International Moth European Championship at Borstahusens Segelsällskap

by J Gliddon 25 Jul 2018 16:38 BST

Carlo de Paoli at the International Moth European Championship 2018 in Borstahusen, Sweden © Martina Orsini

International Moth European Championship 2018 in Borstahusen, Sweden © Martina Orsini

Paul Gliddon at the International Moth European Championship 2018 in Borstahusen, Sweden © Martina Orsini

It's been a long time coming...

Last week saw over 65 moth sailors descend on the small sleepy fishing village of Borstahusen in southern Sweden. Perhaps uncharted waters for the Moth class however near perfect conditions prevailed all week and the club provided fantastic hospitality – many thought the food was the best they have ever had at any sailing event and the Moth class certain are a hungry bunch after six hours on the water!

Day one was probably the most testing with short wavy conditions causing most of the fleet to pitch pole at least once as the thermal enhanced breeze built from the north to a steady 15-18 knts. Carlo de Paoli on his standard Lennon mast combo won the first two races followed by Dave Hivey with his Lennon decksweeper who won the third, putting them on equal points. This was going to be a close competition....and a long one with twenty races scheduled over five days! Main aim was to keep a cool head with the well-deserved beer after racing strategically placed at the top of the slipway by the hosting club (nice touch!)

Day two dawned with less breeze and overcast. Was the thermal going to increase again like the previous couple of days or not? With a 5 hour postponement the fleet waited ashore keeping entertained by the usual debates; was a decksweeper faster or not and what foil should we go out on if we were to go? 3 o'clock came and the fleet were sent out for 3 almost perfect races in 12-15 knots before the breeze died.

Lots of foil changes later across the fleet with the changing breeze, Dave manages another 2 race wins and the other going to Paul Gliddon (shortened North rig), taking his first ever moth race win. The top three – Dave, Carlo and Paul now were close on points with Tom Offer (Lennon decksweeper), Adriano Petrino (KA decksweeper), Benoit Marie (Custom decksweeper) and Andreas John (Lennon standard) all making some appearance as top three finishers.

Day three racing started on time and with a much lighter breeze, the weed in the water became a real issue and many of the fleet were forcing capsizes to clear the grass like clumps off their foils. The unavoidable weed clumps forced a pretty quick de-acceleration from foiling to low riding. The only solution was to foil as high as you dare to stay above most of the weed, and try to clear weed on a tack. Lighter sailor Paul Gliddon managed to stay in pressure and took a comfortable win in the first race, before the thermal kicked in again and weed seemed to become less of an issue for the fleet.

Dave then managed another two race wins, with the last going to Carlo. Dave was on a roll and the question was, with only half the scheduled races completed, could he win his first Moth event after four years? Back in the pack the fight for first youth was starting to get tight with Alexander Ringstad and Jacob Clasen only a few points away from each other.

David Hivey at the International Moth European Championship 2018 in Borstahusen, Sweden - photo © Martina Orsini

Day four turned out to be another four-race day and with another 10-15 knots the fleet was getting tired. Physical fitness is key and even the race winners were starting to feel it. Benoit Marie made a pretty awesome comeback having had a few sketchy races at the start of the week winning three of the four races. Dave took another win, and the 1st Female race was getting closer with Emma Gravare closing the gap on Josie Gliddon. But perhaps it was all too late....

Final day of racing wasn't looking good whichever weather model the sailors looked at and whilst PO, the race officer, did his best to get a race going it was just not going to be. Day's four results stood and finally Dave managed to be crowned European Champion!

Massive thanks to the club and event sponsors for a well organised championship and to Martina Orsini for the incredible photos taken during the event.

