This message comes to you from France, and from an ex British Moth sailor. I used to own 538, a yellow and blue GRP boat - well over weight and leakinglike a seive ! I sailed on the Thames from about '74 to '77, both at Putney and at Shepperton.I moved on to an International Moth shortly afterwards, and then work got in the way, and it was about five years ago, after lots of windsurfing, sometime in Stars, and a Contender, that the Moth bug got me again, and Ibrought one back from England.So since then I've been showing the French what International Moths are, and getting people interested again. Of course this was a major Moth country from the 40's through to the separation of the Europe in '72, and then nothing.We are now six, and hosting the European Championship this July (41 boats atthe moment), and the Worlds in May 2003 (around 60 I guess).Where this could get interesting for you is that there is renewed interestin the older designs, and both in the States and here in France there are Classic Moth associations for boats fitting the rules before the present 3,35m x 2,25m x 8sq m set up.The French Classic Moth guys are keeping in close touch with us, and will be joining in both on and off the water in July and next year. Next year is the75th anniversary of the first Moth, and we are planning a pretty big party to celebrate, and to attract some more people into the class(es).If you think any of this sounds interesting for your members then drop me a line and we can see what we can organise together. It could be a lot of fun to see all these 11 foot boats together, and
I'm sure we can get some really good media coverage.I enclose a few pictures of some of the older boats, so you can see what I'm talking about.
loraison de moth
[Chasse-Maree no.147, Nov 01]
Abridged translation of a magazine article
A Flowering of Moths
Moth Reunion
For the locals, the Erdre is France's loveliest river, a broad stretch of water extending 25 km to the north of Nantes, where it joins the Loire. In September 2001, Moth owners were invited here to the ASPTT Voile de Nantes at Suce-sur-Erdre by a team of volunteers headed by Jean-Jacques Cadoret. About 20 of these little boats sat on the shore, some weirder than others and, with a few exceptions, all different in hull design, rig, materials and colour. One of the advantages of a "restricted class" over a one design is the creative design it encourages within its set rules. Members are very curious about each others' boats and tolerant of eccentric designs. After all, in the end it is performance on the water that counts; even the most bizarre design can be a real goer. This means that these amateur sailors who have often designed or built their own boats get on well together, and race rage is rare. There were some fine boats at Suce-sur-Erdre. First of all (age before beauty) three of the local Nantes Moths, with their firm chines and reverse sheer. [They look very like the Connecticut Moth in the BM 70th Anniversary Yearbook]. The oldest, built in 1950 by Michel Huguet on the lines of Georges Thierry's book, Build your own Moth, sat in a garage till 1978. Rescued by Yves Huguet, cleaned up and fibreglassed, she is back on the water, weighing in at a paltry 118 kg, with her original cotton sail. Alain Jardin built his Nantes Moth in 1957 to the same design, with an oak keel, 5mm ply hull and an original nylon sail. The third one of this type belongs to Irene Gillardot and Alain Barres. Then there are the two Gouget Moths, built of soldered and riveted alloy about 1950, belonging to Alain Goalvueden and Franck Barth. They are stable and comfortable, with a viciously sharp bow and demountable mast, and quite advanced for their date. Claude Bourquin and Michel Nerbollier came from Switzerland with two fine Fragniere Moths, from 1961 and 1963, with their distinctive bow transom like a curved triangle. There is the fibreglass Lanaverre Moth (1958) lent by Yves Ganter from Geneva, and several Europe Moths (also glass, with a straight stem): Nicolas Cedric's of 1982, Patrick Barth's (1974) and Laurent Dugast's (1974). Another entry was the Haag Moth "P'tit Charly"from the early 60s: Bastien Vernet's boat was built by his grandfather, and retains its original sail. Two Dervin Moths are even older: Yves Potin's was designed by his father, and they built the boat together when Yves was 12 - the rounded bilges have been modified aft to improve stability. The other Dervin was designed in 1941 and built by Guy Proust. Stephane Rossignol's Durif Moth "Drakkar II" is solidly built, with a (?)fixed keel, and was built about 1960 in Bort-les-Orgues by a yard which specialised in (?)duck punts you can see a family resemblance. Unusually, it is equipped with a (?)leeboard/(?)sliding seat, which is useful for the helmsman. Finally, there are 3 International Moths, conforming to the original Australian rules of the IMCA (International Moth Class Association); one is a very flat scow from Switzerland. These extreme boats are part of the family, but there is no danger of confusing them with the others. They have a very narrow hull (about 30 cm beam), flanked by two stretched fabric "wings", and carry 8 m2 of sail 1.2m2 more than the other Moths. The hull has no stability when stationary, so it heels over to rest on the water. For David Balkwill, who owns one, built of polyester by an Australian amateur in 1993, "the handling is like a bicycle, which stays vertical only when it is in motion. Although handling is trickier than in a conventional dinghy, it's an exciting experience; a sensitive and demanding boat which doesn't tolerate mistakes. There are only 3 IMs in France, two of them in Les Sables d'Olonne; compare this with about 9000 in Australia, 4000 in Britain, and 1000 each in Germany and Switzerland. Moth Design Competition Another feature of the 3 day event was the unveiling of the competing designs in a competition run by Chasse-Maree magazine and the Nantes School of Naval Architecture in November 2000. Competitors had to design, build and sail a Moth within the class measurements. Some designs did not measure although one of these attracted the judges' sympathy because it was built - for 480 francs! entirely from recycled materials in a training scheme for delinquent youngsters. 18 detailed concept designs were submitted, of which 6 were built and demonstrated at Suce. [These are described and illustrated, with their lines, in the article.]. Peter Ledwith, Medley SC, May 02