The McDougall and McConaghy
2016 International Moth Australian Championships
at the South of Perth Yacht Club
Between the 2nd and the 8th of January
Friday the 8th of January
After the stinker of a day on Thursday where the seabreeze came in at 2.30 pm and shut down at 3.45 pm it was a relief to get a breeze that decided to stay in and in relatively the same direction. From the nor east this time and for the sailors, this meant dealing with the gusts that came down the sides of the track. Knowledge of this was to prove critical for all as getting onto one of these meant huge gains, or pain big time as the fleet sailed past you.
There is a lesson to be learned about getting onto the water. It takes about 3 minutes to get your foils on and if you think that the guys in front of you are going to hurry up....... It's better to be the early bird and get to the line with time up your sleeve than try and do it at the last minute. However a lesson has been learnt and a beach marshal will be the way to go in the future, with a painted clear lane on the grass to facilitate movement of trollies.
The first race was a nice look at the nor easterlies with their attendant gusts that can make or break you, it didn't help every one either. Josh McKnight was lured into shallow water and spent a few valuable seconds wondering why he'd gone that far in. The start of the race was not well attended thanks to the lateness of moth drivers getting out onto the water and a lot of people could see that the weather was only going to get heavier and took the DNC as an opportunity to change foils for the second and third races. ( including the time they AP'd as they shifted the marks to reflect the change in the breeze ).
The second race saw the breeze starting to pick up a little and at the top mark we were getting some of the foilers having trouble with the gybe and losing places as they flopped to the water while the luckier ones stayed up right and soared past the grounded ones. The finish line wasn't too bad either with no bad bail outs and the drone crew in the air and alert for the good finishes. A little more east in the breeze now and the odd fat drop of rain fell from the clouds, but nothing to worry about.
The third race and the storms were really building around the river and heavy rain could be seen to the north. Un beknownst to the sailors, we had a large storm front working it's way down the coast with the consequential winds and rain on the way. Away the fleet went and we lingered around the bottom waiting for the return of the fleet. We knew it wouldn't be long. By now the breeze was at 15 knots or better in the squalls and Josh hit the mark and soared away into the distance at least 200 meters in front of all the fleet. The second rounding had him even further in front and the foilers were starting to crash badly as they negotiated the bottom mark. One sequence of images had five Moths in it of which only one managed to stay on his foils. Great photographic opportunity.
Some guys (and girls) learnt their lesson and stayed low and a little safer. Others still had the candle turned up to bright and to hell with falling off. I like that attitude. The finish was just as good and apart from Josh almost beating us to the finish line for the photo op, we then managed to get some cracking shots of the finishers and some desperate falls at the finish line.
Once again Victorian Josh McKnight proved his skills on the water and brushing aside a bad first race then turned on a flawless display to take the next two races, accumulating no less than 12 bullets over 15 races. Rob Gough from Tasmania had been harrying Josh all the way and took a comfortable second for the regatta with Ed Chapman of Great Britain not too far behind in third.
Of the local brigade Steve Thomas of Royal Perth YC pulled the fat out of the fire with a very good fourth for the regatta and Fang Warren of East Fremantle YC took a strong eighth out of the racing and showed that Perth has definitely got the goods on the water. The Grand Master was in fine force with Andrew McDougall taking fifth spot overall and showing all of the skills that he's accumulated over the years.
Special regards to the three lady sailors in the regatta. Emma Jane Spiers of NSW took the gong as the best placed woman sailor followed by Wakako Tabata from Victoria very close behind with novitiate Kirstin Norris of SoPYC who's only been foiling for a year or so as a (happy to just finish the race) foiler.
More importantly, all three sailed every race and set a mark in the sand for the rest of the racers. Delighted to see.
Many thanks to the sponsors of the event: McDougall and McConachy, Deck Hardware, Zhik , CST Composites, Knee Deep Wines and Matso's Brewery.
More importantly.. many thanks to SoPYC and the race team headed by Les Swinton; to Colin Spence who took over the reins of the WA Moths for the regatta; the volunteers and of course the on water group who made this work. Then there are the sailors. Thanks to you all.
After the stinker of a day on Thursday where the seabreeze came in at 2.30 pm and shut down at 3.45 pm it was a relief to get a breeze that decided to stay in and in relatively the same direction. From the nor east this time and for the sailors, this meant dealing with the gusts that came down the sides of the track. Knowledge of this was to prove critical for all as getting onto one of these meant huge gains, or pain big time as the fleet sailed past you.
There is a lesson to be learned about getting onto the water. It takes about 3 minutes to get your foils on and if you think that the guys in front of you are going to hurry up....... It's better to be the early bird and get to the line with time up your sleeve than try and do it at the last minute. However a lesson has been learnt and a beach marshal will be the way to go in the future, with a painted clear lane on the grass to facilitate movement of trollies.
The first race was a nice look at the nor easterlies with their attendant gusts that can make or break you, it didn't help every one either. Josh McKnight was lured into shallow water and spent a few valuable seconds wondering why he'd gone that far in. The start of the race was not well attended thanks to the lateness of moth drivers getting out onto the water and a lot of people could see that the weather was only going to get heavier and took the DNC as an opportunity to change foils for the second and third races. ( including the time they AP'd as they shifted the marks to reflect the change in the breeze ).
The second race saw the breeze starting to pick up a little and at the top mark we were getting some of the foilers having trouble with the gybe and losing places as they flopped to the water while the luckier ones stayed up right and soared past the grounded ones. The finish line wasn't too bad either with no bad bail outs and the drone crew in the air and alert for the good finishes. A little more east in the breeze now and the odd fat drop of rain fell from the clouds, but nothing to worry about.
The third race and the storms were really building around the river and heavy rain could be seen to the north. Un beknownst to the sailors, we had a large storm front working it's way down the coast with the consequential winds and rain on the way. Away the fleet went and we lingered around the bottom waiting for the return of the fleet. We knew it wouldn't be long. By now the breeze was at 15 knots or better in the squalls and Josh hit the mark and soared away into the distance at least 200 meters in front of all the fleet. The second rounding had him even further in front and the foilers were starting to crash badly as they negotiated the bottom mark. One sequence of images had five Moths in it of which only one managed to stay on his foils. Great photographic opportunity.
Some guys (and girls) learnt their lesson and stayed low and a little safer. Others still had the candle turned up to bright and to hell with falling off. I like that attitude. The finish was just as good and apart from Josh almost beating us to the finish line for the photo op, we then managed to get some cracking shots of the finishers and some desperate falls at the finish line.
Once again Victorian Josh McKnight proved his skills on the water and brushing aside a bad first race then turned on a flawless display to take the next two races, accumulating no less than 12 bullets over 15 races. Rob Gough from Tasmania had been harrying Josh all the way and took a comfortable second for the regatta with Ed Chapman of Great Britain not too far behind in third.
Of the local brigade Steve Thomas of Royal Perth YC pulled the fat out of the fire with a very good fourth for the regatta and Fang Warren of East Fremantle YC took a strong eighth out of the racing and showed that Perth has definitely got the goods on the water. The Grand Master was in fine force with Andrew McDougall taking fifth spot overall and showing all of the skills that he's accumulated over the years.
Special regards to the three lady sailors in the regatta. Emma Jane Spiers of NSW took the gong as the best placed woman sailor followed by Wakako Tabata from Victoria very close behind with novitiate Kirstin Norris of SoPYC who's only been foiling for a year or so as a (happy to just finish the race) foiler.
More importantly, all three sailed every race and set a mark in the sand for the rest of the racers. Delighted to see.
Many thanks to the sponsors of the event: McDougall and McConachy, Deck Hardware, Zhik , CST Composites, Knee Deep Wines and Matso's Brewery.
More importantly.. many thanks to SoPYC and the race team headed by Les Swinton; to Colin Spence who took over the reins of the WA Moths for the regatta; the volunteers and of course the on water group who made this work. Then there are the sailors. Thanks to you all.
Wednesday the 6th of January
A good day for sailing with a WSW pushing through early in the day. We knew what was in store and the early predictions of the breeze swinging into the SW were never realized. If it starts in the West, it'll generally stay there and not build. So a breeze of 10 to 15 knots and a busy start line.
