Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Day 2

The Moth fleet have had their fair share of bad luck over the past couple of years, with a lack of wind at some major events, but so far the UK Nationals at Torbay have been close to perfect.

The second day saw lighter winds than on Thursday, for which I think everyone was thankful, but still provided an ideal race track for the Moths to get up and fly.

Things weren't looking as promising earlier on in the day, with a postponement ashore initially, and then a stop-start wind leading to race five being abandoned and resailed, which nearly all were happy with, apart from Alex Adams who was leading at the time. Many, including Dylan Fletcher, had been caught out in a light patch and crossed the line very late, and while he charged through the fleet, it was unlikely he'd have caught the front-runners.

GBR 490 Alex Adams crosses the Race 5 finish line on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

It was the right decision though, and the wind soon freshened a little to let the Moths send it, and Alex wasn't fazed by his misfortune, and went on to record a third in the re-run, and very much enjoyed his day:

"In the end we got 10-12 knots, which is pretty much perfect for foiling boats. We're already doing 20-odd knots everywhere so you don't really need any more. It was great fun!"

With reference to how the event is going so far compared to recent events Alex added:

"We've been pretty unlucky with the weather for a few big events recently, and this is already more races than I've got in at either of the last two world championships."

GBR 4999, Henry Wetherell, on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

At the top of the fleet, Henry Wetherell continues to put together an impressive series, and is yet to record a result outside of the top two:

"I felt quick enough today, was on the shifts, and had some good starts as well. The shifts today were coming with the pressure, so it was eyes out of the boat, and if in doubt, get to the left hand side, especially at the start of the day. Middle and right was risky and didn't work out a lot of the time.

Commitment has a dual meaning in the Moths. Committing to the hours in the boat is one thing, refining skills and manoeuvres, while at the same time committing to 'send it' is another, going full bore to try and attain even higher speeds, and Henry is certainly committed:

"100%. If you're sat in downwind, you're probably not pushing it hard enough, even when it's 10 or 12 knots. The boats like to go fast, and if you take your foot off the gas, your VMG plummets quite quickly."

GBR 5247, Dylan Fletcher lining up for the Race 7 start on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

Dylan Fletcher is in second, but looks slightly out of sorts at times, often grinding out results rather than the free-flowing natural sailing that we see from him regularly:

"It's certainly not coming easy at the moment. I'm a bit off the pace of Henry and Kyle (Stoneham) and at times I was sailing terribly! It's why I keep coming back though. It's humbling, there's nowhere to hide, you've just got to keep grinding it out, and that's what I sort of enjoy."

Dylan pulled off a stunning port tack start in the re-run of race 5, which requires lightning reactions and incredible spatial awareness in such a fast moving boat:

"It's always good fun port tacking the fleet, and great fun in the Moth class to have that opportunity, because the speeds are so high, and if there's a gap, you can send it through, although you don't want to get it wrong because the consequences are pretty high!"

GBR 5247, Dylan Fletcher comes in for a port tack start in Race 5 behind GBR 5249 Kyle Stoneham on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

On the quality of the fleet Dylan added:

"It's a testament to the Moth class, the standard is just getting higher and higher. It's a slightly different scene to what it was in the UK a few years ago, but the Moth class is a development class, so it always has ups and downs at the end of the day, but we're seeing some of the slightly older boats which have had upgrades are now competitive, and I think that's fantastic to see. The never-ending quest for speed is why I enjoy it."

GBR 5168, Hattie Rogers, on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

One of the stand-out performances at the event has to be Hattie Rogers, who returned from match racing in the USA on the eve of the event, and is currently in fourth overall. She's the only woman in the fleet this year, and is going toe to toe with the men. Hattie has had stellar results in the past, winning female world titles in the WASZP and Moth classes, but it's arguable that this is being her best event yet, including beating the Olympic gold medallist, British SailGP driver & America's Cup helm Dylan Fletcher in race 5.

Hattie is always understated about her achievements, mainly talking about the enjoyment of the sport to her large social media following, but I feel this is yet another breakthrough moment for the young superstar. She puts in the hours, sails with a smile, and in no way feels overwhelmed by the pressure, instead continually refining her skills and boat:

"It's nice to be at the front with the guys, and I think yesterday, having not sailed the boat for a month or two, it definitely felt better today. A lot of my kit has been refined over the past year, and today I was using the big sail, which allowed me in particular to compete with the guys downwind, whereas yesterday I was on the smaller sail.

"I really love the smaller sail in the breeze, as it's such a weapon in those conditions, and refining those crossovers is really important. I've changed a lot of the systems on my boat as well, and being able to pull enough kicker and downhaul on, and making sure everything is at the correct load is really important. I've learned a lot over the past year - particularly being in New Zealand for six months - but still a lot of learning to do! In these boats you've just got to send it, particularly keeping up with the guys!"

GBR 5168, Hattie Rogers gybes into the Race 8 finish on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

Dylan Fletcher is full of praise for Hattie, having watched her progress in a multitude of classes:

"Hattie's sailing incredibly well. She's been campaigning really hard, she won the female world championships in Manly, New Zealand at the beginning of this year, and was second at the Lake Garda worlds. She's been training hard and it's great to have role models like her for younger female sailors to look up to as to what they can be capable of."

The sky's the limit for Hattie and the next cohort of female sailors, and it's an exciting time for the sport itself. Watching her progress from a young age has been a privilege, especially knowing she is nowhere near her peak yet.

GBR 4944, Eddie Bridle mid-gybe on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

Defending champion Eddie Bridle has had a little time away from the class, and found today far more to his liking:

"Rusty is probably the best way to describe it, especially yesterday when it was so full on. Definitely not the easing back into it that I was after! Today was more like it, especially early on when it was more my conditions."

GBR 4854, Matthew Lea, on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

Matthew Lea finished the day in the top ten, and reflected on the physicality of eight races in two days:

"It was a tricky day today, with the breeze picking up towards the end, but definitely hard work. At the end of the day your arms are cramping, it's really hard to pull anything or let anything out - a well-deserved rest and beer afterwards!"

Overall the leaderboard is taking shape, with Henry Wetherell on 10 points, 5 clear of Dylan Fletcher, with Kyle Stoneham 4 further back. Hattie Rogers is on 32 points in 4th, Alex Adams is 5th on 39, with defending champion Eddie Bridle is in 6th on 44 points, tied with Ireland's Ronan Wallace.

IRL 4848, Ronan Wallace weaves through the fallen on Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship Day 2 - photo © Mark Jardine

The fresh winds are set to return on Saturday, and the south-easterly direction could cause a big sea to come into Torbay, so it's a case of watch this space and trust in the excellent Royal Torbay Yacht Club race management team led by Bob Penfold.

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

Provisional Results after Day 2: