hmmm, so nothings really going on in my moth sailing that is worth noting...
I am writing this from Iran, and because there is no facebook, youtube or any other decent website available, I thought I would update my blog. It's been some time, but also some time since I have sailed on a regular basis, which is taking direct effect on how good I want to do at the worlds here in March.
However I have hooked up a sponsorship with Wild Wadi, the arabic themed water park in Dubai, who are taking care of my spars and sails needs for my world campaign :)
http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-Resorts/Wild-Wadi/
They are definetly worth checking out during the lay day at the world, and are in spitting distance from the sailing club!!!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Status Updatus
Just finished off the weekend with not enough wind to go sailing, but despite that effort, there was enough breeze on Friday for us to host our monthly Premier Composites Dubai Moth Grand Prix. Firstly an introduction to Premier Composites. These are the guys in Dubai who specialise in boat work, they are building TP52'S and Farr 11 Kanting Keels at the moment so they know what their talking about. Thy are also the guys who take upon themselves the smaller tasks of fixing our Moths when things don't go to plan, so we are very gratefull for that, and we are proud to have them affiliated with our Moth Grand Prix.
The Friday Race day hosted some mixed conditions, with light winds, dropping off to bare foiling breeze, and then picking up again to comfortable foiling winds. This was more of a test of our persistence and ability to adapt to the wind changes, rather than being consistent, as the results show:
Race Results:
R1 – Chris Graham, Marcel Herrera, Kerstin Sommer, Barnaby Houk, Jonny Marshall, Glenn Raphael, Rob Gough (DNR), Rob Fordyce (DNR)
R2 – Chris Graham, Barnaby Houk, Glenn Raphael, Kerstin Sommer, Jonny Marshall, Rob Fordyce, Rob Gough (DNR), Marcel Herrera (DNR)
R3 – Rob Gough, Marcel Herrera, Chris Graham, Barnaby Houk, Kerstin Sommer, Glenn Raphael (DNR), Jonny Marshall (DNR), Rob Fordyce (DNR)
R4 – Glenn Raphael, Marcel Herrera, Kerstin Sommer, Barney Houk, Rob Fordyce, Chris Graham (DNR), Rob Gough (DNR), Jonny Marshall (DNR)
R5 – Marcel Herrera, Rob Gough, Barnaby Houk, Kerstin Sommer, Glenn Raphael (DNF), Jonny Marshall (DNR), Chris Graham (DNR), Rob Fordyce (DNR)
DNR – Did Not Race
Rob Gough stopped over in Dubai for the event, in order to get some training in and measure himself against us. On the Thursday before he came out with me to get some training in on Chris' boat. We had a quick swap over on the water because he felt that I had some setup issues. After sailing it for a minute or so, and looking at it closely, he realised what the problem was, sent me in to get a spanner, and then fixed it for me. It was to do with my wand set up, and he loosened things off a little bit and now they are all running smoothly.
In the mean time when I was getting the spanner, Rob had stayed out and got some action in with the Official UAE Moth Class Association Photographer, Stuart Gordon. You can check out his album's here: http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartgordon92
by looking under the 'Moth Fly By's' and 'Moth Race' headings. Some Great Shots!
After Rob Had setup up my boat differently, it turned out to feel much lighter sailing through the waves, and it reacted much quicker. Only problem it was bouncing too much, but I suppose I'll get used to that!
I'm really glad Rob came over to sail with us for the weekend, as it turned out I learnt a lot of new tricks with boat setup and sailing tips.
I also have laid down my ideas for equipment selection for the worlds so far, and I think I will settle in and get used to a North V8, with Southern Mast and Southern Rigging.
I have also decided that I will get myself a new rudder foil made with Premier Composites, thats a little bit longer than the standard BR.
Worlds 2010, make sure your there!