RO Les Swinton and his team had the line in action on time and the fleet was away with predictable results for the first race. Josh McKnight of NSW running away with the bullet and local man Steve Thomas hard on his heels. Taswegian Robert Gough scooped up third as a consolation prize. Comments from several observers have determined that there are perhaps a dozen contenders for the top three, but it'll be hard to get the top spot out of McKnight's hands.
Going up the middle has paid well in the past for several of us in keelboats in similar situations, but if you are in phase heading into Applecross Spit, the lift you can get off the corner can take you to the top of the mark in a heck of a hurry. Sitting up at the top mark watching the boats hitting the corner and coming across, it was clear that those at the top were working the shifts that came through the centre well. We had the drone team on board and it stayed firmly in the box for the day. There was just a bit too much breeze for comfort for the pilot. But it was clear that the breezes were through the middle of the river and not down the south side of the river.
Race two and three were given over to McKnight again as he continued to accumulate bullets, but Robert Gough took a second in the second race and a fourth in the third. By the way Gough has sailed very consistently through out the regatta with his one drop being a seven; McKnight and Chapman have both dropped double figures. The highest ranked local man is Steve Thomas and as a man of many skills other than Moth pilot he's putting up a great show. The best placed visitor is Kohei Kajimoto, sailing ostensibly from BRYC but it can be assumed that his nationality is other than Aussie. The next local is Fang Warren of EFYC and he's only a sneeze away from the top ten as well. The best placed woman is Emma Jane Spears of NSW with Wakako Tabata only a step away. Local girl Kirstin Norris is just proud of the fact that she's finished every race and remained upright for most of the time. (Though gybing twice in a row is still to wondered at). As for the masters, well I still like Phil Stevenson, but Andy McDougal has the goods on him. Damn he's good.
Again I'm away on Thursday but will return for Friday.
A good day for sailing with a WSW pushing through early in the day. We knew what was in store and the early predictions of the breeze swinging into the SW were never realized. If it starts in the West, it'll generally stay there and not build. So a breeze of 10 to 15 knots and a busy start line.
RO Les Swinton and his team had the line in action on time and the fleet was away with predictable results for the first race. Josh McKnight of NSW running away with the bullet and local man Steve Thomas hard on his heels. Taswegian Robert Gough scooped up third as a consolation prize. Comments from several observers have determined that there are perhaps a dozen contenders for the top three, but it'll be hard to get the top spot out of McKnight's hands.
Going up the middle has paid well in the past for several of us in keelboats in similar situations, but if you are in phase heading into Applecross Spit, the lift you can get off the corner can take you to the top of the mark in a heck of a hurry. Sitting up at the top mark watching the boats hitting the corner and coming across, it was clear that those at the top were working the shifts that came through the centre well. We had the drone team on board and it stayed firmly in the box for the day. There was just a bit too much breeze for comfort for the pilot. But it was clear that the breezes were through the middle of the river and not down the south side of the river.
Race two and three were given over to McKnight again as he continued to accumulate bullets, but Robert Gough took a second in the second race and a fourth in the third. By the way Gough has sailed very consistently through out the regatta with his one drop being a seven; McKnight and Chapman have both dropped double figures. The highest ranked local man is Steve Thomas and as a man of many skills other than Moth pilot he's putting up a great show. The best placed visitor is Kohei Kajimoto, sailing ostensibly from BRYC but it can be assumed that his nationality is other than Aussie. The next local is Fang Warren of EFYC and he's only a sneeze away from the top ten as well. The best placed woman is Emma Jane Spears of NSW with Wakako Tabata only a step away. Local girl Kirstin Norris is just proud of the fact that she's finished every race and remained upright for most of the time. (Though gybing twice in a row is still to wondered at). As for the masters, well I still like Phil Stevenson, but Andy McDougal has the goods on him. Damn he's good.
Again I'm away on Thursday but will return for Friday.
