UK International Moth National Championship at Paignton - Day 3

Boat Park on day 3 of the UK International Moth Nationals at Paignton © Mark Jardine / IMCA UK

Fletcher's perfect day in Paignton

Early morning mist in the English Riviera allowed the Moth fleet to have a leisurely morning of boat bimbling and chatting in Paignton, before the sun broke through and the sea breeze filled in, allowing four great races to be held, bringing the event back on schedule.

Dylan Fletcher made the most of the conditions and completed a perfect day on the water with four races wins. His boat speed was impressive throughout and the troubles he'd had with his large foils on Sunday were a thing of the past.

"I had a few issues with my big foil yesterday and managed to fix them overnight. I put the foil on today and was a bit unsure as to what to expect, but it performed well. The first race was marginal and yesterday I really struggled in those conditions, so today to win it and have some good speed was a big confidence booster. Throughout the day I did what I needed to do, lowered the risk, and the boat speed sorted me out." said Dylan.

Dylan Fletcher on day 3 of the UK International Moth Nationals at Paignton - photo © Mark Ripley

At times Dylan didn't have the best of starts and had to pick his way through the fleet, as he explained: "There were some times I got the wrong side of the shifts, but a lot of the time I was picking the course well and hitting my laylines, sailing nicely and that made the difference - especially in the earlier races when it was closer on speed."

Start on day 3 of the UK International Moth Nationals at Paignton - photo © Mark Ripley

The start lines today provided some spectacular action, with many choosing to cross on port tack, leading to a game of chicken off the line. Angus Peel caught the second race from his drone, which showed just how close some of the crosses were...

We spoke to Josie Gliddon about encouraging more girls into the Moth fleet

Mark: How did you first get into the Moth fleet?

Josie: Around 10 years ago I wanted a Moth and we then saved some money up, and last year my husband and I ditched the B14 and started Mothing!

Mark: How were your first experiences in the boat?

Josie: I was really surprised - the first day I went out I did a foiling gybe. I think it's a bit of a myth that it's really tricky to get up foiling and I was really pleased that I could sail it straight away.

Mark: You came from the B14 which itself is a fun boat. How would you rate the Moth in comparison?

Josie: You just have such a big smile on your face. The last race today I was thinking 'This is the best thing, it's just awesome'.

Josie Gliddon on day 3 of the UK International Moth Nationals at Paignton - photo © Mark Ripley

Mark: How do you find people in the fleet? Do you get advice from the other sailors, is there support or is it everybody for themselves?

Josie: It's definitely not everybody for themselves. Everybody's really helpful, designing and helping to move the class on. Certainly as a female you get a lot of support.

Mark: If somebody was coming into the class, what first steps would you advise them to take?

Josie: I think probably the best thing would be to talk to other Mothies. They're all over the country, go down to your local club where you know that they're sailing and go talk to them. We all really want everybody to come and join the class as we all think it's really great. They'll give you the tips as to what type of boat you can get, bearing in mind what your budget is as there is a huge difference in price. If you want to go sailing at your local club you can get quite an affordable Moth, it's not necessarily going to win you races at the Nationals, but it doesn't really matter whether you're at the front of the fleet or the back of the fleet because you just have such a big grin on your face.

Mark: Can you tell me about the smaller sail you are working on, which might help some of the sailors who are a bit lighter?

Josie: The big rig at the moment is currently 8.2 metres squared, and that's quite full on for me as I'm only 52 kilos and 5' 2" - I'm certainly at the smaller end of the spectrum! We're designing a sail with North and CST, with a 30cm shorter mast and 7.2 metres squared. I'm really looking forward to getting that in the next couple of weeks and trying it out. I think it might be a winner and I think some of the boys might want it when it gets windy as well!

Josie Gliddon on day 3 of the UK International Moth Nationals at Paignton - photo © Mark Ripley

Mark: There must be so many preconceptions out there that 52 kilos is far too light to sail a foiling Moth, but you sail it fine.

Josie: You have to be good at your boat handling, but I get round the course. The last race today was pretty breezy but I got round without capsizing and it's ok. The good thing about Moth sailing is that we do Grand Prix finishes, so if you get lapped you don't have to go round again - you just go through the gate and you still get a finish, which I think is a really good incentive. I think if more girls came into the fleet then you'd be racing around with lots of other people of a similar standard and you'd keep on improving and improving.

Mark: So your advice is to get in, talk to the fleet, and get foiling in a Moth?

Josie: Take the plunge and actually get out there and do it. There are a lot of people who really want to join the fleet and I don't think there's any excuse as to why you can't.

Josie Gliddon on day 2 of the UK International Moth Nationals at Paignton - photo © Mark Jardine / IMCA UK

Rio 2016 Olympian Ben Saxton has also joined the International Moth fleet. We spoke to him prior to racing today about his experiences in the Moth so far, why he's decided to sail the boat and about how fun is the most important thing for him in sailing.

Of particular note at this event is how welcoming the team at Paignton Sailing Club have been to the Moth fleet. Pasta after racing, delicious dinners served, volunteers helping in the dinghy park and socialising together with the sailors in the bar. Nick Ripley and his team run a fantastic club!

Results after Day 3: (nine races)