first time foilers...

Lia Ditton Prowler
I might have chased the Moth fleet around Garda at the Worlds earlier this year, trawling broken bits and their riders back to base, but until now I had not tried "mothing" for myself. Despite efforts by the WAGS (Wives and girlfriends) to turn lay day at the World's into "Ladies Day," the race committee instead had its way and continued the previous days racing. It was therefore an extreme act of generosity on the part of Karl Wittnebel to email me and invite me to sample the delights of foiling, up in Long Beach. The US West Coast Moth cult had embraced!

An International Moth lying on its side, with rudder and foil inserted and sail rigged up, is a bizarre looking flying machine that is guaranteed to draw a crowd. With a 5mm wetsuit with knee pads, booties; a dinghy lifejacket and spray top donned, we were ready. Karl picked up his beautiful white Prowler moth built by Fastacraft and we headed into the surf. A rather excited Lia grinning childishly followed behind.

With 10-12 knots of breeze on flat water, the conditions were perfect for learning and Karl proved to be an excellent teacher. With the boat on its side, I managed one knee up onto the foil that stuck horizontally out of the bottom of the boat and with a hand on the hull, pulled myself up on to it and stood up. Now for the tricky part! Holding onto the wing of the moth, I leant back using my body as a counterweight (just like on a windsurfer) to bring the sail out of the water and up into the air. As the mast rose, I did that quick-scramble manoeuvre that always guarantees a good photo. Timing and balance here are everything. The aim is to swing a leg over the wing bar; not too soon that the boat tips back into the water, leaving you momentarily high and dry on the wing bar, then tumbling in after the sail; but not too fast either that the mast continues to rise towards you, goes beyond the vertical and dunks you backwards into the water with the boat on top! Once I succeeded in righting the boat, I swiftly discovered that the only thing to stabilise the boat is to grab and sheet-in the mainsheet. So the manoeuvre actually goes as follows: stand up on foil, lean back, scramble over wing bar, reach for main sheet AND balance the boat with your weight to avoid going swimming again!

I have not laughed so hard, and so continuously, for so long, that when we eventually came off; I nearly swallowed a lot of water! At the time, Karl and I were tandem foiling. Karl righted the boat and dove in for the mainsheet, with me trawling my 62 kilos off the windward wing bar. When there was forward momentum, I snuck on the back and took the tiller. We were off! With two up, a constant stream of communication ran between us to coordinate our sailing direction, weight distribution and puff management. Then we began to foil. From the sound of water rushing past, there was suddenly breath-taking silence. Teetering on the edge of out-of-control, with the foil now emitting a high-pitched hum of pleasure, I was driving this highly frisky black winged bird. We were sailing so fast and so vicariously, with a crash so imminent, that the adrenaline excitement made me giggle, a lot. A puff nearly took us over, but with an extra effort to hike to windward, a touch downwind on the tiller and a slight ease on the mainsheet, we recovered. This happened again and again, as the apparent wind shot forward with the boat's acceleration or a puff came, laughter ringing in my ears and salt water running off my nose! Then Karl lost his hat; his black KA hat. What I meant to do next was gently come off the wind, but at that speed and foiling, Karl and I instead shot off the boat sideways as the moth went careering off by herself, only to round up and fall over several feet away. 'You go for the boat I'll go for the hat!' By the time Karl had recovered his hat and swum over, I had already calculated the soonest time I could afford an International Moth built by Fastacraft.

Our next tack saw us switch places, so that I was manning the mainsheet and Karl had the tiller. Surprisingly, this also worked tremendously well and what a difference it made to separate main sheeting from driving on lesson one. With a good grasp of both individually, I was nearly ready to multitask! And then the wind crapped out. Lesson two (unless Karl has come to his senses!) hopefully coming soon.

