Right. 400meters or so wide, around 1 mile long, 4ft deep, complete with navigation posts, 100 or so boats sailing around and a constant flow of tourists driving rental cruisers down the river... oh and a sail up tree lined dyke to get out onto the broad. perfect moth conditions!
Spent the bank holiday weekend up in Norfolk sailing at the Punt Club regatta, has been a couple of years since I had taken the moth up (had the shire horse (bladerider) and cookie with the V4 up previously) and figured it was time the dazzle moth came up for a blast...
-Whiteboats racing (they're all white, a class rule...)
The great thing about sailing on Barton Broad is the fact that the club sits on a raft in the middle of the broad (lake) which is surrounded by reed-beds and only accessible via a short sail up a dyke...(watch it...) River sailing in moths is a seriosley underated discipline, keeping alert for 180degree windshifts and rogue gusts ready to flip you over under the bows of a passing wherry - top training recommended for anyone serious about their mothing.... perhaps some outings on the thames...hmmn... having finally battled the dyke and reached the broad I was confronted by a very gusty westerly breeze (possibly the worst direction as you end up having to broad reach everywhere with little or no escape options for when it all goes wrong...!)
Oh and there were loads of other boats everywhere too....
-Brown Boat (they're brown, but not always...see how the classes are named around here...very sensible...)
-River Cruisers / M2 ??? ;)
Ended up hurtling around intermittently between gusts and obstacles , did finish a race but spent too much time low riding to live up to the handicap... Amazing how much faster and more lively the ninja is than the old BR (which actually felt quite manageable on the broad). Very good boathandling, future forecasting and reaction training , combined with the dykes make for a top mothing location, worlds anyone??? Amazingly didnt break anything (or anyone)...
- great all of the other boats have disappeared.....
-is it a tack or has the wind disappeared???!
Did I mention you can moor your moth on a mudweight too.....ahh the joys! oh and the brass band playing on the roof of a Wherry.... Barton regatta - August bank Holiday weekend 2012. see you there!
-Wherry , White Moth (appropriate)