Monday the 4th of January
The day was going to be a stinker no matter what. A shifty nasty swirling westerly that was more confused by the lingering low pressure sitting off the coast than RO Les was on the day. AP after AP rolled on and finally it decided to fill in a bit and given that we had Melville Water West for the day rather than the Eastern end , we knew that at least we would see a bit of pressure. A good length of .7 NM was set and the length didn't vary over the day, though the top buoy wandered a little as the breeze shifted. At one stage we were set up to take photo's as the fleet swept toward us and they took off on a huge lift up the middle.. A quick change of plans had us at the top mark asap.
The first race was good with Rob Gough swallowing it up and local boy Steve Thomas proved that home ground is a big help when sailing on these fickle breezes. The next race was a light winds test with the top mark becoming a procession as the wind died leaving half the fleet out on the wings where they had been riding the lifts. The folk who stayed in the centre did the right thing and got to the top mark reasonably easily where they were greeted by the drone who was able to get up close and personal with a number of the mothies. This one went to Josh McKnight of NSW, but be mindful that he'd spent a year or so over here in the West recently and knew the Swan well. Behind him was Kohei Kajimoto sailing a very good race and as a light weight, he was in his element. The next race started well with Andy McDougall busting the line and having to go back. Still in his words " I was third to the top " , so he didn't have too bad a day. Another fascinating thing on the start line was Fang Warrens charge on the line on port tack, looking for the gap. You be the judge.... have a look at the sequence.
And finally that enormous stack that Glen Oldfield had on Whisper in the launching area. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. Thanks Glen. And no damage ( apparently ) to the solid wing. He came in at speed and lost it. He will be checking the images to see where he went wrong. Right at the end Glen :-)
And for the top three for the day.... No guessing about Rob Gough, he's first , Steve Thomas is second and Mr. consistent Andrew McDougall is on level numbers with Steve but picked up third thanks to scoring. But don't forget Josh McKnight. One drop and he's back in it again. The last two races were bullets. It's just the 24 in the first which is holding him back.
Enjoy the images.
The day was going to be a stinker no matter what. A shifty nasty swirling westerly that was more confused by the lingering low pressure sitting off the coast than RO Les was on the day. AP after AP rolled on and finally it decided to fill in a bit and given that we had Melville Water West for the day rather than the Eastern end , we knew that at least we would see a bit of pressure. A good length of .7 NM was set and the length didn't vary over the day, though the top buoy wandered a little as the breeze shifted. At one stage we were set up to take photo's as the fleet swept toward us and they took off on a huge lift up the middle.. A quick change of plans had us at the top mark asap.
The first race was good with Rob Gough swallowing it up and local boy Steve Thomas proved that home ground is a big help when sailing on these fickle breezes. The next race was a light winds test with the top mark becoming a procession as the wind died leaving half the fleet out on the wings where they had been riding the lifts. The folk who stayed in the centre did the right thing and got to the top mark reasonably easily where they were greeted by the drone who was able to get up close and personal with a number of the mothies. This one went to Josh McKnight of NSW, but be mindful that he'd spent a year or so over here in the West recently and knew the Swan well. Behind him was Kohei Kajimoto sailing a very good race and as a light weight, he was in his element. The next race started well with Andy McDougall busting the line and having to go back. Still in his words " I was third to the top " , so he didn't have too bad a day. Another fascinating thing on the start line was Fang Warrens charge on the line on port tack, looking for the gap. You be the judge.... have a look at the sequence.
And finally that enormous stack that Glen Oldfield had on Whisper in the launching area. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. Thanks Glen. And no damage ( apparently ) to the solid wing. He came in at speed and lost it. He will be checking the images to see where he went wrong. Right at the end Glen :-)
And for the top three for the day.... No guessing about Rob Gough, he's first , Steve Thomas is second and Mr. consistent Andrew McDougall is on level numbers with Steve but picked up third thanks to scoring. But don't forget Josh McKnight. One drop and he's back in it again. The last two races were bullets. It's just the 24 in the first which is holding him back.
Enjoy the images.
Sunday the 3rd of January
A great day on the water with plenty of wind to ease the pain.
The invitational race was held today and while I don't have the results as the club website hasn't got the stuff up yet, I've got plenty of images and stories to play with. First up, I was fortunate enough to be present at the 2010 Nationals and I was glad to see one or two of the gang who turned up then, still pushing Moths around.
