Welcome to Day One of my Moth Diary.  The 2014 International Moth WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS are to be held at Hayling Island Sailing Club from the 18th to the 25th of July 2014...
There's a notice up already here so it must be true!  That's just 233 days away.

Lets just put in a nut shell what an International Moth is, and how high the level of the World fleet is.

This isn't meant to be a history lesson - The International Moth has a wiki page if you want to look it up - but to put the next 233 days into perspective for my non sailing readers, the Moth is the fastest single handed sailing dinghy ever, and has been an International class for ninety odd years...  How come? Well, the boat is an open class, so that means you can design and build your own - and many do this.  The rules are very very simple. The boat will be no longer than 3355mm (11ft), the boat will be no wider than 2135mm (7ft) and the maximum sail area is 8 sq metres... and that is just about it.. There's a few bits in there about it not being a catamaran, and the maximum mast height and things like that, but basically it is a container rule except as there is no minimum weight, the boats have always been very light. Carbon Fibre is the norm, not the exception. They have always been quick - but 11ft is short for a boat and drag is exponential with speed, if that is you stay on the surface of the water!
People toyed with hydrofoils for years, but in 2004 Australian John Ilett made some work properly in all conditions and the class grabbed hold of the idea.

By 2008 John Ilett's 'Fastacraft Prowler' was in full production.

Nowadays, International Moths are all on hydrofoils just about and routinely sail at twice the wind speed. Sailing them is just addictive as they take off onto foils at about 6knots and can get up to just over 30knots... That's 35mph, wind powered, a metre off of the surface... As a result they smash anything they get in a drag race with, and are pretty easy to handle ashore to boot.  Indeed, when disassembled, most designs pack away into a small space - so they can be taken on board commercial aircraft (albeit as oversized luggage) meaning the World Championships can be in the USA one year, the UK the next, then Australia, UAE, Europe, you name it.  Fleet sizes have built rapildy and in 2011 for example, the Worlds in Belmont AUS, had 115 entries... Racing on the same course. At over 20 knots.
Yup - pretty much the pinnacle of small boat sailing right now.

Moth racing is tight, and tough at the top! (So they tell me!)

So who sails Moths?... Bit of a who's who really...  America's Cup sailors, Volvo Ocean Race winners, too many Olympic medallists to name, World Champions from many other classes, European Champions, National Champions, and then of course a lot of time served Mothies that have been in the class since the year dot.  Oh... And.... errm, me.

Now, I have always loved BIG regattas - I've done a lot of them in many classes,  I've won a few races in my time too, and the odd event here and there along the way.  But at the Moth Worlds in 2008, I had a rubbish time. It howled for a start, so I struggled with the boat, and generally just didn't focus on anything other than getting ashore safely.. I don't think the results even went down to where I ended up. Thankfully in sailing you're only as good as you next regatta...  everything up to now, I will learn from and let go...

SO, in 233 days,  or a little over 33 weeks for those of you in metric, I am going to be on the start line of the 2014 Moth Worlds in Hayling Bay and I'm going to give it my very best shot....

There's just a few things in the way that need to be sorted...
1. I don't have a boat yet.

2. I haven't sailed a moth in 5 years

3. I am pretty unfit for a moth sailor - at 47 I am a bit old too, but that I can do less about!

Well what I DO have is a blog! SO that counts for something right....  and that means you can follow the journey, dear reader... Share the trials of building a new boat from scratch (yes in my kitchen!). Share the pain of a 47 yr old trying to find his running shoes and subsequently find some of his fitness and, share in a load of training work - by the time the boat is built I'll have 6 months or so to get some moves together... 

Tomorrow, I'll do an update on 'The Plan' and we'll go from there...  As for now, I have a boat to build!

D.