeout award and needed to bribe roommate Thomas Allin to fix his split foil (this happened immediately after Thomas repaired his own sail from falling through it).

Jonny Goldsberry’s advice for newcomers is to “hike as hard as you can at all times, so when you crash you go around the boat. Have your toes in the straps and nothing else, Brad taught me that”. The fleet gathered around the bar at the UKSC for sundowners and drone footage from Nick Bowers.

One of the reasons this venue is more special than most is the lack of trash. Throughout the week there have only been three pieces of trash spotted on the water. Moth sailors are hyper sensitive to pollution because debris can cause foil damage, which gets very expensive! This makes everyone aware of the fact that we share our playground with wildlife and the same trash costs marine animals much more than a brand new foil.

Another important topic of conversation at dinner was straws. Most people don't use them anyway, if this is you then try asking for drinks without straw. The group also found a great alternative stirring stick for coffee or mixed drink: a piece of spaghetti!

Tomorrow racing begins at 11 and the forecast is calling for a lot of wind, send it!