Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Day 1
by Mark Jardine 4 Sep 2025 15:06 PDT
4-7 September 2025
An extraordinary first day at the Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship saw four races held and some very tired sailors wondering how they were going to get through three more days of the same.
Conditions were at the top end at times in Torbay, pushing the foiling Moths and their helms to the limit, with race three being especially demanding and described by more than one sailor as 'biblical' downwind.
Nearly every Moth sailor carries a GPS of some sort, and peak speeds in the 30's are now becoming more common, but Henry Wetherell's 35.6 knots was definitely 'up there' as he describes:
"I hit 34.5 knots just coming out of the marina, which was pretty loose, then in the third race where we had the big squall I was at over 35 knots going into the finish, which was pretty full-on. It was a changeable day, and we finished with a bit of a lighter one with a few shifts. It was good fun."
Henry leads overnight after a 2,1,2,1 scoreline, including a huge win in the final race, which he put down to being in the right place at the right time:
"I got a good shift on the first upwind. I actually dropped my tack, but gained so much out of the shift that it didn't really matter, and then I just slipped away from the pack."
On keeping control when sailing in the mid 30's, Henry added:
"You have to give full commitment, if you back off you'll crash. You've just got to sail the boat as fast as possible and trust the boat will get you down there."
Kyle Stoneham (GBR 4249) won the first and third races today, but suffered from a wand breakage in the final race of the day:
"It was a pretty wild day out there. I forgot that summer has finished, so I'm actually freezing cold now. In training you tend to not stop, so when you have to wait around a bit between races you do cool down. I've got some wheels upwind which got me out of trouble a few times, but as always it's little things that go wrong on the boat which would never happen if it wasn't an event, so there's a bit of managing that."
On committing to the downwind legs when the speeds are hitting such high numbers, Kyle agrees that it's all about commitment:
"There's no in-between really. You either don't go for it, or you fully commit and trust that the equipment is going to get you through. You just have to send it. I did 35 knots today, which is my top ever speed on a Moth, although I lost my watch in the last race which had it recorded!"
SailGP helm Dylan Fletcher (GBR 5247) was feeling a bit rusty in the Moth, and struggling with his tacks at times, but years of top level racing in the 49er, Moth, AC75 and F50 helped him put in a top set of results:
"I blew plenty of the rust away today, or maybe exposed some of it! A really up and down day with lots of squalls rolling through, which made it quite interesting. It was good fun racing, but I spent way too much time not being able to foil tack. I enjoyed the day and need to keep chipping away."
Irish sailor Ronan Wallace (IRL 4848) had a great day on the water, but like all the sailors, was glad to make it through the conditions:
"Really hard work. I'm exhausted right now, but really happy. You get rewarded for all the work that you do I guess! I think it was that third race where there was a huge gust that came through, and that was really challenging and a bit frightening if I'm honest."
On rounding the leeward mark in high winds Ronan added:
"It was very challenging. I came into the leeward gate with another boat close in front of me, and he couldn't actually round up, and I watched him sail on for fifty metres. Luckily I was able to find the gap in the waves and the wind to scoot it up. Commit and hope for the best."
Hattie Rogers (GBR 5168) has just flown over from the USA, where she's been doing a stint of match racing, but didn't let a bit of jetlag slow her down and was fast out of the blocks in the first race of the day:
"The first beat was good and I rounded the windward mark first, which is pretty cool! It's a little different from match racing and nice to go fast again - I really enjoyed today."
Joseph Wellerd (GBR 4780) described his day as 'emotional':
"It was full on. A lot of breeze at one point, and then there was not a lot of breeze at others, but the big breeze was absolutely awesome and terrifying. The bits where you got it dialled in were epic."
Andrew Friend (GBR 5035) is one of the dedicated home-build Moth sailors in the fleet and described the conditions:
"It was full on, especially in the third race which was complete chaos at the windward mark with boats everywhere on their sides and upside-down. A really difficult, gusty and shifty wind, with some really, really big gusts at times, and some waves!"
Friday has four more races scheduled, with a slightly lighter forecast which many will be relieved about. It may be a short respite though, as the stronger winds are set to return over the weekend.
The fleet has been hoping for a big wind event for some time, but sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for!
Wetsuit Outlet is back as title sponsor of the event, with Allen, Noble Marine Insurance and Optimum Time also supporting the event.
Results and the day one video will be posted on Friday morning.