Alan Hillman

Moth Fest 2012 and the Iberian Hampionships

2012-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Moth Fest 2012 will take place from 12-19th May 2012.

The weather has been ordered....(unlike last year...and for those in the north...it is 20 degrees and 10-12 knots today!)

Following feedback from last years event I have tried to change the format and feel slightly...as with the greater numbers that attended we fell between trying to deliver a fun, informal coaching event and a "regatta". This year we will be more structured so everyone knows what they are coming for in both departments.

So, in preparation for the 2013 Europeans we shall be holding a formal 3 day regatta on the 16/17/18th of May, leaving Sunday 19th to pack up, relax and recover from the Saturday night party. Unless we get a sponsor (and I am working on it...but it is hard right now!) the cost of this will be 150€. This will be known as the Iberian Hampionships (unless we get a sponsor!)

Separate to this from the 12-15th of May we shall be doing "Moth Fest". If you just want hang out and go sailing then the cost is 50€ and includes après sail beer and attendance at the organised "on - shore clinics" as well as any informal competition that we organise.

I am proposing at this stage that if there is enough interest for "structured" on the water coaching in small groups where we can achieve something constructive, I will organise this...please let me know if you want to participate in this.....one idea would be to co-ordinate this through the different nations attending so making the groups smaller....this will require coaches and ribs and fuel so will incur cost.
...but initially if you let me know what you want and I know how many I can cost it and co-ordinate it before pressing the button...PLEASE let me know what you need!

With this format fleet numbers should not be an issue ...we are equally happy with 20 or 40!

As always if you need any help/information etc then please let me know!

I look forward to hearing from you all.

That nagging voice in your ear......

2011-12-11T09:20:00.001-08:00

I have recently invested in a coaching helmet....The best part is that the student cannot answer back, but the ability to speak to the sailor in real time has obvious benefits for all concerned, and I do not need to lose my voice repeating the most overused moth coaching words of "sheet in" or "ease". The bad news is that you need to make sure your mic is turned off when exercising coaches verbal frustration relief....

Safe...and stylish

The helmet comes with adjustable volume levels and so far has proven a great asset on the water...we love it! The ability to feedback to beginners without breaking their concentration (they do not need to look at you and can actually hear you over the rib noise). Interestingly it is also showing some foil scuffs ..... maybe we should all be wearing helmets?

No shouting required

We opted for the head mounted mic...the ear piece is decorative...Anyone interested or wanting to know more just drop me a line.

I just can´t get enough!

2011-11-29T00:35:00.000-08:00

It seems ages since my last blog... quite a lot has been happening in Spain in terms of mothing as well as loads of new toys in the Hillman household! More of that in future blogs as I have got a bit more time now wetsuit season is upon us here.

The Eurosaf high performance grandprix came and went......and was marked by the majority of sailors doing their catholic impression and.... pulling out at the important moment. We only managed 4 boats though the effort made from "Janne from Finland" who drove down with his Mach2 on top of his Disco deserves mention.... The only other points worthy of mention were the 29er XX fleet who upped the pretty factor of the fleet somewhat...

and lining up with the Kites! The rest of the time we spent trying to convert the F18's away from the dark side...... we went straight to the top with that one...and Mitch Booth's nipper (with way more talent then his dad ever had....) NEEDS a new Mach 2 now!

Also have the family hooked now...though my 5 and 6 year old girls still need to be supervised on the Mach....worrying that they might want to nick the boat instead of the car in the future but at least they are not going to sail Oppies! (For anyone at social services no child or animal was hurt in this process...we put them in via the Rib ...with mum on board.... and then put them back without getting them wet.... the first 5 year old in the 20 knot club???)

Made this little video ...more on the flying camera in another post....

Anorak

2011-08-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

It was just a matter of time.....

The anorak had been left here after Moth Fest..... and with a few spots of rain and a scene reminiscient from "the mask" I foolishly slipped it on.

The rest is history...I craved the scent of epoxy...the fibres of carbon were whispering to me from the CTM repair box that Manfred had kindly donated to Moth Fest and within minutes a mould to hold my Speedpuck was underway!

It is now sunny..I managed to get the anorak off and all is well...it won't happen again! Apparently I was lucky....others had actually got the stage of putting on a bobble hat and pulling their trousers down till the crotch hits the knees and exposes the logo of their undoubtedly fashionable yet over priced undergarments.

Slightly worried about going to the TP52's in Cartagena on Friday though as I have never de-rigged the Mach 2...I am sure I even managed to get the boat rigged by some poor bugger in the first place so I am going to be a bit in the dark with all this.....the taking the sail off every time you want to go out really seems a bit of a drag....is this what the poor people have to do??? Damned uncivilised.

Ways to not Gybe

2011-08-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Or is it.... Ways not to gybe? Either way, I have seen more than a few variations and to help some folk with direction in their lives I have decided to catagorise a few favorites that I have witnessed coaching and running Moth Fest...

"Faith"...this is the stock gybe pulled out by those who actually cannot believe they can foil gybe...and in doing so they decide to have a break mid-gybe for some contemplative prayer in the middle of the boat...arse sitting in the middle of the hull, legs in the air, looking up inspecting under the tiller for inspiration.....or on their knees trying desperately to get the ship heading due east for best spiritual alignment before the claxon signifies the impending dive and the skipper has to order.... up periscope.

"Constipator" This categorises many a failed gybe the cause....unknown. No matter how much you try, how much effort you put in..it aint gonna happen...you will not work it out! Best go home and have a couple of pints of prune juice. With training, contemplation and perhaps use of a calculator or better still a pencil (and paper) you might get some success and finally work it out.

"Cherry popper" Who can ever forget their first? The realisation that whilst it eventually happened.... it was over all too quickly...and that if you are going to perform more frequently in more challenging circumstances then you are going to have to raise your game...this form of gybe is normally followed by a huge amount of relief that it finally happened...an inability to be be able to repeat the performance with out a great deal of recuperacion time (age related apparently!) and the realisation that you no longer have to lie to your mates ..."Foil gybes.....take em or leave em me...now working on doing em 2 up"

The "Osama" This is the one no one ever saw (at least until recently) Any initial cherry popping gybe needs independent verification...no-one believes the "I have pulled a few off"...this immediately gets the listener thinking that you undoubtedley pull off things all the time.

The "Peach" the one we dream of frequently and achieve ocassionaly. She is a shy, rare creature and we look on in awe if we see someone elses peach... like your best mates really hot girl/boy friend (delete as you wish) we would endeavour not to get caught looking at a peach...and would actually always deny seeing a peach, even if pushed by the owner of the fore-mentioned peach.

I am sure there are loads more out there......

Mach2...the family boat

2011-07-26T03:08:00.000-07:00

Just managing to get sailing again but the thumb is still not great and with so many clients at the minute I do not have much option!

We are now fully in to the Summer here and that means thermal afternoons so the guests we have are enjoying late mornings before a few rounds of afternoon Moth Wrestling. I have had all kinds of really cool people out recently...including a brain surgeon and a rocket scientist (straight up!) After a few days of bladeriding (to build my confidence!) they are given a go on the Mach2...and the rest is history (along with their bank balance)

Getting bored sailing on my own so took a passenger the other day(hope that does not invalidate the warranty!)

Just starting to get interest for the Eurosaf high performance regatta in october...that is going to be awesome sailing with some cool boats as well as the kites (they are having their Kite cross world champs the same time) more info on this soon or just shout if you want to know more!

Just trying to sort attending the TP52 regatta in Cartagena where the Spanish fleet will be putting on some demos in the harbour...The fleet is getting stronger all the time and with Adam May turning into a Spaniard we should have a reasonable turnout including class presidente (and the only true spaniard) Pablo Arandia who has also been off doing the UK nationals.

Breeze just kicking in here so have to go...trying hard to send some of this up North to Germany for the Euros!

Moth Fest Charity Work and Mach 2 Gucci Bonnet

2011-06-27T23:10:00.001-07:00

Most Mach 2 owners seem to file the bonnet somewhere other than its intended location...I always think that is a shame as no doubt Amac intended the boat to look like Adam Mays beautiful interpretation above.....Gucci!

More photos of bits I liked on Adams fantastically prepared boat in future blogs.

Many thanks to all those who were forced to donate to our Moth Fest charity. Thanks particularly to Manfred Schreiber for his unforced generosity... and all those of you who deemed it necessary/suitable to wear speedos for public display.

We raised enough money to re floor one of the physio rooms in a local centre that helps kids which you can see in the picture! They find it hard to get money to upgrade this kind of stuff as well as going through a load of admin. so Paloma and I just sourced and bought it after asking them what they most needed...and here it is in place!

Every little helped and the Centre is extremely grateful...as are we. Our eldest daughter had attended this centre for physio since she was born...she leaves next week as they only cater for pre-primary so I am sure she helped trash the old floor! Anyway, we have a child who can walk, run and jump despite her difficulites in life and that has certainly been helped in no small way by this centre. We hope that the many kids who pass through the doors in the future have as much fortune as we did.

We aim to do more in the future.......we will have lots of photos going up of Moth Fest in albums which we will happily send to you in hi-res, free of charge(sort of).... as soon as you have donated to the charity. More details soon...

Misery still shrouds my personal Mar Menor as I have been unable to get in the Mach 2 in nearly 2 months as the dislocated thumb is still not healed..the plans to hit the UK nationals have been shelved. On a happier note the Moth School is still popular with Europe still seeing Foiling as the way forward. Hoping it continues.....

Extremely jealous of everyone going to Stokes Bay...fingers crossed for the weather!

My forecast based on what I know(very little!).....not knowing who is going.....and not having seen the Stokes Bay Ninja's....

1. Si Payne

2. Mike Lennon

The final podium is up for grabs but contenders for me would be Taggy if he is not in Casualty, Richie Lovering if he doesn't choke, The Stokes Bay Ninja's . Others for a race win? Pete Barton if he has not parked it on a groin, Ben Paton if he can tear himself away from the tanning booth and Graham Simmonds if no-one else turns up. Apologies to anyone I ignored/abused or otherwise offended.

HERTZ...the politest car rental company in the world...they NEVER answer back!

2011-06-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

Long time since my last blog as have been flat out coaching and doing my proper job...which is how I came to "lose" my camera...and my video camera... with most of my Moth Fest data not having made it to the laptop.

I was a bit of cock to leave the kit in the rear boot of the hire car in Barcelona which had been kindly rented to me by the customer care focused team at HERTZ.

In mitigation...I was late, there was no fuel station in T1 at Barcelona and I was nicked for speeding (because I was late) ....on arriving very late at the car drop off, the collection dude was chatting with his mate in his souped up Seat Ibiza right in the middle of the car park blocking off access to the car return spots...after 5 mins of frustration I parked it in an empty Hertz spot...which woke up the returns dude who started bollocking me for parking in the wrong spot! Cutting a long story short, in my haste/temper/dummy spitting rant I left the kit in the boot!

Clearly I tried to get it back but after 2 calls to Hertz Barcelona who promised to check and get back to me (nothing after 4 days) and then a complaint to Hertz head office (who basically told me I was cock for leaving it in the car...I knew that) but at least they said they would check and get back to me (but it could take up to 10 days) After a further wait of greater than 10 days I am still awaiting a reply... I am off this afternoon to buy a new camera and just hoping that Hertz can at least supply a name and address so I can send on the tripod, battery chargers and flash gun , so that it is an attractive little package for e-bay.

Anyway...I am trying to compile photos from everyone who had a camera at Moth Fest so should be able to salvage some memories of a great event! Bear with me in my moment of crisis.

More recently coached Richard Langdon of Ocean Images...he was also kind enough to show us how to use our cameras a bit better so better results for next years Moth Fest as well as some awesome footage from a couple of Go Pro's...will post that when edited!

We also just coached a couple of competition winners from the Sailboat show who had a won a learn to foil course...a full report should go in the RYA news and hopefully show how Foiling Moth Sailing can become more main stream...these guys were small pond sailors with very limited experience of performance boats (ie VERY little) here are the results...

Moth Fest Day 3

2011-05-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

Perfect conditions today...and a great foil set up demo by Ricky which I video'd. (see above captions welcome) Will try and post somewhere when I get time.
The rain clouds cleared and with the Mar Menor serving up normal service of 12 knots and sunshine a full on day of Moth Foiling at its best ensued.

Ricky Tagg served up a fantastic session on boat and foil set up before the fleet hit the water for a tacking and gybing session demonstrating that Ricky had overlooked some of his health and safety warnings.

After a short break to get re-hydrated by the Crew Fuel company products supplied to the competitors the action was about to get serious. A series of 6 windward leeward races was the opportunity for everyone to get the mental pecking organised for the rest of the week and with perfect racing conditions the usual suspects were to be seen at the front.

The Mach 2 was the weapon of choice for the top 3 with the power supplied by Hyde and KA respectively. Mike Lennon seemed in superb form with upwind speed to burn but being a little over eager at the start made the scores look a bit more respectable for the chasing pack. 2nd place went to Richie Lovering who managed 2 race victories with 3rd to the very consistent Simon Reynolds in the Harken/Marlow sponsored boat. Top girl went to Katherine Knight completing all 6 races and top performance went to Carlo Mage from Germany who managed to break the British stranglehold on race wins as he came through to take the honours in the final race of the day.

On the more serious matter of the Balls of steel award the velociteks being expertly managed by Mundo Marino were recording speeds in the 20’s. A tie break saw the award going to Richie Lovering with Tom Offer (yesterdays pink handbag winner) just beaten on being slower over the 20 second average. Sue Ogg unfortunately collected the pink handbag on a badly behaving boat due to a control rod slippage. Some competitors also failed to register their speeds in a bid to avoid the handbag. They (along with any speedo wearers) have been fined for our charity which supports Spanish families of premature babies and awarded the badge of shame for non compliance. Rounding off the day Marlow and Harken daily prizes were awarded through the cold beer and tapas happy hour.

Moth Fest day 2

2011-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of The Pro-Vela Mar Menor Moth Fest began with an uncharacteristic 20-25 knots of cold northerly air and the occasional shower. Caused no doubt by the fact that the British were in town and there was a barbeque planned.

The scheduled briefing by Velocitek agents Mundo Marine took place and the GPS units fitted to enable the hunt for the first daily winner of the Moth Balls of steel.

With a top speed of 25.5 knots Peter Barton took the honours. Competition for avoiding the pink handbag was equally tough and surprisingly due to most of the sailors preferring to sit out the challenging conditions, Tom Offer picked up the coveted award with what will probably prove to be the fastest slowest speed of the week of over 22 knots!

An emotional Barton, clearly moved by his stunning performance can be seen in the photos displaying the type of mentality required to hit such speeds...

With the rain clearing out the fleet retired to the beer filled RS’ Q’Ba and the BBQ run by event partner La Diva as Barton celebrated well into the night.

Tomorrow should see the return of the more familiar sunshine and another fun packed day of Coaching, Racing and socialising, the core components of Moth Fest.

Moth Fest Day 1

2011-05-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the press release as a blog but we have had a bit on..A great first day with the French, German and British fleets turning out in great numbers...and the Irish and Spanish also doing their best. The Nations cup gets under way with results from Eurovision counting towards the final points...the French are looking in good shape the Irish looked hosed and with no-one voting for the Brits on principle I am hoping the Spanish can sneak a decent result. With points available for wine and cheese products and Go-Karting it is going to be full on off the the water! The Brits might be in trouble......anyway the press release more tomorrow!

Moth Fest is based at Pro-Vela, a unique sailing centre based upon the principles of providing the best coaching in the best location using the best equipment available, whilst the sailing will be taking place on the Mar Menor – A lagoon of over 700 square kilometres of warm water that’s is blessed with 315 days of annual sunshine, helping produce flat water conditions with reliable thermal winds.

Moth Fest differs from normal regattas as the focus is firmly on having fun. With pursuit racing, downwind slalom and long distance racing (as well as a more conventional 2 day regatta at the end) being just the pretext for spending a great week socializing and learning in a location that can only be described as one of sailings best kept secrets.

Alan Hillman, Event founder and host; “Having an international fleet of 40 Moth sailors at our base in CAR Infanta Cristina on the Mar Menor will be a fantastic experience for sailors and spectators alike. Warm, flat water, reliable thermal breezes and top level coaching and expert advice on all aspects of Moth sailing will create a unique and memorable sailing regatta that has seen the event double in size this year.”

And Moth Fest kicked off in some style today. A Perfect sea breeze arrived exactly on time for afternoon windward leeward racing in 10 knots.

With 40 boats representing all corners of the European foiling mothosphere everyone is here to win the coveted Mothballs of steel... and avoid the pink handbag which will be awarded daily to the highest and lowest recorded speeds on the factory supplied velocitek units.

Clothing supplier Magic Marine have fortunately supplied long sleeve rash vests to counteract the sun and with Crew Fuel providing the rehydration and energy supplies the first day of Moth Fest seemed to hit the right buttons immediately. As the happy sailors hit the beach after a day of Spain at its finest it was left to class stalwart Graham Simmonds to sum it all up.”Just awesome and exactly what I came here for. I Can’t wait for tomorrow to try and get my hands on those balls”,

The "Osama"

2011-04-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hi from a windy and sunny Spain! Just had a German invasion over the past 2 weeks Manfred, Kerstin and Andreas have been out enjoying the wind and weather and I have been trying to catch up on the boatwork..still a bit of Marlow Control continuous line to splice but most stuff seems to be working on its first outing and really happy with the adjustable wand/ride height adjuster combo in the choppy stuff. Clam cleat do a nice clew line adjuster that works a treat on the tramps!

Moth Fest kind of took backstage for me with opening up for the season and then straight in to guests but we are now up to 40 competitors (plus me)....thanks to a late booking replacing our intrepid fromer world champion who due to a work commitment led him to performing his catholic impression and pulling out at the last moment. A great shame as I was hoping for some more top tips on getting the best from the Mach2.

Europe seems to be waking up from the winter and the boat handling sounds like it is improving a lot in the fleet with a lot of talk about the "Bin laden" or foiling tack...we know it exists but no-one has actually seen it...really can't wait for May to see it done! Having said that, Pete B was out doing some impressive moves recently and was certainly quick when we lined up but not convinced I saw an Osama.

Now...have to get on the water in the Mach2 rather than the RX coaching..and must get fit.

Good to know that moth sailing never really changes that much.

Moth V's Family

2011-03-18T02:25:00.000-07:00

Having read Si's bible study class and having previously discussed this subject with him...I would really like someone from the Travemunde tourist board to sell the place to my wife and 2 daughters... currently I have the Garda worlds pencilled in as being a possibility to take the family...beautiful place, great food and breeze (hopefully not too much) so I think I can sell that... but I also have another issue!

I bought this beautiful regatta wagon....my kids love it...boat goes on top or behind... but the toilet and shower facilities, well. If I am going to any regattas it was made pretty clear that the proximity of a suitable building decorated by a handful (hand=fingers=5) of stars and adjoined by the word Spa is going to be a deal maker/breaker... it is hard enough selling the family holiday/moth regatta combo and I guess the VW was not aiding the process. Anyone want to buy a cool VW? I imagine you are younger than me, have no children and are either single or are in the dawn of a relationship where your girlfriend will say "of course I love camping"...which she actually doesn't but thinks that you are going to a regatta to hang out at an exotic location with a load of cool people, lots of hot chicks etc and wants to keep an eye on you... after a weekend at a moth regatta she won't be bothering you again. Anyway...someone please buy my Van I am saving up for Garda..or maybe Travemunde if someone can get me past memories of being spanked by huge waves,and swimming in loads of weed.

As regards cool venues...apart from the Mar Menor (which I still think is hard to beat) I have to disagree with Simon as regards the Bitter End....I worked there for 3 seasons as a nipper and I still remember being raped by customs/immigration officers and the planes trains and automobiles exercise to get there...great venue for racing in the sound when the trades are in though!

Moth Fest will hopefully hit a few of the buttons for a good regatta and with the 2013 Euros coming to town we will hopefully have a good formula by then...a couple of things we are trying this year are:

Velocitek on every boat! Thanks to Mundo Marine and velocitek each boat will have a gps on it so we will be competing for what was originally the Balls of Steel...but has actually become the "balls of carbon" thanks to Manfred of CTM who is building the trophy as we speak...we are having a bit of discussion on the finer points... the latest from Germany is:

Alan,Please be a bit more specific. Size of the whole thing, Size of balls, hanging balls, balls before exploding, hairy balls, etc. I have to give advise or a rough drawing (illustrator ok) to my guys. They are no Mothies and I will not ask them to put their balls on the scanner to have something to draw from...
best regards
Manfred ......

Round the island... handicap. We will work out a way of making it next to impossible for anyone good to win a sprint up and round the Isla de Perdiguera and back.

A 2 day, serious but fun regatta at the end of the week where the competitors decide the format...

Free beer when you come ashore at the end of the day.

If anyone has any good ideas (on entertaining 4 year olds or Moth events) or wants to buy a van then just shout... I have bugger all to do as I am baby sitting a flu ridden child...I will happily consider anything!

Moth Fest official charity

2011-03-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

In a desperate bid to stop the Germans wearing fiddlies (speedo's) on the beach this year I have decided to initiate a fine system for anyone who may think that lycra on men looks better than a pair of boardies...undoubtedly we will be inundated with good reasons why the wurst hammocks are worn in the motherland but frankly I don't care...I really do not want to see them!

On a serious note the charity that we are supporting will be APREM http://www.aprem-e.org/

If you do not speak Spanish it is a charity supporting the families of Premature children, a subject very close to home for me as my eldest daughter was born as one of twins at 27 weeks. We unfortunately lost her sister and with Natalia's weight dropping to 600 grammes the heart and lung problems she had were insignificant in comparison to the brain haemorage she suffered. IVH as it is known is graded from 1 at best to 4 at worse...and Natalia had a 3:4. Natalia has since been an inspiration to us as a family as she endured life saving brain surgery and countless weeks in the ICU, with us on several occasions thinking she was not going to make it...and if she did would we be ready to deal with the consequences. She has battled through all of the crap placed in her way and as she confounds medicine and ourselves she shows me every day that there is certain stuff in life that is important and an awful lot of stuff that isn't.

From not knowing if Natalia was ever going to be able to breathe, eat, crawl, speak, walk she has just stuck two fingers up to anything getting in her way and is now bi lingual, running, and doing everything a healthy five year old should be doing...as you might imagine I am just a little bit proud of her! People who have known what Natalia and ourselves have been through cannot believe what bad luck we have had....when I have left the ICU I have often considered myself to be extremely lucky. Hence why I want to help.

So...that's why anyone wearing nasty swim wear, being a plonker or in any other way deserving of being fined will be contributing to a great cause....these things in life are so random and often unexplained! (our next child popped out exactly on the due date!)

Moths in London

2011-03-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

Just got back to Spain from the UK Dinghy show. Kiko from our Centre in Murcia came too and received a complete culture shock when confronted with the UK dinghy scene! It still strikes me as a bit odd that so many can be so enthused by such crappy old designs but it just shows there is something for everyone out there! Funny to see the history of the Moth represented by the British Moth and the Europe, strong classes in their own right but in a different universe to the foilers on show at the International Moth Stand.

I was there giving a talk on the main stage on Foiling Fundamentals in a commercial capacity trying to get people to come and try foiling in Spain and the guys on the stand were there....."promoting the class". What that entailed was trying to get people to allow their pride and joys to be poked and prodded by the great unwashed British public...so Mike Lennon, Ricky Tagg and Phil Oligario all deserve a big hand for dealing with that, getting the boats there etc. Also there for the whole show and holding the entire thing together was Graham Simmonds. He did the set up, break down and dealt with all the crapola that goes hand in hand with running a stand...well beyond his responsibilities as class secretary and treasurer.

