Sailing your Mach 2 Moth – Safety tips

We want you to understand safety as it applies to our product and to equip yourself in order to minimise any risk. Please read on.....

1. Take care to always to wear a buoyancy aid, it's mandatory when racing but in some parts of the world it is not a legal requirement when cruising. However it is sensible to get into the habit of wearing one at all times. Not only will it keep you afloat if things go wrong, but (although they are not designed for it) most buoyancy aids also provide valuable impact protection
2. Wear a good wetsuit. Modern full-length long arm wetsuits are very good at keeping you warm and also absorbing minor impacts that a sailor can be exposed to. Remember it's one thing to be warm as you work the boat hard, but another to be warm for extended periods of time in the water. Be aware of your surroundings, and invest in the correct kit to keep you warm in all conditions.
3. Try to always sail with a training partner, or failing that make sure someone at your club is aware that you are going sailing. It is also a good idea to take a mobile phone or a VHF radio in an "Aquapac" type waterproof case out with you so you can call for help if you need it.
4. When you are working hard, dehydration can occur quickly. Always make sure you take enough liquid out on the water with you. Cycling style drinks bottle can easily be secured to the toe strap with a piece of elastic.
5. Get in the habit of checking your boat over before you go sailing, replace worn parts and ropes as necessary. It's easier on the land than on the water but if a rope does break, make sure you have some handy lengths of spare rope and a few shackles in the pocket of your life jacket.
6. Sail within your ability. Do not take risks, and if it's too windy or too rough for you, be sensible and go and do something else. There will always be another day
7. Make sure you know the forecast; many a sailor has been caught out by not understanding the true wind speed and/or sea state. Offshore winds for example can look quite benign from the land, but in fact be very strong at the sailing area, and of course with an offshore wind if things go wrong you wont be blown back to the shore either..
8. Consider wearing some form of head protection. Many Moth sailors are now wearing water sports helmets. Moths are capable of very high speeds. This means that you are capable of hitting something at very high speeds too.
9. Finally remember your safety is the responsibility of the skipper. In a Moth, that is you. As if you didn't have enough things to think about!

How do I keep the boat on it's side?

Make sure that the sail is downwind with bow slightly into the wind, resting with the bow down, sail sheeted in to use the wind to hold it down. Always leave the trolley on for as long as possible and make sure it is always tied to the boat at the wing tramp fixing points. It is a good idea to put some protective padding on the wings to stop abrasion damage where they impact the ground.

tips for beginners

How do I get into the boat once it's in the water?

Push or swim the boat out into water deep enough so that the foils won't touch the bottom when you right the boat. With the mast pointing downwind, climb on to the centreboard, and grasping the high side outer wing bar lean back until the boat starts the come up. You will be surprised at the sedate nature of the boat, the underwater wing acting as an effective damper. At the balance point, jump into the boat, avoiding standing on the flat side of the boat. If you do not manage to jump in in time do not worry, you will probably be swimming next to an upright boat so simply pin the windward wing into the water and swim into the boat, taking care to immediately grab the entire mainsheet system in one fist and giving it a good "pull" so you don't capsize to windward, or in very light wind, grab the foot strap on the opposite side to pull yourself across the boat to balance it.

How do I get on the foils for the first time?

Make sure you have the rudder in near full lifting angle – that means pin at the front. You need to check this each time you try to foil as you can unknowingly wind it back.

Turn on to a reach, keep the boat absolutely flat sideways and see if you can get the boat speed to 7 knots. You may need to hike out, and a GPS speedo is useful here to measure your speed. Do not sit too far back; Mach2's do not like an aggressive angle of attack on the foils so keep the boat level fore and aft. As the boat begins to lift it will quickly increase in speed. This means that the apparent wind will move forward and you will have to sheet the mainsail in harder in order to keep the boat upright and prevent a windward capsize. Make sure you have tell-tales on your sail. It is almost impossible to trim a moth sail correctly without them. Trim the sail to keep the boat upright but always look for a possibility to sheet out. Most people continuously over sheet as they learn foil and the sail spends most of the time stalled.

How do I use the tiller twist mechanism?

The tiller twist mechanism is used to control the pitch of the boat by changing the angle of attack of the rudder horizontal. With the rudder pin as far forward as it will go in the tiller slot - this will lift the transom. With the pin as far back as it will go in the tiller slot - this will lift the bow. To promote foiling the pin needs to be at the front of the slot so both foils are generating lift. You need to move the pin back in the slot if you find that you are too bow down whilst sailing. You can tell if this is case if the rudder horizontal is coming to near the surface. Equally you may need to move the pin back in the slot as you bear away at the weather mark to keep the bow up with. Think of it as a control, which is rarely static and needs regular adjustment. Remember clockwise rotation of the tiller extension on port tack will push the bow down but on starboard tack will pull it up. Many people mark on the boat which way is "down" so they don't have to think about it.

Do remember to check that the pin is near the front (bow down) when you try to get up on the foils.

How do I stop?

You can stop slowly by easing the mainsheet and reducing the power whilst at the same time moving into the middle of the boat until the boat drops of the foils, or you can stop quickly. If you are about to hit something or something is about to hit you, best to stop quickly. Either throw the boat into a capsize, or jump out! Both you and the boat will stop very quickly!

Foiling Gybes / Foiling Tacks

Tacking

Practising foiling tacks make non-foiling tacks much better.  Generally failed foiling tacks don't end up too bad. (Unless you launch yourself out of the boat) So:

• Make sure the boat is upright as you turn
• Turn fast
• Get across the boat fast
• Turn further than seems correct
• A short knot in the mainsheet can help the uncoordinated (not mentioning names) who drop the sheet. Turn far enough and knot will take up and bingo: you still foiling because you have power.
  

Gybing

You don't want to hear this, but it needs to be said: practice, practice, practice. Some pointers for easy gybing (not necessarily to get around fast, but to get around easily):

• Ease the sheet and point down so you can get to a comfortable stable position on the wing tramp
• Get the tiller extension over to the new windward side
• Steer the boat around to the new gybe direction keeping it flat by a combination of moving your body and steering under the rig. If there is enough wind to keep the boat speed up a few wobbles on the way will not matter
• Pull the sail to the new gybe and pop the cams by a jerk on the mainsheet if not already done by wind pressure.
  

Author: Andrew McDougall

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