International Moth European Championship 2018 in Borstahusen, Sweden - photo © Martina Orsini

Overall Results:

Pos	Nat	Sail No	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	Pts
1st	GBR	4542	David Hivey	‑3	2	1	1	2	1	‑6	1	1	2	2	1	2	3	19
2nd	ITA	4180	Carlo de Paoli	1	1	4	3	5	6	3	3	2	1	3	‑10	4	‑7	36
3rd	GBR	4309	Paul Gliddon	4	4	3	4	1	2	1	4	7	7	6	11	‑14	‑14	54
4th	GBR	4548	Tom Offer	2	7	6	2	7	‑26	‑21	11	9	4	5	3	5	6	67
5th	FRA	7	benoit marie	5	(67	2	‑40	3	28	27	2	4	3	1	2	1	1	79
6th	SUI	4404	Adriano Petrino	(67	3	7	6	9	4	10	7	8	11	11	4	8	‑20	88
7th	GER	4047	Andreas John	11	‑21	‑18	14	10	3	12	13	10	5	8	5	6	2	99
8th	GER	4417	Maximilian Mäge	‑27	12	12	15	12	5	7	6	5	10	‑17	9	9	10	112
9th	JPN	3989	Hiroki Goto	8	6	8	5	13	25	4	‑29	(67	8	7	7	18	15	124
10th	SUI	4275	philippe schiller	6	10	14	12	‑28	8	‑31	8	6	13	12	15	27	19	150
11th	SWE	4508	Danny Inkyov	(67	8	10	20	6	15	‑24	16	11	12	18	8	20	17	161
12th	UAE	4312	Chris Graham	(67	9	11	9	14	11	16	20	15	‑22	16	12	12	21	166
13th	FIN	3851	Erik Lindahl	14	11	13	(67	(67	DNC	2	5	12	16	9	13	10	12	184
14th	GER	4049	Fabian Gielen	(67	(67	DNS	7	4	45	9	26	3	6	4	14	3	4	192
15th	AUT	3799	Maximilian Stelzl	20	5	17	‑24	15	9	20	17	24	9	20	18	‑33	22	196
16th	AUT	4511	Michael Schönleitner	7	24	20	‑25	‑31	24	17	19	14	20	15	6	23	11	200
17th	FIN	4087	Thomas Castren	9	22	22	17	30	12	22	15	19	‑39	22	19	32	‑34	241
18th	GBR	4544	Matthew Lea	12	25	33	22	19	10	52	14	(67	(67	10	24	11	18	250
19th	SWE	4330	Stefan Järudd	23	16	‑43	21	20	23	37	9	13	18	28	(67	16	28	252
20th	NOR	4328	Alexander Ringstad	(67	18	15	(67	11	7	45	39	17	17	38	17	21	9	254
21st	GER	3975	Jacob Clasen	22	27	16	18	26	‑37	11	‑37	23	19	14	33	24	23	256
22nd	AUS	4101	Andrew Sim	10	13	28	16	33	19	14	25	20	24	29	‑35	28	‑37	259
23rd	ITA	4270	Fabio Fumagalli	18	‑39	19	11	24	14	‑36	18	18	35	34	29	15	32	267
24th	GRE	4104	George Boussoulas	16	20	24	13	21	30	26	21	25	26	26	‑38	37	‑49	285
25th	SWE	4305	Martin Wigforss	‑39	34	31	38	18	‑39	19	24	35	14	13	21	25	16	288
26th	SUI	4393	Philip Käsermann	24	40	23	10	22	22	38	33	22	25	25	25	(67	‑46	309
27th	GBR	4492	Nic Streatfeild	(67	23	30	19	29	32	15	43	‑45	41	23	32	19	5	311
28th	GBR	3979	James Ross	19	19	21	(67	27	18	32	‑40	30	30	30	26	39	33	324
29th	FIN	4371	Jyrki Taiminen	38	(67	(67	30	16	29	39	12	26	15	33	37	26	24	325
30th	NED	3794	Menno Berens	30	‑31	26	31	23	20	29	30	27	29	‑32	31	28.3	28.2	332.5
31st	SUI	4152	Guillaume Rigot	13	(67	(67	29	DNC	13	41	10	28	34	27	20	29	40	351
32nd	BEL	3915	Morgan Good	15	37	‑42	(67	34	17	13	27	36	36	39	40	40	25	359
33rd	GBR	4562	Craig Burlton	(67	(67	DNS	DPI	17	36	34	48	37	48	42	16	17	8	401
34th	FIN	4526	Sami Jokinen	26	28	25	37	35	35	33	‑47	33	38	36	42	41	‑51	409
35th	GBR	4096	Josie Gliddon	34	30	32	26	40	38	23	44	31	31	43	‑47	‑49	42	414
36th	FRA	4065	anthony rezzoug	29	15	27	(67	(67	DNS	51	42	29	DNC	21	27	13	27	415
37th	SWE	4252	Emma Grävare	41	38	35	32	39	‑46	‑42	35	40	27	31	34	36	39	427
38th	FIN	4069	Sampsa Hyysalo	21	26	29	23	49	(67	54	50	44	23	48	30	(67	31	428
39th	GER	3684	Sven Kloppenburg	33	33	41	(67	36	42	8	49	46	45	41	‑50	31	30	435
40th	SWE	4112	Rasmus Rosengren	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNF	50	5	23	DNC	28	24	22	7	13	440
41st	SWE	4291	Jonatan Bergström	‑49	48	(67	34	42	40	28	22	43	44	47	28	35	44	455
42nd	FIN	4574	Lauri Kääpä	43	46	37	(67	(67	31	50	32	21	32	40	39	44	54	469
43rd	GER	4377	CARLO MAEGE	37	(67	(67	35	32	21	44	54	DNC	33	35	48	34	36	476
44th	ITA	4399	Riccardo Giuliano	32	36	36	28	41	‑49	‑56	45	41	46	46	45	46	45	487
45th	FIN	4403	Antti Keurulainen	36	29	34	(67	50	(67	46	34	39	42	53	56	45	26	490
46th	SWE	3770	Gustav Theander	46	47	(67	(67	48	16	35	53	38	43	44	44	42	43	499
47th	NED	3623	Roald Verschuure	28	42	39	36	43	(67	‑55	36	42	37	45	49	50	52	499
48th	ITA	4491	Marco Lanulfi	(67	14	5	8	8	27	40	(67	DNC	DNC	67	DNC	DNC	67	504
49th	NED	4408	Eelco Boers	17	17	9	(67	25	34	43	58	(67	DNC	67	DNC	DNC	67	538
50th	FIN	3882	Juhani Pulkkinen	35	35	(67	39	45	43	49	‑55	48	49	52	51	47	53	546
51st	CRO	4126	Luka Dogan	31	32	38	(67	(67	DNS	67	46	51	DNC	37	43	43	38	560
52nd	SWE	4363	Magnus Lövdén	25	41	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	67	RET	DNC	DNC	19	23	22	29	561
53rd	FRA	4072	Madeos Ciret‑Le	50	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNS	67	28	16	21	54	46	38	47	568
54th	GER	397	Franziska Mäge	45	44	(67	(67	44	44	18	31	32	53	67	DNC	DNC	67	579
55th	SWE	4231	Ola Persson	52	(67	(67	DNS	47	48	30	51	50	47	49	53	48	41	583
56th	ITA	4209	Michele Trimarchi	51	(67	(67	DNS	38	41	53	38	DNC	DNC	67	41	30	48	608
57th	SWE	4353	Joakim Wiklund	44	45	(67	(67	46	51	25	57	DNC	DNC	50	OCS	51	50	620
58th	SUI	4031	Yvo Duerr	40	(67	(67	DNS	51	47	67	56	47	50	56	55	54	55	645
59th	GBR	4554	David Smithwhite	42	(67	(67	33	37	33	67	41	DNC	DNC	67	DNC	DNC	67	655
60th	SWE	4253	Magnus Grävare	47	43	40	(67	(67	DNS	67	DNS	DNC	DNC	51	52	52	35	655
61st	SWE	4264	Michael Magnerius	54	(67	(67	41	52	DNC	67	60	52	52	57	58	55	57	672
62nd	FRA	97	Lisa Scheigert	53	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNS	47	59	49	51	55	54	53	56	678
63rd	GER	3259	Gerold Pauler	56	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNS	67	52	34	54	58	57	56	58	693
64th	GBR	3169	Arthur Chabernuad	55	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNS	67	DNS	53	40	59	36	DNC	67	712
65th	FRA	407	Morgane Suquaet	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	48	61	DNC	DNC	67	DNC	DNC	67	779
66th	IRL	4517	Rory Fitzpatrick	48	(67	(67	DNS	DNS	DNS	67	DNS	DNC	DNC	67	DNC	DNC	67	785