I am not sure how much the class actually gets from being at the show when compared to the effort and cost of being there, particularly as it is the few guys and gals on the committee who it was also costing time and money, possibly a matter of what if you were not there? Must be a better way to do it?

Anyway...we were shortlisted in the concours prize....which was won by a Cherub,... if only Phil had changed those 2nd hand kicker lines or Taggy had emptied the ashtray.

Had a great time hanging out at the stand with the above mentioned...as well as Sam Tozer and Helen Rollison who had gone along to field enquiries...as well as the always effervescent Si Reynolds chasing around sponsors.

A special thanks from me to Mike Lennon for not only letting me use his Mach 2 for the stage show but for bringing it up...taking it back...and sticking it up and down on the stage every time we did our presentation. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Back in the Saddle...it was a long Winter!

2011-02-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

The planets aligned last weekend......Richard Langdon of Ocean Images was in town...High pressure dominating over Murcia and Bret Perry from Magic Marine Spain

was down from Valencia.

Managed to shoot all that was required for the first edition of Foiling Fundamentals...a beginners guide to Foiling as well as getting some great shots for the website and the presentation we are running for the up coming Dinghy Show in London.

With the Fog burning off by 10.00am we were up and running in shorts and T's and cranking through the shot list.

After lunch we were on the water and getting a lot of the basic low riding and transition techniques put to bed...but by 4pm we needed breeze 4.30pm and we were getting worried..it had all looked so good for sea breeze!

4.45pm just as we were calling it for the day...7-8 knots appeared for the last hour in what was some fantastic light....Could not have been better. It still amazes me how fast you can go in so little wind.

Great to use the new Magic Marine neoprene for the first time. Best features that I noticed in use were the built in knee and shin protection system...perfect for me on the Moth where I still spend a lot of time praying....

Moth Fest enquiries are looking at a fleet of between 30-40 boats so really looking forward to that! Confirmation from Mach2 that Si Payne is coming and that they will be an event partner along with KA sails, hope to see you there!

Moth Fest: The Germans are coming!

2011-01-21T03:34:00.000-08:00

Manfred at Moth Fest 2010

The Germans are coming to Moth Fest ...Carlo Mage has confirmed that 5 are already signed up! With the Brits also providing a good fleet we are just awaiting to hear from the French who also had a good turnout last year! There are also some other European fleets who are seemingly a bit shy but hopefully an outline of what we have planned will have then beating our doors down. Moth fest is a great opportunity to check out the venue for the 2013 Europeans.

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Potential and reality....

2011-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Christmas in blighty.... not sure I could be thinking about sailing the moth there at this time of year!

Having spent the last 5 days in bed with whatever strain of Flu is kicking around has at least given me time to read all the stuff going on in Australia...just can't wait to find the difference between Potential and reality............................

A little boy comes home from school and asks his Dad what the difference between Potential and reality is.

His dad says, son, go ask your mother and your sister if they will sleep with Brad Pitt for a million pounds.

10 mins later he comes back and says...they both said "what a stupid question ...of course we would!"

"So there is your answer son" he said knowingly....."Potentially we are sitting on 2 million quid...........the reality is we are living with a couple of hookers!"

Happy new year!

Winging it......

2010-12-23T01:06:00.000-08:00

Some interesting definitions of this particular phrase ......

I have been an interested observer on this matter, trying to read all the stuff that is going on and trying to get my head around the technicalities of the wing. There are a lot of opinions on the wing, so here is mine!

The wings are cool as...I want one, I am not sure I will be able to live without one, and I am half convinced I may not live too long if I get one.

BUT....I really think the discussions so far have missed the point as regards the sporting integrity of the class. We are about to have a world championships...the Notice of race was sent out stating the class rules apply.....turn up at the event with whatever weapon you can design, cobble together, steal or whatever and may the best sailor/designer etc win. Surely we cannot be contemplating a change of rules now? How is that fair on all the sailors who have planned, practiced and refined their gear based on a set of rules that are obsolete? If the thing does not measure to the class rules...it does not measure! Sure we want to see how it performs etc and lets change the rules as per many of the excellent discussions/proposals...but not for next week...for the next world championships so everyone has a level playing field and an equal opportunity to become World champion using a wing if they choose.

We often call ourselves the formula 1 of Sailing........imagine Force India rocking up in Australia for the first Grand prix of the season with an awesome new wing for their car which on paper may give a 20% performance advantage...but actually does not comply to the rules as it has a greater surface area and too many slots in it. Just because it is cool and everyone wants one does not make it legal... I am not sure Ferrari and Mclaren will agree to a rule change so it does conform.... and thus allow them to race with it. Harsh...but that is Sport.

If it is not an argument about interpretation of the rule (which clever people can argue about) but actually requires a rule change (which I understand it does)...out of sporting fairness to the rest of the competitors...it is not legal.

Let us talk about changing the rules so the class develops....but lets not lose sight of the fact that changing the rules that EVERYONE who entered agreed to abide by should not be an option! Sporting integrity must be maintained!

On a lighter note...I wish I was going! I would love to catch up with the PRO.. Peter Moor....a top bloke (for an Aussie) and a PRO who gets it, someone who has really been round the block in yachting and will certainly provide great race management...have fun! I am off to Winchester for Christmas if the UK is open for business yet?

Moth Fest Fall Out

2010-12-13T03:56:00.001-08:00

It has come to my attention that several Moth Fest participants are cheating.....

Winter training is taking it too far...some are even going to some warm up event in Australia, jesus.... those guys don't even beat us at Rugby or Cricket anymore.

I know Moth fest is getting serious as I see that Si Payne is now going down there to sail with the likes of Graham Simmonds, Pete Barton and Mike Lennon...obviously perturbed by this I called Si to see what was going on.... he stated " I really need to add the Moth Fest Golden wings to my CV if ever I am going to have any legacy in the class"...he continued..." holding the UK, European and World titles will all be worth nothing unless I can win the big one.....Moth Fest. I also have an eye on getting my name on the Moth fest "balls of steel" board of honour"

In an effort to get his hands on the Golden Wings Si has also personally tried to ban my 5 section Sponge Bob lilo wing (we have to use whatever local materials we can find here on the beach in Spain) but we think it will measure a treat once we get the measurers lashed...I am still not convinced it is any faster than my normal rig (but it sure as hell floats better) so we have developed a multi ribbed scooby doo version where the angle of attack on the pillow join looks to do the trick according to some NASA section models we have been studying. Need to address the horizontal seeming as it may be interpreted as being 5 sails but if I let a bit of air out of the boundary tubes a bit of duct tape will sort it!

Hopefully all the wing measurement crap will resolve to a harmonious moth love in down in Australia and if not...well, it could be worse...we could be sailing low riders....or Europes....

Talking of great fun quite a few families are signing up for Moth Fest..whilst Mike lennon continues in his quest to find anyone who will like him for who he is the rest of us good looking chaps who have managed to breed in recent years have the kids to worry about! fear not...we are looking into getting a kids club organised at the beach and the hotel so even the non sailing partners can relax and have fun too! My wife will personally vet the nannies as she doubts my judgement on what makes a good nanny ... and the costs will be shared amongst the fertile leaving the lonely ....more beer tokens.

The beach is really great for young families, we shall be doing a very attractive deal for non-sailors to attend all the socials and the hotel family rooms are equipped with micro waves and fridges (warm bottles...cold beer) as well as organising some access to our family friendly foil less fleet of Tera's, Q'Bas and laser Bahias if your partner or kids are not going to get a long in the Moth...or you have brought your home build and need something to do whilst the epoxy goes off!

Drop me a line if you want to bring the family so we can look at how best to organise the child care!

alan@pro-vela.com

The Beautiful South and my adjustable wand

2010-12-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks for Pete Barton for this...and for highlighting all the stuff I do not like in life...wearing a bobble hat, making use of waterproof jackets ...and boat work! Not sure what is happening with the weather in Spain (probably reflecting the economy) but made me appreciate the fact that I do not have to do this in the North all year!

The silver lining to this particular cloud was fitting the adjustable wand, recently purchased from the Oligario moth store.

I have always loved sending an overpowered boat downhill in 20 knots but the Moth has always left me backing off...even with the ride height adjuster, 20 knot chop on the Mar Menor always had me reaching for the girls blouse button...until now!

I am a colour televison kind of guy...not particularly interested how they can beam a live game half way round the world on to my wall mounted, carlos fandango flat screen flux capacitor tv.....I just want to know how to turn the TV on, change channel and volume....and enjoy! So do not expect a scientific explanation..here is my take on the....

Adjustable wand.....

Clearly puts the ride height down, maintains the gearing and works with the paddle a much greater distance in front of the main foil....my first 20 knot breeze..full on chop...no over the handlebars...full on send the bastard foiling experience....love it!

Phil even kindly sent it to Spain in a customised crate....for anyone who needs one phil@blueearthsolutions.co.uk it changed my life...and reduced my laundry bill.

Slow news week...Caption competition

2010-11-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

Is nobody posting these days? Here is a shot from 2010 Moth Fest...appropriate captions please.

Moth Fest 2011 (TM)

2010-11-09T01:04:00.001-08:00

Moth fest 2011 is officially launched www.mothfest.com ....well we have got a domain name and Phil Oligario has kindly started building the site! The dates are 14th-21st May. Do not be fooled by imitations...this is the real and original Moth Fest but bigger and better... and as they say...Imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery so a big thanks to the Seppo's for spreading the Fest word. (Hope some of you will make it...though not sure Ryan Air go state side)

So what is new....planned (but not promised!)

1. I am trying to get all the folk who make moth bits to come...We have confirmation from Si Payne and Mach 2/KA sails, Mike Lennon from Hyde Sails, Manfred Schreiber from CTM/SP systems... and we are in contact with several leading brands/manufacturers as well as some new builders etc who are yet to confirm....if you sail using someones gear it is likely we have contacted them...but if not get them to come to support their customers!

2. We will be trying to get gps on everyones boats...more on this as we confirm with the manufacturer but trying to go faster than anyone else has to be amusing.

3. "Proper" regatta (ie we will keep score) last 2 days of Moth Fest...the racing will finish Saturday afternoon to enable the apropriate end of event celebration and time to pack up the boats on Sunday afternoon!

4. The usual mix of informative coaching and chat sessions from the best in the business...the guys who make and sell and sail all our kit will be there telling us how to get the best out of it.

5. Racing and competition in all its popular forms as well as a few we will make up...also planned the mar menor bar tour and downwind bar slalom. Had a bizarre thought about Moth Limbo to go along with the high jump and pole vaulting which appeared popular last year.

6. The usual relaxed mix of fun, banter, great weather, cheap bear, great food and no bullshit moth sailing in warm water!

We are aiming for 40 boats this year (23 last year.....) so please register an interest as soon as possible!

We look forward to seeing you!

Knit one pearl one.......

2010-10-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

Mark managed to put a hole in his tramp yesterday...here is Shelley repairing?! the issue! (reminds me of one of the old boiled egg cutters...we have the local A and E on standby)

We had a really marginal day yesterday, so was really interesting checking out the quickest way round the course for the various different boats. Apart from Marks blown up tramp we failed to trash anything so everyone was at a loose end after sailing...is the whiff of epoxy a thing of the past??? If I needed reminding I am definately in the production boat lobby, I love my Mach2!.....really hate all that fixing boat stuff.

Results from the inconclusive action below the rogues gallery.....

8.Mark Mcaffery, Assassin (Tramp issues) .....................................................................unclassified

7.John Chambers, Axiom(crash test dummy...boat always in bits!)...............................16 points

6.Sue Ogg, Mistress (clearly on honeymoon...very handy husband boat bitch)............13 points

5.Pablo Arandia, Mach 2 (The quiet one...best bimbled boat in Spain).............................9 points

4.Danny Clark, Bladerider X8 (The queen of Essex)............................................................8 points

3.Pete Barton Bladerider RX (The silver fox, kudos for getting the RX in the points)....7 points

2.Shelley Hesson Assassin (needs to understand rule 1..do not beat your boyfriend)....6 points

1.Alan Hillman Mach 2 (age before beauty)...........................................................................5 points

Final day tomorrow, nice forecast. Whats the weather like up North?

Boot Camp mid term report...Cava sailing!

2010-10-22T00:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of blogging but have been way too busy enjoying myself and it also seemed a bit cruel to gloat as we have had rather nice weather.

We have got 9 boats here (though one looks remarkably like a musto skiff) and a cast that is a bit like the love boat...one honeymooning couple (good to start off on the right foot) an engaged couple of assassins, and a few reprobates of north european origin making up the numbers. Good to see two girls here who it has to be said are bloody fast in the light stuff and far better looking (in my opinion) than the rest of the fleet (apologies to Mrs Barton/Clark who may not agree)

John from Ireland who flew his boat in with his Flag carrying national airline has been the crash test dummy this time out and is getting through the epoxy at an alarming rate each swim back resulting in a "that was grand, it is only a flesh wound...." and his boundless enthusiasm fixing his boat in his hotel room till all hours. John finally thought it was a bit nippy sailing in his shorts and resorted to a shorty for his swimathons.

The sea breeze had been working perfectly cooking up 12-15 knots by 3pm...but yesterdays 6-8 knots had everyone falling asleep at dinner after a pumpathon getting the ships up on the foils...worth the effort though just to be foiling in the sun and flat water!

Fortunately here there is no breeze in the mornings, giving plenty of time to get the boat faff:sailing time ratio in the wrong zone but at least giving time for the epoxy to set.

I have finally had some time to dedicate to the Palomita and she is now furnished with continuous control lines and some gucci wing bar rubber..... just awaiting the adjustable wand and that is my boat work done for the year!

We have not done much racing per se so far but loads of hanging out faffing and talking shit...hoping to go bar hopping today for lunch and some windward leewards for desert!

You have to LOVE Ryanair!

2010-10-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

This is the Osama Bin Laden of Moth sailing...everyone knows it exists...but no-one had ever seen it...until now!

When John Chambers told me he was flying his boat with Ryanair in to the October event we are running I thought...yeah right!

Well...here it is...2 x parcels of 20kg each 40€ each pack each way...whats not to like?

Day 3 Mothing

2010-09-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone who can successfully name these 3 infamous sailors ought to get out more...They did however show once more the ease of learning to Foil...if they can do it....

The boys finally dragged themselves out of bed on day 3.....from the banter fuelled bar talk of the first night there was a more conservative, sober approach to dinner on night 2 as they all fell asleep in their soup......

The sea breeze kicked in a little earlier than normal so an early lunch allowed for a final hurrah before legging it to make the 8pm flight back. It was never going to be a long session as the previous days were starting to take their toll...the pressure was on however as tales of success and ease of foiling of previous clients (with somewhat shorter sailing CV's then this weeks victims) had them worrying.... After a bit of showboating in the Bladerider they managed to steal my Mach 2.... results below.

Looks like around 10 people will be showing up at various times for October Fest so hopefully give me an opportunity to do some more sailing.....

French...Toast!

2010-09-24T02:25:00.001-07:00

OK...I have had it with the French now. It may be that the French air traffic controllers union have missed the fact that the economy has turned a bit soft...so not allowing any UK flights through their airspace has cost me (and the Spanish economy which currently has 20% unemployment) a shed load of money, time and general crapola...thanks a lot!

Now we know the French have a bit of history with protesting but I have really had enough this time....slaughtering British lamb, squashing Spanish tomatoes and generally not being very neighbourly in the new Europe they are so fond off...so in a single fingered gesture of defiance I am ridding my household of all things French...

