Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Runners & Riders
by Mark Jardine & Alex Adams 9 Jul 2024 13:49 BST
11-14 July 2024
Moth racing in Portland Harbour © Mark Jardine / IMCAUK
The UK International Moth fleet are descending to the South West to Falmouth Bay for the National Championship, with racing set to start on Thursday at the picturesque Restronguet Sailing Club.
The fleet are hoping to have shaken off the wind curse of 2024, which caused such problems during last year's World Championship in Weymouth, and are looking to light up the Cornish bay with some high speed foiling action.
Some of the UK's best Moth sailors are set to attend. Here's a quick run-down of the runners and riders...
Simon Hiscocks - the reigning champion is looking to make it a hat-trick of wins and was in spectacular form during Foiling Week on Lake Garda. Like a fine wine, Simon only seems to be getting better with age and will be the man to beat in his Beiker Moth.
Kyle Stoneham - noted for a turn of speed in the breeze, but sometimes struggles to put a series together. Can this be the year he puts it all together in his Exploder Moth?
Jack Wetherell - at the ill-fated 2023 Worlds Jack was the UK's top performer in third place - from the two races sailed - but couldn't follow this up at Foiling Week with technical problems dogging his regatta. He will be keen to demonstrate the latest development in Maguire foils on his Aerocet Moth.
David Hivey - a top sailor, but light on time on the water lately, though when he's on form he can be hard to beat. The Falmouth racetrack could be ideal for his style of sailing and hopefully he can avoid any seaweed, which in the past has had an attraction to his foils. Sailing an Aerocet.
Jason Belben - having been on the Moth scene since before many of the fleet were born, Jason has been near the top for a very long time. Recently he's been sailing another kind of Moth though, in his Europe dinghy, so hopefully he switches to back to high mode quickly enough in his Aerocet.
Mike Lennon - as a previous National and European Champion, Mike is a light wind expert who can put together a series on the big occasion in his Exploder.
Paul Gliddon - a bit of an unknown due to lack of sailing time, especially with the new Maguire low-drag wings on his Exocet.
Matt Lea - one to watch after showing great pace recently since upgrading his Rocket Moth with Exploder Foils.
Dan Holman - leading the Exocet charge this year, Dan gained free entry to the Nationals thanks to a class initiative for Mach 2 and Exocet owners.
Andrew Friend - as a serial home-builder, all eyes will be on his latest design, which is yet to see much racing action.
There are many more in the fleet who are ready to spring a surprise, and no Moth championship is complete without a dark horse coming through into the top ranks.
We'll be reporting daily with photos and video, getting all the latest on the fleet from the sailors.
IMCA UK would like to say a massive thank-you to the event and class sponsors:
Title Sponsor
Wetsuit Outlet - Wetsuit Outlet is Europe's largest technical watersports clothing and equipment retailer. Priding themselves on friendly, expert customer service, Wetsuit Outlet stock a huge range of the top watersport brands including Zhik, Gill, Musto, Sail Racing, Gul and more.
Event Sponsors
Maguire Boats - Builders of the Exocet and Aerocet Moths. Simon and the team at Maguire boats have put in a huge amount of time developing designs in the class, as well as spending countless hours during Moth class events repairing and fettling hulls and foils for the sailors.
Allen - UK manufactures of performance sailing hardware. The Allen design team works closely with many of the world's best Moth sailors and builders to design, create and produce race winning hardware that meet the demands of the International Moth class.
Class Sponsor
Noble Marine Insurance - continued support has allowed IMCA to subsidise entry fees for this year's championship; the support received is directly linked to the policies they provide Moth sailors with a discount for class members.