The Friday Race day hosted some mixed conditions, with light winds, dropping off to bare foiling breeze, and then picking up again to comfortable foiling winds. This was more of a test of our persistence and ability to adapt to the wind changes, rather than being consistent, as the results show:
Race Results:
R1 – Chris Graham, Marcel Herrera, Kerstin Sommer, Barnaby Houk, Jonny Marshall, Glenn Raphael, Rob Gough (DNR), Rob Fordyce (DNR)
R2 – Chris Graham, Barnaby Houk, Glenn Raphael, Kerstin Sommer, Jonny Marshall, Rob Fordyce, Rob Gough (DNR), Marcel Herrera (DNR)
R3 – Rob Gough, Marcel Herrera, Chris Graham, Barnaby Houk, Kerstin Sommer, Glenn Raphael (DNR), Jonny Marshall (DNR), Rob Fordyce (DNR)
R4 – Glenn Raphael, Marcel Herrera, Kerstin Sommer, Barney Houk, Rob Fordyce, Chris Graham (DNR), Rob Gough (DNR), Jonny Marshall (DNR)
R5 – Marcel Herrera, Rob Gough, Barnaby Houk, Kerstin Sommer, Glenn Raphael (DNF), Jonny Marshall (DNR), Chris Graham (DNR), Rob Fordyce (DNR)
DNR – Did Not Race
Rob Gough stopped over in Dubai for the event, in order to get some training in and measure himself against us. On the Thursday before he came out with me to get some training in on Chris' boat. We had a quick swap over on the water because he felt that I had some setup issues. After sailing it for a minute or so, and looking at it closely, he realised what the problem was, sent me in to get a spanner, and then fixed it for me. It was to do with my wand set up, and he loosened things off a little bit and now they are all running smoothly.
In the mean time when I was getting the spanner, Rob had stayed out and got some action in with the Official UAE Moth Class Association Photographer, Stuart Gordon. You can check out his album's here: http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartgordon92
by looking under the 'Moth Fly By's' and 'Moth Race' headings. Some Great Shots!
After Rob Had setup up my boat differently, it turned out to feel much lighter sailing through the waves, and it reacted much quicker. Only problem it was bouncing too much, but I suppose I'll get used to that!
I'm really glad Rob came over to sail with us for the weekend, as it turned out I learnt a lot of new tricks with boat setup and sailing tips.
I also have laid down my ideas for equipment selection for the worlds so far, and I think I will settle in and get used to a North V8, with Southern Mast and Southern Rigging.
I have also decided that I will get myself a new rudder foil made with Premier Composites, thats a little bit longer than the standard BR.
Worlds 2010, make sure your there!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Dubai Moth Grand Prix
This is what we are all about at the moment, racing on a monthly basis, to see how we stand amongst each other and then also to learn a few racing tips and tricks. It will also help those sailors who would never have competed at such a high level as the Moth Worlds here in March 2010 getting used to a competitive atmosphere and knowing what to do and how to act in regards to rules.
Here is a short promotion video that I threw together yesterday, it will hopefully get out into the public and help us in finding a small sponsor for the Grand Prix series. We are not looking for large amounts of cash, we just want a sponsor who is willing to provide the top 3 overall places and top under 18 with a decent prize at the end of the season, acting as an incentive to keep racing!
If there is anyone out there who is interested, please get in touch with me: marcelsailor@yahoo.com
Here is the newspaper report of the event:
‘Mothing’ the Arabian Gulf
The past weekend has seen one of the most spectacular forms of sailing exhibited in Dubai. Eight sailors from Dubai competed in the newly launched Dubai Moth Grand Prix Series which is to take place once a month from September in the lead up to the World Championships in March. Moth Sailing is at the forefront of modern day racing with each sailor flying about a meter above the water, with the help of modern hydrofoil technology, in boats just over three meters long and reaching speeds in excess of 25 knots.
Saturdays racing took place in close proximity to the Jumeirah Beach Park, where on lookers were amazed by the sheer speed and aesthetics of these nimble boats soaring across the water. “These boats are just phenomenal, ripping across the water today in 12-15 knots of breeze and reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h, it was perfect racing conditions” said Glenn Raphael, President of the UAE Moth Class Association. He added “Short Course Slalom Racing, similar to the professional windsurfing tour is the way to go with this type of sailing, never have we had this many spectators watching a day of racing”. The Beach Park was well visited by “Beach-goers” and truly spread the word about Moth sailing in Dubai.
This was the first ever edition of the Dubai Moth Grand Prix, with seven more events planned throughout the season. Marcel Herrera, a youth Moth sailor representing the UAE, explained the set up for such a race day; “A normal race consists of one mark and a start line. The start line is somewhere close to the beach usually, and the mark is about 400m away, directly into the wind. The boats start at the same time on the start line indicated by a horn and have to race around the mark and back to the start line, the first boat back wins!” He added “But it’s really not as simple as that, you could consider such a race to be like a horse race; a good combination of technique, fitness and tactical thinking is what makes you win”
Round one of the series was won by Brit Chris Graham, who merely took the lead away on a points count back from Aussie Glenn Raphael on equal points, with Marcel Herrera finishing up the podium in third place. The conditions were tough with the heat draining most energy reserves very quickly, but the tough competition was the biggest challenge that Chris Graham had to overcome to take the honours.
Chris Graham, fellow Moth sailor, gave us a heads-up about the class’s ambitions in the future in regards to Moth sailing in Dubai “We are hosting the Moth World Championships at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in March 2010. To be given the opportunity to host such a prestigious event is a huge privilege on its own, but most of the organisers will be racing themselves, which just adds to the thrill factor.” The local sailors will be joined by about 70 other sailors from over 18 nations, providing the UAE with by far the most exciting sailing event yet.
Contenders will carry their points through to the next round of the Dubai Moth Grand Prix scheduled for the 10th of October, followed by the 14th of November, 5th December, 16th January, 20th February, 27th March and 7th May.
If you are intrigued by this forefront of modern sailing and want to see what it’s all about, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with some of the sailors or come down one afternoon to watch it yourself!
Here is a short promotion video that I threw together yesterday, it will hopefully get out into the public and help us in finding a small sponsor for the Grand Prix series. We are not looking for large amounts of cash, we just want a sponsor who is willing to provide the top 3 overall places and top under 18 with a decent prize at the end of the season, acting as an incentive to keep racing!
If there is anyone out there who is interested, please get in touch with me: marcelsailor@yahoo.com
Here is the newspaper report of the event:
‘Mothing’ the Arabian Gulf
The past weekend has seen one of the most spectacular forms of sailing exhibited in Dubai. Eight sailors from Dubai competed in the newly launched Dubai Moth Grand Prix Series which is to take place once a month from September in the lead up to the World Championships in March. Moth Sailing is at the forefront of modern day racing with each sailor flying about a meter above the water, with the help of modern hydrofoil technology, in boats just over three meters long and reaching speeds in excess of 25 knots.
Saturdays racing took place in close proximity to the Jumeirah Beach Park, where on lookers were amazed by the sheer speed and aesthetics of these nimble boats soaring across the water. “These boats are just phenomenal, ripping across the water today in 12-15 knots of breeze and reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h, it was perfect racing conditions” said Glenn Raphael, President of the UAE Moth Class Association. He added “Short Course Slalom Racing, similar to the professional windsurfing tour is the way to go with this type of sailing, never have we had this many spectators watching a day of racing”. The Beach Park was well visited by “Beach-goers” and truly spread the word about Moth sailing in Dubai.
This was the first ever edition of the Dubai Moth Grand Prix, with seven more events planned throughout the season. Marcel Herrera, a youth Moth sailor representing the UAE, explained the set up for such a race day; “A normal race consists of one mark and a start line. The start line is somewhere close to the beach usually, and the mark is about 400m away, directly into the wind. The boats start at the same time on the start line indicated by a horn and have to race around the mark and back to the start line, the first boat back wins!” He added “But it’s really not as simple as that, you could consider such a race to be like a horse race; a good combination of technique, fitness and tactical thinking is what makes you win”
Round one of the series was won by Brit Chris Graham, who merely took the lead away on a points count back from Aussie Glenn Raphael on equal points, with Marcel Herrera finishing up the podium in third place. The conditions were tough with the heat draining most energy reserves very quickly, but the tough competition was the biggest challenge that Chris Graham had to overcome to take the honours.
Chris Graham, fellow Moth sailor, gave us a heads-up about the class’s ambitions in the future in regards to Moth sailing in Dubai “We are hosting the Moth World Championships at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in March 2010. To be given the opportunity to host such a prestigious event is a huge privilege on its own, but most of the organisers will be racing themselves, which just adds to the thrill factor.” The local sailors will be joined by about 70 other sailors from over 18 nations, providing the UAE with by far the most exciting sailing event yet.
Contenders will carry their points through to the next round of the Dubai Moth Grand Prix scheduled for the 10th of October, followed by the 14th of November, 5th December, 16th January, 20th February, 27th March and 7th May.
If you are intrigued by this forefront of modern sailing and want to see what it’s all about, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with some of the sailors or come down one afternoon to watch it yourself!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
ice breaker
Seeing the recent akwardness that is going around the Moth blog community, I thought that I would help break the silence and promote getting out of your pram and picking up all your toys to some people. hmm.
