Please select your home edition
Edition

The Age of Steel in the Land of Rock

by Mark Jardine 3 Sep 13:27 PDT 4-7 September 2025
Steel rudder vertical © Mark Jardine

The International Moth class is never standing still. If there's a better way of doing something it will be done. Be it lighter, stronger, more aerodynamic or hydrodynamic, changes are made continually. The latest shiny thing is discussed, while the previous thing becomes old news.

This week the Moths have gathered in Torquay at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club for the UK Championship, and the discussion is all about steel. A relative few in the fleet are currently sporting the latest foils, which are made of combinations of carbon and steel, and finish with a razor sharp trailing edge. Apparently the speed advantage is devastating, but that's what the foiling Moths do. They experiment, they innovate, trial and error has led them to this point and, just when you think the class is plateauing, they get faster still.

Alex Adams has seen it all in the Moths, having started in the lowrider days, and has described the new steel and carbon foils on his Maguire Aeroset Moth:

"The lower part of both foils are made of stainless steel, as you can make it a lot smaller than you could with carbon. The rudder is a solid billet, so there's no need to paint it, whereas the mainfoil has the pushrod down the foil, and you can't just drill down it, so the steel is made with a hollow section with a carbon fairing."

Does this render all previous Moths obsolete? Not at all. At the end of the day, the boat and its foils are only the limiting factor in a very few cases at the very, very top of the sport. A Moth with 'standard' carbon foils will test and thrill the vast majority of sailors, and that is why the class continues to attract new sailors and keep many of its stalwarts.

Being around Moth sailors is fun. One minute you're chatting with Jason Belben about his Blitz Mk.3 design and how he started racing Moths in 1982, the next you're listening to Alex Adams describe what it was like being part of the record-breaking SailRocket 2 project in Namibia, and then Matthew Lea and James Sainsbury describe the finer points of a truly dedicated campaign over a beer.

The Royal Torbay Yacht Club is a relaxed clubhouse with an outstanding view, the members love having guests in the club, and the opening night barbecue will have definitely helped any sailors who were feeling underweight ahead of a breezy day.

Eddie Bridle is back to defend his title, SailGP and America's Cup star Dylan Fletcher is here, and with a host of other top sailors in the fleet competition will be fierce.

Wetsuit Outlet are back as title sponsor of the event, with Allen, Noble Marine Insurance and Optimum Time also supporting the event.

We'll be bringing you daily reports, photos and videos from the event, and taking a closer look at all that's new in the boats. With a moderate to fresh forecast and the natural amphitheatre of Tor Bay, it's going to be spectacular, and the rock is the cheapest in the West Country!

Related Articles

Who let the dogs out?
We can tell you who is going to win the 2025 Sydney to Hobart before it is even run! Yes indeed. Who? Now in the canine world there's a thing called, 'Best in Show'. However, right here, right now, out of all the entries, we can tell you who is going to win the 2025 Sydney to Hobart, before it is even run. Posted today at 9:00 pm
A Day at the Allen Factory!
New and innovative products, cutting-edge manufacturing techniques The Allen factory, based in Southminster, Essex in the UK, makes many of the deck hardware and fittings that we use in our sailing, be that on dinghies or keelboats. Posted on 16 Oct
The Winner-Takes-All Race
Event format at the 49er, 49erFX & Nacra 17 Worlds could be the best option for the Olympics The 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships just held in Cagliari, Italy, could well be the most important held in the class. Not just that, it may influence how sailing happens at the Olympics. Posted on 14 Oct
A Q&A with Chris Alexander on the 2025 VX One NAs
Chris Alexander on the 2025 VX One North American Championship This year's VX One North American Championship will be hosted by the Gulfport Yacht Club, in Gulfport, Mississippi from October 16-18, and will feature eleven scheduled races on the waters of the Mississippi Sound, near the GYC. Posted on 14 Oct
Renaissance of the two ACs?
A look at how the two ACs - the Admiral's Cup and America's Cup have evolved in the past few months A look at the events of July and August including the highly successful revival of the Admirals' Cup and international offshore racing. Is the America's Cup on a new tack? Behind the scenes in SailGP. Top racer for sale. Posted on 13 Oct
Don't miss our upcoming must-watch free Webinar
Tracking and Fleet Monitoring discussion on 22nd October 2025 Yacht tracking and fleet monitoring are essential, yet traditional tracking methods face significant challenges. On October 22nd we are hosting an exclusive and free webinar, with an in-depth exploration of the latest in tracking technology. Posted on 8 Oct
SailGP rolls through Cadiz, One Design racing news
F50s in Cadiz, Formula Kites, J/22s, Hobie 16s, and GL52s SailGP has enjoyed a fine tour of the United Kingdom and Europe of late. This wrapped up this past weekend in Cadiz, Spain, where the DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix was contested using the league's 24-meter wingsails and the light-air T-foils and rudders. Posted on 7 Oct
Opportunity knocks
Time with Keryn McMaster was on offer, so yeah, let's do this! Best grab it with both hands, then. Time with Keryn McMaster was on offer, so like, yeah, let's do this! She's a bit of ledge, so she fits in very well with the precursor piece we did on the Admiral's Cup, which was entitled: The call of the mighty. Posted on 6 Oct
A Q&A with Steven Mikes on the 2025 J/80 NAs
Steven Mikes on the 2025 J/80 North American Championship The J/80 class has long delivered great racing. Take, for example, the 2025 J/80 North American Championship (October 7-12), which is being hosted at the Southern Yacht Club, and which will be contested on the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. Posted on 2 Oct
Crossroads Moment for Olympic Sailing
Many changes to scoring over the last 20 years - it looks like it's all going to change again Perceived lack of attention span, confusing scoring systems, the need for TV to have an understandable format and grandstand' moment has led Olympic sailing to experiment with various formats over the past 20 years, and it is now looking to change again. Posted on 29 Sep
North Sails Loft 57 PodcastV-DRY-XRooster 2025