We will now have eggy bread....there will be no French kissing (now only to be refered to as tonsil hockey) and French letters will be a thing of the past (no loss there!) Cava and Rioja/Crianza will be on the wine list and I am going to be cheering any opposition facing France at football (the only nation to have a football team more disgraceful then our own). There is nothing wrong with Cheddar cheese.

So with so few of my clients being able to make it this week we have had time to focus on a star spangled variety of foiling wanabees.....They reckon they sport 5 World Championships between them but there was some discussion as to whether the Wally Worlds was a counter. Slightly concerned that the three of them turned up in a EOS convertible , and loads of chat about the hot tub in the apartment was questionable..... So, having now alienated the gay and french sections of the mothosphere we are off out sailing....I will post some pictures as the boys who lost their foiling virginity yesterday get a taste of the 20 knots and glorious sunshine that we have today. Unlike yesterday where we had a bit of cloud...most unusual! Anyway, see Jeremy Robinson below popping his foiling cherry....

Boot Camp, Moth Fest and moth life in general

2010-09-16T02:16:00.000-07:00

For anyone outside of the Moth Fest mailing list then we are running "Boot Camp" in October (16th-24th) which is a Spanish style full on training camp (that is, get up late, faff till the thermal arrives then moth till exhaustion in the warm water!) 6 signed up already so gonna be great!

Moth Fest II will take place May 14th-21st so book in now if you are interested, places likely to be limited....

OK, Moth life in general, loads of interesting stuff going on since I last blogged, really enjoying all the tell it how you see it blogging on boats, and hilarious to see brand loyalities turning in to blog war...fantastic!

I have always based my coaching (and my own sailing!) on buy the best you can afford....looking at what the best people are sailing and winning on. I unfortunately do not have the time (thats a lie) or the inclination (more likely) to dick about looking for something faster than I already have. My decision was based on being fortunate enough to afford whatever I wanted so I looked what the best 75kg people were sailing and bought that, basically I copied AMAC. The big gains for me will always be trying to sail that to it's potential. Apart from the off the shelf Mach 2 and 13 I have got a ride height adjuster and awaiting my adjustable wand from Ninjario which will make a big difference here in the Mar Menor (copying again...Mike Lennon who was incredibly controlled in big breeze when he sailed here) So words of wisdom for me ...sort what you have so it works, and practice your tacks and gybes. A 50m gain in boat speed is probably more costly and time consuming...easier to stop parking the boat on the corners! Obviously you could also go to the gym but where's the fun in that!

Love the May wing but will wait a while to see how that works!

Kids stuff....I had Ian Walker stop by when he was here with the TP52's in Cartagena...I hate talented people... see cocky photo (I did not post the face plant that happened straight after) This probably resulted in him asking me to take his daughter for a spin thinking I was less likely to crash it...or that his Mrs. was less likely to castrate me then him if it went wrong! All good fun!

We have a star studded line of clients for the end of the month...I am convinced the good sailors are dying to have a go at foiling but do not want to make a cock of themselves...I think I am slowly becoming the "Priory clinic" for dealing with sailors and their addictions/fantasies...clearly I respect their anonimity but will part with pictures for cash..more as it happens!

Stuff to appreciate.......

Hats off...to the UK sailors...I was in the UK last week, great to catch up with Si, Taggy and Mike Lennon at Hayling. Si offered me his boat to sail in the club race race but as I have an allergy to cold, tidal water my doctor advised against it....made me appreciate what I have in Spain which is clearly my beautiful wife and children! (ok, warm water, sunshine, thermal breeze,great food, cheap beer also helps!)

Tom Sawyer Syndrome

2010-08-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

You know that scene in Tom Sawyer where he has to paint the fence as punishment...then convinces all his mates that it is so much fun they ought to pay him to let them have a go at the painting? That is what happens here all the time...our guests forget that they are paying to learn...and on on holiday, but cannot resist helping out. I hate fixing boats...an occupational hazard for me...but could not help testing the theory on an unsuspecting Danny Clark.

Having blown up my vang the previous evening, I had been busy all day with Moth guests and not had time to sort the Mach 2. Chatting to the boys at lunch time and convinced I needed to sail after work I was tempted to see if I could get Danny to "happily" fix my boat.

It went something like this... "Hey Dan, I have been flat out all morning, just out again with Rik but wanted to go sailing as soon as I get back...any chance you could splice that vang up for me?"

Taking candy from a baby......

I was grateful, the boat got fixed and Danny had more faffing.....everyone's a winner!

Another day at the office.....

2010-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's great to get back to the "office". Having been away for 3 weeks at the X40 worlds it was nice to get back to the day job! With so much exciting stuff going on in the mothosphere I have been unable to think of anything news worthy to write.....Slovenia was really interesting, a great venue for the 40's but the breeze would have been a bit soft for a Moth event...having said that it was great to meet "Chopi" who is the Slovenian moth guru....and now also an X40 world champion...he might be a dark horse at the Europeans.

So , here we are back to reality...(which most folk think is a bit of a laugh,) and I have to say I do enjoy my job, what is not to like about teaching foiling in warm water and great sea breeze, Our latest client this week is up and running on day 1 and we had 2 Mach 2's arrive today for a bit of training.....Danny Clark and his gucci handbag of the moth fleet was painstakingly put together over the day....I am still watching him polish the latest carlos fandago embroidered flux capacitor as I write this....if anyone knows the UK moth fleet they will understand my amazement in the fact that he takes longer to rig then Mike Lennon....I am sure we will get sailing some time next week.

Have to comment on some of the other great stuff going on in the moth world.....obviously Adam May's wing...and Graham Simmonds ability to open his mouth (blog) in order to change feet...great one Mr. Hislop!...and who is Adrian?

The photos of today are Rik on Day 1 of his moth course...and Danny Clark on Day 2 of his moth rigging...the weather here is boringly normal, hot and 12-15knots cross shore...zzzzzzzz

A Foot in both camps... and an October Foil Fest?

2010-06-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Living in Spain and having a Spanish wife at least makes me think I can support a Team capable of winning the World Cup...but I just can't do it...maybe if the Germans put us out on penalties for the umpteenth time?

Anyway, in case anyone is remotely interested it has been 15-20 knots and 32 degrees here for the last week...really frustrating as my ankle which has kept me off the water for the last 2 months is aching to get back out there.... Still, I have been really busy teaching newbies who are just loving it! (see above)

I have been so frustrated I have started "Lennoning". My poor Mach 2 (La Palomita) was shocked to have some work done on her...a couple of purge valves to stop her exploding in the sun should do the trick...I even spliced up my new Marlow rigging kit but did not manage to put it on...that would mean taking the rig down and there really is a limit to how much Lennoning I can do...

Sold one of my Bladerider RX's and just ordering some more as we like to keep out kit new...really pleased with them as we did a year of teaching with no breakages...as a first moth they really are the business...well sorted and more importantly bomb proof!

Thinking of trying to organise the Spanish Nationals and Moth fest II in October....Let me know if anyone fancies a week of training followed by a serious championship...We have up to 10 boats that I know of in Spain right now and 2 new home builds...if only we all lived in the same place!

Moth Fest Feedback

2010-06-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

Seems ages ago that the boys were on the podium getting their wings. Really fun week and I learned a whole load of stuff about moth sailing...and hopefully what makes a good moth sailing event. These are some rambling thoughts in no particular order

Most people came for nearly 9 or 10 days making the most of the 2 weekends in order to make the trip as cost effective as possible, air fares, boat shipping etc were fixed costs so only the extra accomodation cost to worry about...this made it a bit of a marathon and I think we went at it a bit too hard to start off...though again we were trying to maximise Si Paynes time that we had. Probaly need to back off a bit or plan some lay days.

Shipping...should have been easy...problems with "special" boxes being hard to pack, heavy to lift etc...I will be far more careful in future in regards to specifying weights, sizes etc and without the goodwill of a few...the boats would not have made it on or off the truck...big thanks to the folk who helped at both ends, you know who you are (and those that slunk off to the bar hold your heads in shame!)

