International Moth Lowriders Cobwebaway Breaker at Bartley Sailing Club

For those of us of a certain age, Bartley SC was a hotbed of 1980s and 90s International Moths in the Midlands, with half a dozen or more afloat each weekend in club racing. Whereas the rest of us flew Uncle Nige's nest years ago, he appears not to have aged and is still based there with his trusty Axeman 6. So it was agreed that Bartley would be the ideal opening to the UK Lowriders 2025 season.

The winter has been a hotbed of activity, with several boats shuffling between owners and in and out of sheds. The Facebook group is sufficiently busy for most to believe that we were on top of these developments, but that was clearly not the case.

International Moth Lowriders Cobwebaway Breaker at Bartley - photo © John Butler

At the 2024 season closer at Burton SC, Paul Hignett and Phil Henry revealed the two Prowlers ("Enzo" and "Flying Lime") which had been recently acquired and repurposed. Both boats were first generation foilers 20 years ago, and no one was quite sure how they would fare with their skinny daggerboards. That was a light wind event, but both showed great promise.

Paul was sufficiently impressed to go on the Prowl in the darkness of the Scottish winter. He showed a canny ability as a "Hungry Tiger Hunter" in 2017, driving me and others to move back into International Moth Lowriders at that point. Since then, his reputation in unearthing, restoring and rehoming narrow carbon Moths has, quite rightly, become the stuff of legend.

Katie's Skippy was sold last autumn, as she moved over to Paul's trusty Hungry Tiger just before Burton. The last built Skippy has also been found and rehomed. "Enzo" is just emerging from Paul's shed after a stunning further refurbishment, which all were expecting to admire but, instead, Paul turned up with a Prowler Zero, recently converted back to lowriding and tested at Largs the weekend before.

James Dyer - Skol - International Moth Lowriders Cobwebaway Breaker at Bartley - photo © Tom Foxall

As Katie and he left Scotland on Saturday, a cryptic photo was posted. Baltic Express was nowhere to be seen on the trailer. After much face slapping and checking the psilocybin content of the shrooms consumed alongside Saturday's steak and chips, no explanation could be found for what we were seeing as the lovely "Edna" was revealed to the adoring fleet on Sunday morning. Yes, a fourth Prowler had emerged from the weeds of the Hamble to be reborn as a Lowrider.

We thought that the scene was set for a battle between three Prowlers, but even that was not to be, for there was soon to be the second surprise reveal of the morning. Phil Henry appears in the car park, not with the Prowler, but a Mistress, with such a narrow and shapely "transom" that it would surely be met with cries of "Oh là là!!" in Nantes. The hard work of Tobius Portman, assisted by dad Simon, over the last few weeks to bring his rejuvenated Skippy to the water had been well documented. This allowed Simon to move back to the Magnum 5, whilst John stole George's Tiger for the event. Still with us?

With unseasonal warmth and 10+ knots in the forecast from an unusual ENE, seventeen boats were tempted to attend, from as far as Scotland, the Isle of Wight and Suffolk. Sadly, Chris Jones experienced separation anxiety when Statik Jakl experienced lift off on the M6, courtesy of a disintegrating roof rack. Thankfully, there was only light damage suffered as boat, trolley and roof rack landed on the carriageway, but he exercised caution rather than sailing and risking further issues with a bruised wing socket.

Paul Hignett in the Prowler Zero - International Moth Lowriders Cobwebaway Breaker at Bartley - photo © John Butler

A long beat was set the length of the reservoir, allowing a variety of tactical options, and with gybe marks on each bank on the way back downwind. Refamiliarising himself with Bartley after 30 years, and soon after the first start, John was rapidly reacquainted with the mythical "volcano", the solid concrete shallow spot claiming a large chunk of the daggerboard tip and causing an immediate upwind pitchpole.

Despite starting a couple of minutes late, Phil showed the strong potential of the Mistress experiment by gradually sailing through the fleet and passing Paul, to win the first race. The second race was initially closer throughout the fleet, with Paul's Prowler sneaking forward to gain the win. Paul also stretched into a good lead in Race 3, ahead of, pleasingly, Kevin Hope who found good speed in his Axeman 7 in each race. There are rumours that the elastic separating the Magnum 6's of Lyndon and Ian actually snapped, but both excelled, as usual, in the shifty inland conditions.

Away from the racing, Richard Westbury graciously worked with Tobius to improve the Skippy set-up, Tom Foxall photographed from the bank and water, John Butler also documented proceedings on photo and film, interviewing Aussie Scow sailor John Dwyer, amongst others. With the tantalising prospect of a Lowrider fleet at the International Moth Worlds in Perth in November 2026, the fleet developments are very active in the UK, with loading a shipping container in mind.

The emergence of the Prowlers and Mistress (and there are more to come), means that there is a growing number of fully sorted narrow skiffs available, at a surprisingly keen price, to those who will be able to give commitment to this special class. The significant rewards that come with mastering (and mistressing) International Moth Lowriders are there for the taking.

Winner, Paul Hignett - International Moth Lowriders Cobwebaway Breaker at Bartley - photo © John Butler

Overall Results:

Close action between the Axemans - International Moth Lowriders Cobwebaway Breaker at Bartley - photo © Tom Foxall