Not much on

Seems likes ages ago I’ve been mothing. I remember trying some gybes but sitting too far back. It’s funny though that the amount of crashing keeps getting less and less. I think I need to start taking some more risks when sailing.

But honestly, I’m too busy with other stuff outside sailing. Sold my flat last week, and looking for a new house now. Criteria are: near a place where good mothing is possible (check), needs a room at least 3.20 metres by 2.20 (check), location near enough to work to be able to train weekday evenings (check).

Happy with the Dutch and Belgian mothies getting underway. It seems like we might be getting a fourth official even. Wow… Now all we need is a Dutch or Belgian European Champion!

(ok Hans, there’s your update!)

Dutch and Belgian moth regatta

More news from the Dutch and Belgian moth regatta at Hellevoetsluis:

Blog post by Eelco Boers (new blog!): http://ejbmoth.blogspot.com/

Blog post by Giovanni: http://giovannigaleotti.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunday-races.html

Photo’s: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildetukker/sets/72157618004140840/

Results: http://www.hellecat.nl/wedstrijden/uitslagen/2009/moth10052009.html 

 More stuff (video, photos) to follow…

Dutch and Belgian Mothies very alive!

We’ve had a very succesfull regatta this weekend with a mixed bag between no wind, and a seabreeze building to a nice 15 knots. First photos and results from www.moth.nl
Personnaly, I’m not happy with a 5th place out of 7, but I know I’m getting better, and quite happy to be fully in control of the boat in 15 knots of wind. More on the regatta later.
No foiling gybe yet, but one neeeeeeaaarly, and I found a more important goal, to find height upwind (ups).

Packing for racing!

After ages of not being on the water, I’m packing my stuff for Moth racing in the lowlands! I’d nearly forgotten what mothing was about, but getting my boat sorted yesterday brought me back in the mood, what a boat. Participation for the regatta is looking good (7-ish boats).
Now, if only I’d gotten myself more fit… Playing volleybal a few times over the last few months isn’t really enough I’m afraid. A well that will come with sailing.
After the regatta my boat will go to Lemmer, where the good foiling waters are…

Getting there

Some things happening lately, unfortunately none of them about me sailing a moth.

The Dutch moth class is getting established back. Eelco Boers is now the treasurer, and Hans has found a very welcoming catamaran club for our first regatta for years. More info is at:

http://internationalmoth.ning.com/forum/topics/hellecat-regatta

We hope for some good participation from our Easterly neighbours, and there is a rumour Simon Payne is interested to be there (you comin Si?) We’re starting 5 mins after the catamarans, so it should be a nice challenge to beat them.

There was a nice meeting from the german mothies (winterversammlung) where I finally learned how you actually change gearing for your foils (sounds easy: change the length of the connectors, but I’ve read how to do that, or seen some pics somewhere?).

Spring is making the first moves here, so if I don’t work too hard, I might actually find some time to go sailing sometime…

Keeping busy with the virtual volvo (Wilde Tukker on there) darn, lost 4000 places today, so dropped to place 5000 now, some fighting needed, but it is still a long way from somewhere halfway to southern ocean to Rio. I -must- get back to the first 1000…

Dutch and Belgian moth class back alive

After a pause we’re happy to announce that the Dutch and Belgian International Moth class is back alive! Hans Wuest from Rotterdam will do the regatta calender (helped by Juryk from Germany/Wageningen), I (Koos) will be keeping everything/one together as president.
We are currently planning a few regatta´s for next year, and hope for loads of mothies there!

But, we need your help. Urgently we are looking for a treasurer. We´re paying stuff ourselves now, which won´t work when we´ll need to buy prizes for regatta´s, hosting costs, class subscriptions.
So, if you’d like to contribute as treasurer, let me know.

There is a new website at http://www.moth.nl/
Feel free to post your stuff and join in. You can even start your own moth sailing blog from there.

Not long to go before the season kicks off, so let’s get warmed up, lose those kilo’s, and heat up the moth fitness regime! (that was a note to self)

2009

Woke up. Was that a new years party? Ah uh: Happy new year all!

So, what’s going to be in 2009? After an adventure in Scotland I did manage to find some sailing water in the North of Holland. Oh found a job there too, and oh, this time my partner wants to join So it looks like I’m finding myself a decent place to sail after all…

I’m not counting on too much time for sailing in 2009, as I be travelling quite a bit (need to sort house-stuff etc.) but let’s sets some goals anyway:

- The Dutch Moth class will live again! Together with Hans and Juryk, and hopefully “Belgium” we’re planning something…

- I want my boat on television, doesn’t need to be national, regional tv will do

- Foiling gybe, you can’t say I didn’t do my homework

That should be enough I guess. Planning to stay fit (maybe start kickboxing?), and keep working those arms… The moth has gotten me fit. Let’s keep it that way, and step it up.

Moth shop opened

The Moth shop is now open! It is also linked from the German moth pages. The main reason for building this was to get an easy way to order Moth logo’s and stickers and sail numbers to your own demands. But there is more stuff to get from there. A moth tanga? Moth bag? Championship t-shirts? Most items are customisable with your own sail number, or country sign, or whatever you want to put up there.

A small fee per item (from 1 to 0.5 euro) is going to the German moth association.

I’m happy to put more items in this shop by request, and the company behind this (Spreadshirt) are shipping internationally. So get em while you can!

Foiling gybe – 3

OK. When I get to post number 10 about the foiling gybe, probably I can do it. Now for some study. I dug up some YouTube video’s to study how other guys do the gybe. I think it can be broken up in these steps (please correct me when I’m wrong):

1. Get ready: sail deep and fast, lift up the tiller extension, flick it around the boom.

2. Get yourself on the other wing, get some heel to leeward, to make sure the boat is heeled to windward once you’ve gybed.

3. Steer through the wind and flip the battens.

4. Once you’ve got a good course, change back your hands.

All the way, you keep steering gently through the gybe. Simple, no?

I think you flip the battens by keeping the end of the mainsheet in your hand, and pull the bundle of the sheet by the block, or by pulling the boom. I’ve also seen some guys not bothering to flip battens, and steer through the gybe, letting the battens flip themselves. These gybes didn’t look so smooth though.

Some pics of steps 1, 2 and 3:

Simon Payne gybing

And more:

Adam May gybing

They make it look so easy!

Foiling gybe – 2

Had another try at the foiling gybe yesterday. And I feel it is coming on. The wind was 15 knots-ish, with the usual 2 knot spots in between. Good stuff for foil gybe training. I am flying trough the first bit allright now, moving forward a bit to keep the boat level, going to the other wing while you feel it is impossible, all the way gently steering through the gybe. There was one particularly good one which I think I had nailed, if only I had known what to do on the last bit of the gybe. I guess the last bit is: keep turning into the wind a bit more (broad reach) and move yourself a bit further out?

A nice thing is that I am learning to sail this boat. I only had 3 swims for 3 hours sailing. The difference is that I’m not looking at the boat anymore, but am looking at the wind. Helps to anticipate. After reading some funny book I even tried to sail with my eyes closed. It was quite cool to start foiling just by listening and feeling the heel of the boat! Must practice that on a bit bigger lake though…