Coaching....The info download from Si Payne was immense, possibly too much in too short a period of time so we would need to look at how this could be achieved in future. Also interesting for me was the variation in boat handling techniques to get the job done...from poetry in motion ...to plain agricultural, it gave me a lot of food for thought.

Boat breakages....I was amazed at how much faffing was going on, our workshop was under constant attack and in future we would need to ensure availability of tools/kit/environment for boat building to make it as easy as possible for the visiting sailors. Lost a few bits of kit thru the week despite unleashing my Father on the unwary tool borrowers.

Event supporters...Many people mentioned to me how impressesd they were with the competitors pack. CTM/SP supplied an awesome carbon repair pack which we would have been lost without, a moth event without resin just would not be the same! Great clothing supplied by Henri Lloyd...long sleeved rash vest and hat to save the sun burn, gloves to protect hands and a great fast dri T-shirt were supplied to all.....many people were also converted to kneepads as they were given the opportunity to try the Spinlock provided garments. All these companies gave product as a direct benefit to the sailors and was a real value add to the event. On top of this prizes were donated by Marlow Ropes and Harken...again kit was awarded which was of direct relevance to the sailors needs.

Types of course...we did some downwind, reaching start slalom (the best sailors won). We did loads of windward leewards (the best sailors won) We did pursuit (The best sailors eventually won) and we did some speed when it was too fruity to race the fleet. (Best sailors were fastest) And we did some odd stuff with offset legs to put gybe marks etc in front of spectators (The best sailors won) So...whatever you do, if you do it enough times, the best sailors will win. The slalom was great fun and made you think, but without doubt the most fun was the cruising

The down side...we needed more staff! We were knackered at the end of the week. The entry fee we charged just allowed us to break even after paying for coaches and rib fuel...everything else (including a lot of peoples time and good will) was given for free which realistically will be hard to replicate in following years, so either entry fee will have to rise...or we need a title sponsor!!

Where to from here? I had the feeling everyone had a good time...I would have loved to do more cruising around the Mar Menor which all those who participated really loved...it was not a good experience to run safety for however as some of the boats that turned up could be described as "less than reliable" 1 moth down effectively takes out a safety rib so we need to have a think about how we can do this in future...hooning around in a pack searching out beach bars etc has to be the way forward.

Please feel free to help put together Moth fest 2011..all ideas, feedback and title sponsors welcome....I am off to Slovenia for a couple of days looking at the X40 worlds site...not sure it beats the Mach 2.

Moth fest weekend and the foiling back flip

2010-05-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

The UK boats are packed and on their way............here is the last report and a short video of back flip....made me laugh. Pro-Vela Moth Fest end of week round up. Due to weekends lack of office workers we have 3 days to catch up on. Friday saw the fleet go for the downwind bar slalom. With a shorter course set up due to the fresh to fruity breeze the Mothies packed their spending money in their socks and blasted off round the Isla de Perdiguera then a downwind gybing extravaganza to the sleepy Estrella de Mar Beach and Juan’s bar for lunch. With a quick bout of boat wrestling to get off the gently shelving beach the fleet blasted back across the expanse of Mar Menor back to Los Narejos. Ben Patten managed to coax his main foil less Ninja back to shore with a great display of boat handling. That was to be the end of his regatta as his damage was terminal. Saturday saw the breeze up and the morning was spent trying to join the 20 knot club as the brave ventured out with their gps! Mike Lennon and Jason Russell managed 23.8 knots with Pablo Arandia third on 23.11. A moderating afternoon breeze saw the fleet back into racing mode. An off set gybe mark and finish line kept the spectators entertained but the improvement in boat handling throughout the fleet saw very few errors as they foil gybed past the expectant crowd. Once again Mike Lennon was making things look easy but Jason Russell in his Mach 2 was now starting to put pressure on him. With Fred Schmid from Germany rapidly improving and Simon Reynolds and Pete Barton getting to grips with their foilers the racing was getting more intense as the slightest error was being punished by several place losses. Sunday fortunately dawned windless which gave the sailors plenty of time for boat prep as the sea breeze built to the expected 10-12knots. Early lunch was taken and the final racing session started in absolutely stunning foiling conditions of flat water 12 knots and 28 degrees of sunshine. Five windward leeward races of 2 laps concluded the event on a real high. With the expected transport truck arriving to take the boats back to the UK several sailors had to be prised from the water to pack up and receive the prizes which had been generously provided by Henri Lloyd, Harken and Marlow. Thanks also to the generous support of CTM/SP systems who kept the fleet stuck together with the provision of resin and carbon and also to Spinlock who provided the competitors with knee pads. Infanta Cristina were the perfect hosts to the fleet who will no doubt be returning. Pro-Vela who organised the event were delighted with the outcome. Alan Hillman commented “We are really pleased to have been the catalyst for this type of event. Top level coaching and friendly competition in the sun and warm water of the Mar Menor is a pretty unbeatable combination.” Mike Lennon, overall winner of the Golden Wings at the prize giving vowed to be back for next year...”But only if I am not down for some pre worlds training later this year” For the record German Fred Schmid received the bronze wings with a massively improved Jason Russell taking the Silver.

Yesterdays report, more mothing and swing analysis

2010-05-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for tardiness again not enough hours in the day right now! Here is yesterdays report. Great day on the water again, everyone starting to slow down a bit now as tiredness is starting to hit town..not enough to dent the apres sail however! Pictures somewhere on here as I am not really sure where they go in the blog!
Day 4 Pro-Vela Moth Fest
Another full-on day at the Infanta Cristina centre here on the Mar Menor. This was the last day of Si Payne’s coaching so the crash test dummies were strapped in their vehicles and sent on a windward leeward excursion as Si focussed on individual tuition.
Mike Lennon suffered his first defeat of the week as a wand widget flux capacitor malfunction saw him visiting King Neptune. Class stalwart Simon Propper was on hand to mop up with Jason Russell close on his heels. The racing is now much tighter as the boat handling improves and the swims become less frequent and a few few personal battles are starting to develop in the fleet. The day’s second session saw a personal handicapped pursuit race as the fleet were chased around a 3 lap windward leeward by Mike Lennon who was starting 4 minutes after the first starters. With the 15 knot Easterly still creating enough of a chop to catch the unwary it was Jason Russell who was last to be caught by the hare just at the end of lap 3. The French were now starting to be less tortoise and Yann Andrillon and Damien Le Houerou were both starting to push towards the front of the fleet.
An exhausted fleet were led back to the debrief and then shuttled to the local Go Kart track. Spain’s Pablo Arandia was king of the karts at the end of the evening as someone at last put Lennon down a step of the podium. True moth class ingenuity could be seen around siesta time as Si Propper unveiled the Machammock.
The Daily prizes from sponsors Harken and Marlow went to Jason Russell, Paul Beard, Damien Le Houerou and Sam Tozer.

Moth Fest afternoon blog the Machammock and kneepads

2010-05-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Apologies to those who were expecting a daily update on here....had a bit on again today! Lots of breeze today again but 28 degrees and warm water make it all bearable. Loads of vangs blew up again today so a bit of of a war of attrition on the water. Handicapped pursuit racing still saw Mike Lennon pasting everyone though he did take a defeat earlier in the day with a couple of gybe swims...muttered someting about some wand widget malfunction!

Laughs of the day...Graham Simmonds raving about his new knee pads from Spinlock... Brilliant he said, best thing since sliced bread but the marketing was a bit iffy as they had put the logo in the wrong place.....He is now wearing them the right way up and can't believe they were even better than before! Seriously, if you want kneepads for your moth...look no further than the spinlock ones! Also you have to check out Si Proppers Machammock....Just off go-karting, update tomorrow!

Lunch Time News!

2010-05-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

Perfect day at the office here today..and I even have time off to write this as no-one trashed anything!

We have been slaloming all morning..I say we...but I mean "them". How I want to be playing too! Might have to sneak the Mach 2 out the garage and get some top tips from Mr Yoga himself...see pics of Si Paynes gybe clinic. Perfect here today 28 degrees 10-12 knots and 22 boats...whats not to like! OK..gotta go, the sea awaits

Nose bleed!