Saturday was a testing day for the moths that went out. Me and Max had organised some short course very informal racing, to sort out where everyones gaps in training are when it comes to getting around the course. Some of the points that we picked out:
Alex: tacks were really good, and it showed how much work he has put into it, all he has to do now is have the boat's set up sorted out, and watch out Dave Lister. He was fast around the race course but needs to be consistent with his foiling angles, and over stepping the layline didnt help, because it meant that I could sneak in just ahead of him, and carry my momentum around to give him shit air.
Kerstin: needs to sort out her tacks and gybes, mentally she made all the right decisions, but her tacks and gybes let her down in the long run, especially when the gybe goes wrong and she capsized. As for her starts, she needs more boat speed, just to get off the line with pace, so Low riding is a definet no-no, rather risk having to duck the few boats there are on the start and lose a little ground to windward, than have to low ride until reaching clear air to get on the foils.
Marcus: Put spacers on the vang spinlocks, so that you can actually pull it in all the way and not get that ugly twist at the top that all Moth sailors have become really used to. Manoeuver's were well planned and upwind speed was good, but that vang could have been critical in getting that boat speed, helping the sail go throught the tacks and stop the sail from crashing across on gybes. Speaking of gybes, it would really help both Marcus and Kerstin if they pitched their boats to leward abit before gybing in order to get it to carve its way through the water, and also so that the steering can be quicker to keep the boat speed up and let the battens 'pop' easier. Also change the mainsheet strops configuration to be an upside down V again instead of the A at the moment, this combined with lengthening them a bit more, will mean that the sail is being pulled sideway to sheet in, instead of diagonally up and down, which loses both effectiveness and time, because the boom will never be centreline, and the distance and strength needed to pull the main in block to block is much greater.
That all for today.
Dubai Worlds 2010 will be amazing! so put it in your diary, book the airfare, get your visa, get a shipping quote & BE THERE!
Saturday was a testing day for the moths that went out. Me and Max had organised some short course very informal racing, to sort out where everyones gaps in training are when it comes to getting around the course. Some of the points that we picked out:
Alex: tacks were really good, and it showed how much work he has put into it, all he has to do now is have the boat's set up sorted out, and watch out Dave Lister. He was fast around the race course but needs to be consistent with his foiling angles, and over stepping the layline didnt help, because it meant that I could sneak in just ahead of him, and carry my momentum around to give him shit air.
Kerstin: needs to sort out her tacks and gybes, mentally she made all the right decisions, but her tacks and gybes let her down in the long run, especially when the gybe goes wrong and she capsized. As for her starts, she needs more boat speed, just to get off the line with pace, so Low riding is a definet no-no, rather risk having to duck the few boats there are on the start and lose a little ground to windward, than have to low ride until reaching clear air to get on the foils.
Marcus: Put spacers on the vang spinlocks, so that you can actually pull it in all the way and not get that ugly twist at the top that all Moth sailors have become really used to. Manoeuver's were well planned and upwind speed was good, but that vang could have been critical in getting that boat speed, helping the sail go throught the tacks and stop the sail from crashing across on gybes. Speaking of gybes, it would really help both Marcus and Kerstin if they pitched their boats to leward abit before gybing in order to get it to carve its way through the water, and also so that the steering can be quicker to keep the boat speed up and let the battens 'pop' easier. Also change the mainsheet strops configuration to be an upside down V again instead of the A at the moment, this combined with lengthening them a bit more, will mean that the sail is being pulled sideway to sheet in, instead of diagonally up and down, which loses both effectiveness and time, because the boom will never be centreline, and the distance and strength needed to pull the main in block to block is much greater.
That all for today.
Dubai Worlds 2010 will be amazing! so put it in your diary, book the airfare, get your visa, get a shipping quote & BE THERE!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Im never any good with thinking of a witty or clver title, so ill just leave it blank.
Sailing for me is desperately necessary as I need to get back into a sailing rythm before the DXB worlds next March. I have got my physical training sorted, with going running nearly daily and swimming, playing badminton and visiting the gym becoming more frequent too!
I am 100% certain that the worlds here will set the benchmark so far. I heard that no matter how little you do, it will be better than Weymouth. But Dubai will be good, Chris, Glenn, Joel and Lisa know what they are doing and will have it all planned out, so, BE THERE!.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
form guide 2009
So this is my form guide for the 2009 Moth worlds at the Gorge:
1st- Nathan Outteridge
2nd- Arnaud Psarofaghis
3rd- Rohan Veal
4th- Bora Gulari
5ht- Scott Babbage
6th- Simon Payne
7th- Chris Graham
8th- Amac
9th- Glenn Raphael
10th- Kevin Hall
no questions asked.
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