EFG Moth EuroCup Act 5 at Wassersport Club am Wittensee

Normal mast stump (left) vs lower mast stump (right) during the EFG MothEuroCup Act 5 at Lake Wittensee © Martina Orsini

For Act 5 of the 2014 EFG MothEuroCup the Moth Sailors traveled to Wittensee in Northern Germany. The Wassersport Club am Wittensee provided great infrastructure and a very capable race committee under the stable hand of Race Officer Eike Dietrich. The 27 sailors from GER, NED, SUI, GBR, FIN, SWE, FRA and DEN enjoyed not only the perfect flat water sailing conditions that Wittensee is known for, but also great on-shore hospitality thanks to the additional local sponsor IMMAC who provided for free food and drinks during the whole event.

It was clear from the beginning that it would be a battle between Ben Paton (Vice-European Champion, GBR) and Chris Rast from Switzerland.

The Swiss took an early lead in the series when Ben Paton had to miss out on the first race due to a broken downhaul. Paton rallied back over the next couple of races with his customary speed advantage in the windier conditions. In the end, with three more bullets in the last races, Chris Rast pulled off another win, his 4th this year, and pocketed another Euro 1000 prize money. Conditions for Friday and Saturday were challenging with gusts in the 20 knots + range, which provided for some interesting boat handling around the course! Take a look at the videos for some action...

As always, the moth class is ever evolving and at this event two sailors, including Benoit Marie, last year's winner of the Mini-Transat, showed up with some serious modifications to their boat. As already championed by sailors such as Rob Greenhalgh, Chris Rashley and Mike Lennon with their Exocets, the two Mach2 moths had their mast stumps shortened by approx. 18 cm.

Lower mast stump on a Mach2 during the EFG MothEuroCup Act 5 at Lake Wittensee - photo © Martina Orsini

This modification means that the sail, the prodder, the shrouds, the vang configuration and boom need to be modified as well. Overall it's quite the project! The main advantages are lower center of effort in the sail and also improved aerodynamics. In addition Benoit Marie, who has been sailing the moth only since spring this year and is clearly determined getting to the top, had a canting rig allowing for 150 mm of cant!

Benoit Marie's canting rig during the EFG MothEuroCup Act 5 at Lake Wittensee - photo © Martina Orsini

Overall Results:

EFG MothEuroCup Act 5 at Lake Wittensee - photo © Martina Orsini

EFG MothEuroCup Act 5 at Lake Wittensee - photo © Martina Orsini