2010-05-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

I tried Graham Simmonds Mach 2 yesterday...came off with a nose bleed...having seen this shot he may wind it down a bit! This was yesterdays press release
Day 2 of the Pro-Vela Moth Fest
Monday was the first full day of programmed flying. After the compulsory pre flight epoxy application the fleet were on the beach being treated to a Simon Payne Yoga masterclass. Sitting on the beach learning from the Yoda of Moth sailing was inspiration to all. With the sea breeze kicking in earlier than we had scheduled there was a frenzy to hit the water before flight envelopes were exceeded by the less experienced sailors and the home build wing and prayer construction of some of the older models. (Boats and sailors!)
Out on the water Mike Lennon on his Hyde powered mach 2 was clearly energised by the morning coaching session and was even said to be caught smiling as he revelled in the 15knot sea breeze which by this time had a kicked up a nice chop that was proving to be a handful for anyone with boats not perfectly set up for the conditions.
After a late lunch the fleet was once again launched ...quite literally. Patrick Cunningham after a marathon boat bimbling session finally introduced his Axiom to the waters of the Mar Menor and sailing legend Ian Southworth saw his 2 year old Bladerider build project hit the waves for the first time ever.
Sailor of the day however was Fred Scmid who became Germany’s first Astronaut to complete over a hundred unsuccessful missions. Mounting his North powered Assassin again and again he would send it heroically downwind into the chop. Fortunately with body armour provided by our sponsors Spinlock (awesome knee pads!) and Henri Lloyd (rash vests gloves, hats t-shirts etc etc) he came out relatively unscathed. Pete Barton was also a winner today finally coming to terms with the conditions in his Henri Lloyd / Hyde powered Ninja and winning a Control pack from event sponsors Marlow ropes. Barton commented “My first day was pretty scarey but getting to terms with my boat control systems and great input from Si Payne finally start to send it down hill! Still need to work on the corners but it is only day 2!)
More sun, fun and no doubt epoxy forecast for tomorrow.

Let the Games begin!

2010-05-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

The French and Germans arrived the Spanish will be up to full strength today so we are ready to rock! I have had so much fun all ready...there is so much beach banter. Graham Simmonds (Does anyone else think he is Ian Hislops evil twin brother?) spent the day back seat driving and bobble hatting...he really has gone to the dark side! Ben Paton managed to sail with out breaking anything. Southie may have his vintage virgin on the water today which will be a treat! Quote of the day...Simon Propper....as I handed him the CTM/SP carbon kit earlier in the day... "Ha ha I won't be needing that....I will give it to the home-build boys" you can guess the rest! Doh! of the day...Si Reynolds....Main foil goes on AFTER the trolley.....Anyway, wish you were all here, sunny, windy and great laughs....and a superb Paella yesterday! 10 knot easterly forecast today ...we normally get a bit more than windguru promise so should be good. Results and more piccies as soon as I have them! Hope the Aussie winter is not as harsh/long as ours was...but at least the cricket team made use of the down time!...here is the press release for the day.................

Opening Day of the Pro-Vela Moth Fest saw the English wondering what was happening in the world. Beating the Aussies at cricket and seeing the sun come out all in the same day. The sailors who made it out of the CAR Infanta Cristina were soon given a dose of reality as the chop kicked up by the 15 knot south easterly made the down wind excursion a wet one. Fortunately Moth World Champion Si Payne was on hand to diagnose boat set up errors and reduce the number of riders going over the handlebars . Payne commented that “It is just great to see the sailors so receptive to the feedback on equipment and technique we are giving them It looks like this week of relaxed training and competition will really raise the level of their sailing”. On the race track Mike Lennon was proving tough to beat but a fast charging Gareth Davies looks like he might be among those challenging for the golden wings towards the end of the week. With the French and German contingent now in situ the fleet of 22 Moths will be taking flight to the class room and the warm waters of the Mar Menor as top coaches and great conditions look to ensure Moth Fest will be a great success. Event founder Alan Hillman was delighted with the turn out “ It is amazing the response we have had from sailors and sponsors alike. Everyone has come on board to support the event which is based on having a great time sailing awesome boats whilst trying to get better. With Moth sailing now becoming more main stream the event can only continue to grow in the Future.”

Sailing..at last!

2010-05-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had not understood the level of boat faffing that the moth sailors can do! I guess sailing here all the time I do not break much and also I have got Bladerider RX's and a Mach 2 which have been trouble free. I have decided that the acronym "Farming" is appropriate..farting around repairing moths...unbelievable! Still Mike lennon eventually made it out the boat park and we spent a couple of hours hooning around, great to have some people to sail with! Ben Paton and Paul Beard also made it out on the water so we are starting to look like an event. What I learnt today.......Mike taught me the Marlow Control splice...so I can now put continuous control lines on my Mach 2...and the ride height adjuster needs fitting...worried that I am turning into an anorak! The event starts tomorrow with the final arrivals including coach Payne flying in tonight...easy start tomorrow with Angel the local Paella Guru providing fodder and beer....12-15 forecast for late afternoon so should be a nice ease in to the Mar Menor before full on coaching starts on Monday. More tomorrow!

I LEARNED LOADS TODAY

2010-05-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

What I learned today....firstly northern hemisphere guys have pale skin, fortunately (and thanks to) Henri Lloyd are sponsoring the event, see Mike lennon sporting his sun hat kindly donated as just one of the compnents of Henri Lloyds sponsorship...rash vests, t-shirts and gloves for all the sailors..(including the ugly ones) should help prevent sun burn...probably not in an issue for the UK at the moment! Wish I was there (not!)

Also Ben Paton has been working out...see him here flexing with his Ninja! The worrying thing is that Ben looked at me and seriously said...where is the nearest Gym? As if I would know/care! Ben was first out on the water...offshore, flat but fresh to fruity...he made it back! More tomorrow!

The Boats arrive....

2010-05-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Boats have arrived in Mar Menor! All in good shape...some interesting interpretations of standard size transport crates.....and Craig Burlton dropped in. SB3 world champion, RS400 guru and generally fine sailor...see above! Hey we can't all be perfect all the time!

This is what 27 degrees and 18 knots looks like.

2010-05-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder for the northern hemisphere...and a taste of what is to come for the Moth Fest competitors.
The UK boats are on route...the Epoxy/Carbon repair kits are here (Thanks again to CTM's Manfred and SP systems)...what else do you need for a Moth regatta...right, cold beer! Just off to sort it.....don't work too hard and stop readingthe Moth blogs in office time.

Moth Envy 1

2010-05-10T03:21:00.001-07:00

From here to sailing in 50 meters...if only I could figure it out so I did not have to take the foils off!

Moth Fest Press release

2010-05-10T02:15:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Pro-Vela Mar Menor Moth fest will commence on the 16th May and looks to be an exciting week of High Performance coaching, competitive racing and a lot of apres sail fun.

The event will be based out of Pro-Vela, a unique sailing centre based upon the principles of providing the best coaching in the best locations using the best equipment available, whilst the sailing will be taking place on the Mar Menor - a lagoon of 700 square kilometers of warm flat water that is blessed by 315 days of annual sunshine, helping to produce flat water conditions with reliable thermal breezes.

The week will be broken down in to three days of dry-land and on the water coaching sessions from current Moth World Champion Simon Payne. Two days of fun competition where competitors will be able to test out their newly learned skills in long distance, slalom and pursuit racing, and finally two days of the official Moth fest regatta, with some fabulous prizes provided from the regatta sponsors.

Alan Hillman Event founder and host "Having an international fleet of more than twenty moth sailors at our base in CAR Infanta Cristina on the Mar Menor will be a fantastic experience for sailors and spectators alike. warm, flat water, reliable thermal breezes and coaching from World Champion Simon Payne will create a unique and memorable sailing regatta that should see the event increase in popularity each year"

The First Blog

2010-04-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

Here we are, getting ready for Moth fest....keep an eye on this spot as I post all the information you need....