Alan Watson Prowler 4091
Within 30 seconds of launch my new Prowler was flying!!! - Initial reeeeeaction HELP!! then Expletive deleted vocabulary depleted I'm aaaaaaaaawaaaaay bow up to where or how I have no idea. Bow up - it feels miles out of the water. Main in and the acceleration is - well - breathtaking. Breathe you fool breathe. Take a breather main out. Oh expletive deleted the bow is goiing skywards the boat is on top of me HELP (Huge crash). Capsize. Think. Maybe downwind is not a good idea!!! Try up wind. Try moving forward as bow goes up and keeping the main in. Its orgasmic a little bear away a little head up a little twitch but the bow is no longer skyward and its moving fast, so fast and at times so smooth and with a kind of grace like a glider flying. Surpirise surprise you fool - you are flying. Main in, lean out weight forward, pull and she goes faster and faster. Tack you've got to tack!!

Get the picture? Next week Weston turns out to be Hayling with, the experts in 6 - 9 knots. Just sail the boat says Si, loose off the wand elastic and go fast. And I do that. And of course it works. Half a body roll forward or back and yes its controllable. Downwind close fetching and bearing away 50 hp rib in 10 knots left well behind. Frankly who cares about anything else when this is such fun. The skill level required is huge - a strange mix of conventional seamanship extreme wind awareness; extreme boat control and flying skills of extreme balance trim and sail setting. Puts the 5 essentials on a different planet. Of course its obvious you're sailing through three dimensions in two states of matter. If lowriding was addictive this is extereme addiction.

Tim Ollerenshaw gets his Hungry Tiger flying:
Well Colin you were right - sailing on foils is just amazing! Ian & I sailed the Weds evening race at Grafham yesterday, perfect wind and on the foils 95% of the time (if not in my case 95% of the time going in the right direction…). After some debate with the sailing committee we sailed off the trial 840 handicap - Ian finished second on the water, 30 seconds behind a 49er (!), and finished joint first on handicap with one of the local youth squad hotshots in a 29er. I finished 4th on the water and 4th on handicap ahead of a whole bunch of cats and assorted asymmetrics - if only the wind was like that every Wednesday!

Linton did a fantastic job converting the hungry tiger, with everything working first time 'out of the box'. Russ - go for it mate!


simon goodwin: Video clip here initial impressions on foiling - feels like horizontal freefall, as soon as the boat lifts off all boats around suddenly become stationary, and a permanent uncontrolled maniac grin develops! Makes sailing any other boat feel like you're dragging a sofa behind you.

As for the boat itself, well suffice to say if you have tendencies toward being a loner don't get one. The attention it was getting on the beach at Saundersfoot from sailors and even joe public was mad, it looks stunning,and despite a few control rod teething problems - a fair share of which I have to admit were probably due to stray foot syndrome and rushed overnight mending... - all seems to be extremely robust given its tendency to fire itself at the water head first from a great height whilst foiling downwind in 15-20knts of breeze, much to the delight of everyone watching.Thanks to Colin for help with launch/recovery, advice etc!
Can't wait till 5pm so I can go again.

keith c: VIDEO CLIP HERE Without doubt the most unbelievable sailing moment i have ever had.The feeling when she rose out of the water for the 1st time was just fantastic and then to sail a complete leg almost on foils all the way was simply awesome.
A local MPS came up behind me for a moment then disapeared behind my wake (oh yes and there wasn't any wake).

I just cant wait to get sailing with other foilers on the same bit of water. And the boat is so silent (except for me whooping and cheering). Cant wait for next weekend.


contender pete: had a go in lintons foiler at the weekend. it was so much better than i had expected. took a while to get myself sorted and up on the foils but once i did, wow! i was going along normally and all of a sudden it just went quiet and i felt the boat accelerate under me. then i started screaming and shouting (think i confused the Laser youth squad slightly who were training nearby until they saw why i was screaming, then i think they just got jealous). once up on the foils i found it relatively easy to sail and it wasn't as twitchy as i was expecting, just smegging quick (though i reakon it'll get interesting in more breeze). can't wait till mine arrives, and i can do that every week. Cheers. Pete Horn.

doug culnane: i had one nice little gust when broad reached and hiking off the wing bar. after the initial fright from the acceleration, the boat climbed high and would not go back down. i was waiting for the boat to do a ventilation drop and concentrating to try and work out which type it would be (A, B ,C, D, E....) i then realized that the wand was working and controlling the ride hight. i was riding high up in the air and the wand was bouncing along the surface. my GPS top speed reading was 14.4 knots.

the next day was windy, a good force 4. i sailed up wind gently and under control. i then bore off to see if i could get back downwind...NO FUCKING WAY.

i did not have the confidence (or stupidity) to sheet in and drive the boat hard so i tried to nurse it downwind but there was no way this thing was going to play nice. it would ride up on the foils and then it was either going to to fall into a broach or capsize. the wings hit the water before the hull and so it was very hard to recover from these crash landings.

i was very relived to get the boat close enough to the pontoon to shout SWIM at Adam.

ian forsdike: "it was COMPLETELY MAD!!! I havent had so much fun in ages...certainly the most fun you can have with your wetsuit on!"

mark robinson:"i ordered my foils really late and had no time to practice. so my first time on foils was the 2004 Aussie Nationals. it was blowing 25-30 kts for the invitation race. just as i left the beach a large rain squall reduced visibility to only 10 metres.

heading in the general direction of the start boat, after a massive nosedive only metres from the beach,I was determined to take off again.

reaching at over 18kts in ZERO visibility, a capsized scow appears out of the rain directly infront of me - faint screams from the scow skipper - miss him with the foil by 1 metre !

another near miss with a fat skiff hobbling along, i promise to start going to church on sundays. finally the start boat appears, the rain begins to clear, and a decimated fleet of scows and younger skiff sailors is all around - inexplicably I'm smiling from ear to ear!"



adam may: "it is all i hoped it would be, breathtaking speed, bizarre silence, some interesting crashes, and loads of stunned onlookers. a B14 tried to take me down a run, but i went straight over the top of him, and then soaked down to a lower line than him and just sailed away! Mainsheet almost on the centreline, sitting in on the wing, doing some stupid speed for 10 knots of windspeed. an international canoe with kite gave up straight away, and just commented on how cool it looked! most of the youth 29er squad have decided what boat they want in a few years, after a few flybys past them!

forget 14's in san fran, 5 years of olympic tornado sailing, a blast across portland harbour in 8/10 knots today several feet above the water was my favourite sailing moment."



simon p: launching at the steep concrete queen mary reservoir is made easy by simply hiring a personal assistant. this one wasn't good looking and has made it clear he's not going to do that in december...once away nothing can quite prepare you for what's going to happen next. i've never been good with heights so realising you've just levitated to one meter up and accelerated to twice your normal speed is surreal, crazy and slightly alarming. like the proverbial cat up the tree, the first instinct is, how do i get down from here. the answer isn't long coming - an almighty nosedive - imagine someone chucked you fully rigged from a one metre jetty at full speed. i keep thinking the hull can't take this pounding. but it seems it can and gradually a measure of control develops for airborne sailing. i just gotta get back up soon...





mark rushall: "10 knots of breeze was sufficient to lift hull and your 82kg test pilot on to foils! I am still reliving the experience and can't wait to be allowed out again..The sensation is simply amazing. At this stage I can hear an eerie whistling in the rigging and my own hysterical laughing. I am sailing an 11ft dinghy 3ft above the water!

Watching a fleet of these machines racing around a course will be just amazing. To see a piece of history in the making, find a way to be in Portland harbour, Weymouth between 27 and 23 July for the Moth European championships."

si payne: "it was great fun. no harder than a conventional moth. just different. to give you an idea on Monday in biggish breeze I didnt capsize once (ok a couple of times but only to adjust things)

the KA rig is an issue here. its so good that you just set it and forget it. perfect for concentrating on where you are going..gybing is great, no pressure on the sail etc. the staggering thing is the acceleration, plus the fact that when the hull is out its so quiet.

the amount of interest was almost embarrassing, 50 people on the beech. lots on the balcony. when I err.... got it up I could hear the clapping! i became a sailing pin up! the nautical equivalent of glamour model Jordan."