International Moth Training in Portland Harbour with a European Champion Coach
by Ian Renilson 11 May 10:02 BST
4-5 May 2019
The 2019 Moth Spring Coaching weekend was run at the National Sailing Academy at Portland by current European Champion and super-coach, Dave Hivey.
The foiling Moth is challenging to master, so these training events are a regular feature to help people develop in the class, and the high calibre of the coaching ensures that they are always popular. This event was attended by 10 enthusiastic sailors, ranging from complete newbies to aspiring foil-tackers, many coming from quite a distance - Scotland/ NE England/ Cornwall/ Sussex/ etc. Everyone learnt loads to improve their foil sailing, and some extended their stay for some extra practice in Portland Harbour.
Saturday was cold and very windy, so the session started with classroom coaching to explain the principles and processes of racing on hydrofoils. The strong wind continued for most of the day and the extended classroom session was very valuable. The wind eased late afternoon, so the evening meal was postponed and the practical session started, with the breeze moderating to provide ideal conditions to put Dave's tips into practice in front of the video camera with coaching commentary. We came ashore as the sun set, and rushed to get to the restaurant in time for more useful Mothie chat.
Sunday provided ideal conditions, and after a short de-brief of the previous days session it was back on the water for an extended session of short races. In the lighter winds Dave was able to get closer to boats and provide instant coaching for immediate benefits, and the racing demonstrated the importance of being on the foils before the start, and staying on the foils through manoeuvres. A further debrief completed the excellent weekend, with video downloads available for further analysis.
Many thanks to Dave Hivey for giving up his valuable time to provide such insightful and entertaining coaching.