In fact, all hail Ian Sim, who has been driving that scow forever. He's complaining of bad ankles, but he hasn't missed a chance for a sail yet. Andrew McDougall is still pushing the limit and Phil Stevenson has returned as well, the boat is still yellow and black and goes faster, or so I am told. Three girls have joined the fleet Emma Jane Speers, Kirsten Norris and Wakako Tabata. More power to them too. Oh! Kirsten won the early entry raffle ... a new CSR boom. Nice one. Lots of local lads in the fleet of 54 and it's a credit to the organizers. Then again good sea breezes, green lawns .. cheap camping .. free beer.... who wouldn't turn up?
We've had a couple of additions to the make up of the fleet, and the foiling scow ( dagger boards) is on the water and doesn't fall over as much as the I Moth apparently, but they go faster than Ian's moth. Then I saw in the centre board building a rigid sail that is to be tested over the week. Ok... lets see how it goes.
The camping area is full and the pleasure of a Matsos beer after sailing is most enjoyable. I believe that Knee Deep wines were tapped up for some red for the after sailing as well and the mark layers are extremely appreciative.
RO Les Swinton and his willing race team were delighted to get the ball rolling and as soon as the breeze was in out of the sou west away they went with a drone over head and a great fleet of people watching the event. Two great races ensued with a slight change of race venue for the second race as the Javelins came out to finish off their Nationals. A building sea breeze meant for some frolic on the water and yes there were some broken masts and bits. But that's nationals racing for you.
One sailor mentioned to me that she was a little terrified of the traffic on the water. It was Sunday after all and everyone wanted to see what was going on. Even a thumping big 70 footer that may have come from a royal club. They just wandered through the racing fleet. (They actually pay the skippers on some of those boats.)
Enjoy the images.
Yes they are available for sale. $7.50 for 1 MB +(personal use) and $35 for full size 5 t0 6 MB ( shared commercial ). Use the contact page.
A great day on the water with plenty of wind to ease the pain.
The invitational race was held today and while I don't have the results as the club website hasn't got the stuff up yet, I've got plenty of images and stories to play with. First up, I was fortunate enough to be present at the 2010 Nationals and I was glad to see one or two of the gang who turned up then, still pushing Moths around.
In fact, all hail Ian Sim, who has been driving that scow forever. He's complaining of bad ankles, but he hasn't missed a chance for a sail yet. Andrew McDougall is still pushing the limit and Phil Stevenson has returned as well, the boat is still yellow and black and goes faster, or so I am told. Three girls have joined the fleet Emma Jane Speers, Kirsten Norris and Wakako Tabata. More power to them too. Oh! Kirsten won the early entry raffle ... a new CSR boom. Nice one. Lots of local lads in the fleet of 54 and it's a credit to the organizers. Then again good sea breezes, green lawns .. cheap camping .. free beer.... who wouldn't turn up?
We've had a couple of additions to the make up of the fleet, and the foiling scow ( dagger boards) is on the water and doesn't fall over as much as the I Moth apparently, but they go faster than Ian's moth. Then I saw in the centre board building a rigid sail that is to be tested over the week. Ok... lets see how it goes.
The camping area is full and the pleasure of a Matsos beer after sailing is most enjoyable. I believe that Knee Deep wines were tapped up for some red for the after sailing as well and the mark layers are extremely appreciative.
RO Les Swinton and his willing race team were delighted to get the ball rolling and as soon as the breeze was in out of the sou west away they went with a drone over head and a great fleet of people watching the event. Two great races ensued with a slight change of race venue for the second race as the Javelins came out to finish off their Nationals. A building sea breeze meant for some frolic on the water and yes there were some broken masts and bits. But that's nationals racing for you.
One sailor mentioned to me that she was a little terrified of the traffic on the water. It was Sunday after all and everyone wanted to see what was going on. Even a thumping big 70 footer that may have come from a royal club. They just wandered through the racing fleet. (They actually pay the skippers on some of those boats.)
Enjoy the images.
Yes they are available for sale. $7.50 for 1 MB +(personal use) and $35 for full size 5 t0 6 MB ( shared commercial ). Use the contact page.