Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Overall

After a day off on Saturday, due to huge swell in Torbay the easterly breeze kicked up, the Moth fleet were back in action on Sunday to conclude the battle for the UK Championship.

It started in a very autumnal way, with rain, the odd clap of thunder, and a wait for the breeze to stabilise as a front approached from the west. Going into the day Henry Wetherell was in a commanding position at the top of the leaderboard on ten points, with Dylan Fletcher on 15 and Kyle Stoneham on 19.

Race 9 started after a delay, but was soon abandoned as the fitful breeze was too unstable to hold a fair race, but soon after the wind started to stabilise and the restart went away fine.

Port tackers approach the Race 9 startline on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Torbay still had some fairly large waves, but with them coming from a different direction from the wind there was a lot of experimentation on the Moths to try and keep foiling in a stable fashion. Gearings and bias adjusters were tuned and modified, and the fleet was up and flying, albeit with the occasional spectacular wipeout, and a few erratic courses, especially on the downwind legs.

GBR 4951 James Phare on the edge of control at the Race 9 finish on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Henry Wetherell continued the fine form he'd been showing all event, recording a 1,2,1 scoreline to seal the win in style, not finishing outside of the top two in any races.

Kyle Stoneham's final day didn't start well, being caught over the startline in race 9, but he followed this up with a 1,2 to overhaul Dylan Fletcher and finish second overall. Dylan was having control issues with his boat, leading to 6,4 race results and having to head ashore before the final race.

Hattie Rogers had her best day yet, with a 2,3,3 scoreline and cementing fourth overall, with Irish sailor Ronan Wallace moved up to fifth with a 3,6,4 scoreline on the final day, finishing on equal points with Alex Adams, while defending champion Eddie Bridle came in seventh overall, ahead of Jason Belben, who collected the Masters title.

2025 Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship (l-r) Kyle Stoneham (2nd), Hattie Rogers (4th & Ladies Champion), Henry Wetherell (National Champion), Callum Wyper (10th & Youth Champion), Dylan Fletcher (3rd) - photo © Mark Jardine

Henry Wetherell said on winning his first Moth National title:

"It feels really good. We had some really good racing, quite close at the front of the fleet with me, Kyle, Dylan and Hattie, who was flying in the waves today, which was good. The Royal Torbay Yacht Club has done a great job - I can't really speak highly enough of everyone here. The skill level's gone up quite a lot, with some close starts. With the boats being so fast, you don't really want to look back if someone's crossing behind your rudder!"

GBR 4999 Henry Wetherell finishes Race 9 on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Runner-up Kyle Stoneham described how he's enjoyed the conditions this week in Torbay:

"We've not done much sailing on a Moth in the chop and the waves, and I've not really sailed against anyone else on my new boat, which I've been training on for the last three weeks.

"The different conditions and variety I think makes you a much better sailor. At the WPNSA I will now be going out of Portland harbour a lot more, preferably with some rescue cover, but I think we're just going to have to do much more sailing in Weymouth bay, because there's a lot more to Moth sailing than just pan flat water."

GBR 4249 Kyle Stoneham finishes Race 9 on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Dylan Fletcher was in agreement about the superb bay sailing:

"Another fantastic day here in Torquay with a bit of everything. We had some waves, and then the breeze shifted right, and it got windy.Henry and Kyle are a step ahead of me on pace. Not a very good day for me with some gear failure and picking up a plastic bag in the first race when I was winning wound me up a bit."

GBR 5247 Dylan Fletcher rounds the leeward mark in Race 10 on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Dylan has a tricky balancing act to do, trying to stay in practice in the Moth alongside his SailGP and America's Cup commitments:

"I'm obviously getting busier and busier now, and trying to weigh the balance between trying to get everything done. It wasn't the best lead up to the event with some breakages of some other kit, which meant I didn't get any time in the water. But that's part of it, and it was still good to come down, get some good racing, and get some good starts.

Dylan also highlighted how the sailors are so helpful in the class when there are breakages. For example when he was at the Worlds and broke his boom, Iain 'Goobs' Jensen lent him one, and this week Dylan lent youth champion Callum Wyper a boom when his broke:

"I think that's one thing that's really nice about the class - everyone helps each other out. Although there's tight racing, and no one gives an inch on the water, everyone's good friends off the water, and we all help each other out when someone breaks something."

GBR 48 Callum Wyper finishes Race 9 on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Callum was thankful to Dylan for the support and the ethos of the class:

"I've had some really, really fun events in the past, but I think this tops them all. This is my very first Moth event in the UK, and everything about it has just been super. The people around here, the Moth sailors and the spirit here is great. I broke my boom on the first day, and I had the fortunate chance of having Dylan give me a boom, so that was really just incredible to see."

The waves in Torbay were very much to Callum's liking, and he actually went for a blast on Saturday when the racing was cancelled:

"Back at my home club, where I do most of my sailing, we often get some very big waves, so I've had my fair share of time sailing in waves. So today was really, really good with the big waves in the second race. Then with the southerly breeze in the final race, which wasn't in line with the waves, was quite interesting as well, but I really enjoyed it."

GBR 5168 Hattie Rogers finishes Race 9 on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Hattie Rogers has been getting faster and faster all event, and seemed to find the groove perfectly in the tricky waveset, mixing it up with the top three:

"It was nice! This wavy day was the best day because it felt like some of the rust was coming off, and it was fun in the breeze and the waves."

Hattie is another one balancing up her time, having been taken on by a match racing team in the USA, but she's continuing to build up towards the next world championship:

"I think that the Moth class is really pushing forwards with developments and I think there's a few more things that I'm going to be looking at this winter, coming into Perth next year, so I'm quite excited to keep pushing with the boat, as well as sailing a Switch. I'm just going to be trying to fit as much foiling racing into my calendar as possible and try to keep improving every day."

IRL 4848 Ronan Wallace finishes Race 9 on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

Ronan Wallace was very happy that he travelled over from Ireland for the event:

I loved this event. I thought it was great and I thought with all the sailors hanging around the yacht club and the dinghy park, sharing information meant you were never bored, because there were lots of interactions with people, and I learned a lot. The sailing as well has been great. Yes, there was a little bit of waiting around on the water, but I think we were rewarded in the end with three really nice, challenging races."

The Race Committee get set for Race 10 in the heavy rain on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

The Royal Torbay Yacht Club have pulled out all the stops for the fleet, and Race Officer Bob Penfold, was happy with the sailors' reaction to the event:

"We hope they've all enjoyed it. It's been a challenging four days for all of us, with the weather hitting us with everything it can in Torbay, but we've worked through it. We're pretty pleased to have given them 11 races. It's a pity that we lost one day, but to get three races in today after the poor start to the day was good for us."

Lined up ready for launch on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 4 - photo © Mark Jardine

With the waves and bay sailing proving popular, many of the sailors were already expressing a desire to return to the club for more racing.

Wetsuit Outlet is back as title sponsor of the event, with Allen, Noble Marine Insurance and Optimum Time also supporting the event.

Overall Results:
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