British Moth End of Year Open at Hunts Sailing Club

British Moths at Hunts © Jenny Bentley & Jenni Heward-Craig

British Moths at Hunts © Jenny Bentley & Jenni Heward-Craig

The last of this year's Moth Opens was held at Hunts Sailing Club on the weekend of 19-20 September. Despite the weather warnings, 14 Moths (along with the Lightning Open on the Saturday) participated over the two days in what only could be described as 'Waiting for wind'.

Day one was calm, with a patchy southerly of between 2- 4 mph. For the first two races, Toby Cooper (887) took the lead, as he, Toby Smith (838) and Tim Davison (892) broke from the fleet. The rest followed, with many swapping places throughout, competing for wind round the course with the Lightnings. In both races, Cooper took first, with Davison just edging out Smith, overtaking him at the same mark both times.

Race three was postponed for an hour, waiting for the wind to come in. With the course changed to a short square, Cooper not competing, and a four boat recall, Smith took the lead early, followed by Richard Keefe (884) and everyone else. The wind disappeared, shortening the race to two laps, and Smith was never headed. Keefe finished third, overtaken by Simon Hall (847) in the final stages.

The wind was better for Day two racing, but just as fickle. The first two races were combined with club racing, introducing some of the Moth sailors to Hunts' unique 9-6-3 start sequence. With Cooper and Davison over the line, Smith lead the fleet, keeping ahead until the finish. Cooper and Davison were not too handicapped by their late start, making their way through to finish second and third respectively.

Race two took place after lunch. The wind was picking up, making sailing quicker, but Cooper never relinquished his lead, with Davison and Gary Tompkins (882) third.

A short break. The wind filled in, and Cooper was again over the line at the start, forcing him to return and start again. To the surprise of the spectators (and himself), Tompkins took the lead. He and Keefe fought for the first two places for most of the race, but Cooper made his way through the fleet to take the lead at the third-last mark, coming in first. Tompkins kept ahead of a resurgent Smith, coming second, with Smith third, and early front-runner Keefe was fourth.

With his four firsts, Cooper was Hunts Open Champion, with Smith second and Davison third. Ladies' Champion was Abby Freeley (883).

British Moths at Hunts - photo © Jenny Bentley & Jenni Heward-Craig

Overall Results: