Dominating shifts in the sunshine at the Moth Inlands at Rutland

A healthy entry of 26 boats fronted for this year's International Moth class Inlands at Rutland SC in the shadow of a borderline foiling forecast.

Early arrivals on the Friday busied themselves with boat preparation with the chance of a practice sail not eventuating in the sub five knot SE winds. Eventually all retired to the Wheatsheaf Pub for a meal and some liquid looking forward to Day 1.

Moth Inlands at Rutland - photo © Gordon Upton / www.guppypix.com

Saturday came with perfect sunshine with Moths stretched from the car park to the green lawns in front of the clubhouse. Old boats and new boats, early designs to the very latest were all on display. With little chance of enough wind filling to get some racing in, some looked to bimbling with their boats and taking advantage of the wealth of experience within the fleet to take in any tips and hints on offer. Others just soaked in the atmosphere with big cups of frothy stuff before a clubhouse viewing of fellow Mothies tearing up the waters in Spain. Pasta and Beer were taken courtesy of our race day sponsors Allen Brothers before all adjourned again to the Wheatsheaf with fingers crossed hoping for racing on Day 2.

Moth Inlands at Rutland - photo © Gordon Upton / www.guppypix.com

Skippers woke to a settled NE wind of 7-9knots and a posted first start time of 10.30. With 5 races scheduled, all launched just as the sun was coming through.

A decent length windward leeward course was set with top and bottom gates.

Race one and a perfectly timed foiling layup through the countdown saw Brad Funk nail the start leaving a cluster in his wake. There were plenty of large shifts and potholes through the course making it tricky to join the dots to avoid getting stuck in soft spots off the foils. Dave Hivey and Eddie Bridle chased hard but could not catch the high flying Funk.

Race 2 and with a few favoured names deep in the opening heat, the start line had a large group testing the PROs eyesight. More of the same conditions with Funk again taking the win from Simon Hiscocks and Kyle Stoneham.

Local legend Nick Streatfield during the Moth Inlands at Rutland - photo © Gordon Upton / www.guppypix.com

Race 3 and the wind was softening a little, taking its toll through the middle and lower order who at times found the going tough keeping in the pressure. For some a reality check that no amount of bling or winning kit will make up for poor boat handling and race self management. Back to the sharp end and it was local hero Nick Streatfield linking the pressure lines and showing his more fancied rivals how it was done. A last lap fall from pressure in a gybe saw that steady man Funk grind through for another win, leaving Streatfield to settle for second and the consistent Hivey taking third after a close tussle with David Smithwhite.

Race 4, bodies tiring, more fishing boats to dodge and a weakening wind proved the most difficult of the day. Again it was that man Funk linking the dots in a masterful display of pressure sailing. A solid result of second for Kyle Stoneham in conditions he openly admitted are not his strongest reflected the hours of practice he and the Weymouth crew have been putting in post-Worlds. Simon Hiscocks snuck in for third.

Race 5 and after a small delay, the wind had freshened over the full course to a healthy 8-10knots. Everyone away on foils with the fleet much more tightly bunched. Close racing right through with the ever improving Eddie Bridle taking the final heat from Alex Adam's to deny Funk a full bag of pickets, coming in third.

Brad Funk wins the Moth Inlands at Rutland - photo © Gordon Upton / www.guppypix.com

Brad Funk was deservedly crowned our Rose Bowl Inland Champion for 2021 and generously thanked our Rutland Race team for their excellent work and hospitality over the weekend. He also took time to speak highly of the challenges of racing over the shifty Rutland course area and the benefits in learning how to master such.

Consistent sailing saw Dave Hivey take second a point ahead of both Eddie Bridle and Simon Hiscocks, with Eddie taking third by countback.

The closeness at the top had 5 points covering second to sixth place showing just how tight the racing was. Special mention for Andy Jarvis posting all top 10 results for 7th, Gareth Davies taking a solid 8th and James Sainsbury in his home build with strong early scores before retiring with a sliced finger and Kay and Paul Myerscough for making the long trip down from the NE to join us in enjoying the event.

On the design front we had 4 different designs in the top six, with three different designs on the podium reflecting a healthy return on skipper input and ability over equipment used.

The class now looks forward to a strong 2022 calendar of events as we travel along the road to the Weymouth 2023 Worlds. If you have ever entertained the idea of joining the Moth fleet then now is the time to push the button and come along for the best ride you will have.

Thanks to our race day sponsor Allen Brothers, our long standing class sponsor in Noble Marine and Gordon Upton of Guppypix for his great photos over the weekend.

For all UK Moth class information join the Facebook group or visit the class website at www.internationalmoth.co.uk

Overall Results: