FAQ's
January 2004

Q. How fast can you go on the foils?

I didn't think it was possible at first, but I have been over the 20 knot mark a few times. You need a good 18-20 knots and flat water to do that and heading about 120 degrees off the breeze. Once you get going, you can keep driving harder and faster downwind and the boat will just keep on going faster and faster. I'd like to go out in 20-25 knots in flat water and really hammer it downwind. I think you could get it up to 25 knots, but it would be one hell of a ride! Might need to take out a spare pair of jocks with me tho, along with a crash helmet.

Q. You sail with significant windward heal, why do you do this and is it fast?

The windward heal is much faster than a leeward heal as it allows you to carve a path higher upwind (rather than getting blown sideways) and also does not spill as much air from your sail like when a normal boat heals to leeward as it hits a gust. It gives you more control over the boat too, and also allows to get your weight out further, react to gusts better and keep the boat flatter.

Q. Most of the videos appear to be with you sailing the reach or broadreach legs of your 'P' shaped course, Why is that?

The video December, 2003 - 3Mb is me sailing upwind on the same angle as a normal moth would. It may not look that way because we do not sheet on the centreline and the lack of spray from the boat, but I am going upwind at speed (about 12 knots). Broad reaching is not different apart from the speed (about 14-16 knots normally), and I need sheet in a lot due to the apparent being so far forward.

Q. Do hydrofoil Moths 'tack' downwind as we do in the 49er?

Yes, but only if the boat is able to stay foiling the whole way down to the bottom mark.

Q. In very light winds, do you still tack downwind?

If it is less than 8 knots and I have to do a windward-return, I sail square to get to the bottom mark, as it not worth tacking downwind and trying to foil. It seems to be quicker this way, as the loss in boat speed to drag would not be as great as the loss in distance to speed while trying to foil and tack down to the bottom mark. Remember we carry the same sail area downwind though!

Q. How do you gybe the foiler Moth when it is going fast?

It is actually quite easy, unlike a normal Moth at speed which has a lot of force in the rig on the boat. When foiling at speed there is very little pressure in the rig, so it is just a matter of moving some weight inwards and forwards and steering slightly to leeward to make the boat 'carve gybe'. Grab the entire mainsheet and throw it over (there will be very little pressure in the sail at this stage but it fairly easy as you shouldn't be sheeting out very far anyway). Really dig your head and body towards the new windward wing to maintain that slight heal. Get your balance and make sure the sail is set. Swap hands and start hiking towards the back of the boat. Once going again, move your weight forward. If you are good enough, the should not touch the water (but it won't matter too much anyway even if it does, just don't lift the boat too high out of the water or roll the boat to windward before the gybe). Piece of cake!

Q. Do you race in competition against other Moth's without foils? If so, it does not seem entirely fair then?

It might be worth explaining a bit about the International Moth Class that we sail in first. It is an 11' high performance international skiff class, that has minimal rules to encourage development, speed and growth. The class has been around for 75 years and have now progressed to the foiler Moth's that I am currently racing with. But a lot of other people are just in it for fun and therefore do not have all the high tech gear. Regardless of the type of moth (scow, wide skiff, narrow skiff or hydrofoiler), we all race against one another and award prizes for the different divisions and of course the overall winner. However, regardless of how fast the boat may be, the boat is only as fast as the sailor.

Q. What is the performance of a hydrofoiled moth to other craft like a 49er, 14' skiffs or catamarans in say 18 knots and flat water?

About the same. A yardstick has not yet been decided for the hydrofoiled moth, but it could be as low as 80. If the waves get up and the wind is gusty, it is a little more tricky to sail, but still manageable.

Q. Why do you use the KA sails and not the other popular brand like all the other top Moth sailors in Australia, Japan and Europe?

The KA sails are a far superior sail for high speed sailing on or off the foils. It is designed to be completely depowered in high winds or high speed by using luff round as apposed to seam shape. It is difficuly to depower a sail that has seam shape, and therefore you will have a lot of power, but if you don't have the weight to hold it, you are in for a difficult ride. If you have a look at my mast when foiling upwind, there is a lot bend there and the sail is extremely flat, but with an loose leach at the head. The loose head acts more like a fin, steering the rig in the right direction while reducing tip vortices (drag) as well. This technology has been used in speed windsurfing for years now, so what we are doing is not new