Mach 2 Owners Club

Merry Christmas from Mach2

2011-12-15T01:31:00.000-08:00

Its been another great year for Mach2 and we'd just like to take this opportunity to wish all Mach2 sailors and all Moth sailors a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

This time last year we were frantically getting ready for the Belmont Worlds, with a container load of Mach2's and spare parts on their way to Sydney!

Nathan won brilliantly! We retained our World Title and then got back to work. A few months later we introduced the new Mach2.1 upgrade, and in September we were delighted to welcome Simon Propper to the team. Simon aka "Hollywood" is the Mach2 representative for the West Coast USA and is already doing a great job of engaging local sailors.

This year we don't have a big event near Christmas, and it gives us a chance to spend some time with our families and cheer on all the Mach2 sailors doing so well in Perth at the ISAF Worlds and also on the Volvo Ocean Race.

Soon though it will be back to work, and 2012 is a real focus for Mach2. We want to excel once more at the World Championships at Campioni, Lake Garda in Italy during August, and with the last four World Champions sailing Mach2's we feel we've got a good chance.

Most of all though this event is important to us as it gives us a chance to meet many of our customers, some for the first time, and we need to be there to give them all the support we can!

Merry Christmas from Mach2.

Pete Barton - Life begins at 30 (knots)!

2011-11-29T03:55:00.001-08:00

The UK fleet had been chasing this record all year and it is fantastic to tick this box in the UK before the season is out. Just when focus was waning and it looked like it was not going to happen this year it finally happened, almost by accident, in Lymington on 27th November. Here is Peter Barton’s account....

At 8.20am I was resigned to no sailing as the Lymington weather station was recording gusts up to 44kn. However, by 9.10am it was clear that the front and passed and the race was back on to make the 10.30am race start.

Breaking the 30kn barrier was not on my mind as the conditions appeared less than ideal. The sea had a small confused chop near the entrance to the Lymington River. The water was a cool 12’C and salty, both of which the techies say isn’t good for top speeds. With a cross-offshore breeze the gusts were particularly pronounced, perhaps a case of blast power being more key than refinement. I was racing, there was no dress rehearsal or repeated runs. There was one shot only and the focus was reaching the leeward mark, not a top speed. I had been watching the speedo at around 27kn during the run up and then a pointy gust hit, I committed to it and felt a pronounced acceleration. I have done a fair few 27s in the past but I knew this was faster.

My first experience of 30kn is that I felt very reliant on the control systems looking after me over the small chop. I am not sure I could have reacted fast enough to save it myself, whereas at say 22kn I might. The difficulty here is that slightly different foil control settings may be required at 30kn than at 24kn, due to he speed of water over the foils. However, you don’t really want to be re-tuning after that gust hits as it could already be too late! A minute earlier I had ‘bottled it’ as I reached 26kn and shortened my magic wand another 5cm, thereby reducing flying height and increasing gearing. Both of these might assist survival at the expense of speed, but then it is not much fun breaking through the 30kn barrier as your lifting foils also become airborne! The plot thickens, hopefully I might get used to it....

I am both delighted and honoured to be the founder member of the UK International Moth 30kn Club. I have already began drawing up a suitably unique constitution and the bar is fully stocked. All I need now is some more members!

Equipment: Mach2 Moth, KA 13.2 Sail.
Location: Western Solent just outside the Lymington river, near the RLym platform. During racing.
Wind: The gust was probably 23-27kn. Direction 295’. [Recorded at adjacent weather station: Mean 19kn and Max Gust 27kn (over the 10 minute period)]
Sea state: Small confused chop, 12’C water temp, salty.
Current: Slack high water.

Authenticity;
Velocitek Speed Puck GPS recorded speed over 30kn for 4s (the 30.61kn and 30.31kn below are adjacent), the unit is updated every 0.5s. The accuracy is to 0.2kn.
2 second run n°1 = 56.7km/h [30.61Knots] (31.5 m. in 2.0 s.)
2 second run n°2 = 56.13km/h [30.31Knots] (31.2 m. in 2.0 s.)
10 second run n°1 = 52.01km/h [28.08Knots] (144.5 m. in 10.0 s.)
10 second run n°2 = 50.73km/h [27.39Knots] (140.9 m. in 10.0 s.)

Ka Sails Victorian Moth Grand Prix -round 2

2011-11-23T02:54:00.000-08:00

As the northern hemisphere gets cold its always nice to see southern hemisphere Mach2 sailors enjoying themselves. It reminds us that we dont have to wait too long until its our turn again!

We are jealous already!

Video by Richard Jackson

Macau Moth Man

2011-07-18T03:05:00.000-07:00

Here is Mark Evans with his new Mach2 Moth in Macau over the weekend. Mach2 designer Andrew McDougall helped Mark gets started and reported "Best first go I've seen. He will be good! He has great balance."

Mark is co-owner of McConaghy boats and MD of the McConaghy China operation that builds the Mach2 Moth.

Lochy Balboa!

2011-03-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ok maybe not the Italian Stallion but Victoria's closest answer! Lochy Byrne did it and recorded his first and definitely not his last Championship win!

After two days of waiting due to no wind and gales, five races were ultimately sailed on the last day and Byrne defeated heavyweight Andrew McDougall. Sam England was first female in third place.

Yo, Andrew! It's me, Locky!

Mach 2 warranty transfer

2011-02-14T00:33:00.001-08:00

Some of the early Mach 2's are now finding new owners as sailors upgrade to new boats. All Mach 2's are covered by a two year warranty and any warranty remaining is transferable to the new owner. If you sell your boat please don't forget to let us know the name of the new owner so we can keep our records straight. Thanks.

15 year old Mach 2 sailor does 23 knots!

2010-11-30T02:20:00.000-08:00

Jack Sherring, the winner of the Silver edition Mach 2 auctioned on eBay shows that he's got the right stuff by clocking 23.4 knots recently.

McConaghy boats auctioned this stunning Mach 2 last year at Audio Victoria week and the proceeds went to the childrens charity "Variety"

Clearly Jacks been practising and he's' entered for the World Championships at Belmont in January. Are we seeing a future World Champion here?

Time to go to the Worlds!

2010-11-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

Already! The Brits were packing up this weekend with Mike Lennon and Graham Simmonds leaving soon for holidays before the Worlds begin. Others like Simon Payne don't arrive until the 2nd of January but the boats are off this week! All agreed that it will be great to leave this weather behind us!

-1 degrees at Hayling Island. Sporting the new Mach 2 Roof box. Tricky in a side wind..

Mike Lennon hides from the snow as he packs up his Mach 2.

Bora Roarer!

2010-08-06T01:40:00.000-07:00

Harbor Springs, it's practice day before the North Americans and Mach 2 sailor Bora Gulari is flying. Today with gust of 25 knots, Bora blasts through the 30 knots barrier with a 10 sec average of 28.9 knots and a 5 sec average of 30 knots. Hooking into a massive gust in the flat water of the harbor entrance, he ripped out the down wind top speed before the outside waves got the better of any further speed build. More to come from Harbor Springs as racing starts tomorrow.

From our US correspondant Richard Davies

Moth Madness. The Gorge goes Nuclear!

2010-07-19T02:24:00.000-07:00

From our American Correspondant Richard Davies

First and Second place, Dalton Bergen and Charlie McKee duke it out
at the start of race 6. Photo Liz Davies

With a couple of Moth sailors away on big boat duties, 15 Mothistas descending on the Gorge for this weekends Moth Madness. As the competitors arrived on Wednesday for practice, little did they know Mother Nature was laying in wait. After "no wind wednesday" was spent hanging out and doing boat work, Thursday morning was awesome, 15 - 20 knots of breeze and flat water allowing the sailors to send it down wind at 25 knots boat speed with super high speed gybes order of the day. As the wind built after mid day everyone was back in anticipating the weekends racing. Friday dawned full on, the Gorge in meltdown with the breeze hanging in at 27 - 33 knot at the Stevenson pier, racing cancelled! Saturday, not much better may be 5 knots less breeze and with Sunday forecasted as even bigger, the RC decided to go for it wisely cramming 7 races into a morning and evening session to give us an event that will be remembered. And what wild wild races with the breeze rarely below 25 knots. Dalton sailed supremely to take 6 bullets only challenged by Adam Lowery in the last race. Adam was racing his new Mach 2 for the first time and was clearly on a charge, disappointed that Sunday racing was cancelled. Charlie, Matt and Zack battled it out for the minor placing and Hans took a well deserved 5th sailing an old bladerider, showing what youth and talent can do in a older boat.

Mid gybe!Photo Liz Davies

With Moths rarely racing in such conditions the wipe outs were spectacular and multiple, with everyone experiencing being flattened in the gusts whilst foiling up wind. It also shows how fast the sailors in the class are developing their skills as racing was tight through the fleet and all making it around the course in some shape or fashion.

Columbia Gorge Racing Association put on a great event under difficult circumstances and pulled off an event that was spectacular sailing, and tight racing in wonderful surroundings.

The circus now moves on to the North Americans in Harbor Springs, weekend of August 6th through 8th where Bora and Bear will be rejoining the racing. Charlie McKee and Adam Lowry will be demoing the Moth the weekend before.

Results:
1 Dalton Bergen
2 Charlie McKee
3 Matt Pistay
4 Zack Maxam
5 Hans Henken

Robby Burns to 30 knots!

2010-05-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

Worlds front runner and slalom winner Rob Gough showed once again thats he's the fastest Moth sailor in the world downwind by clocking 30 knots in his Mach 2 in Tasmania last weekend and setting a new speed record for the class.

Rob said "I was using the MSL13 and the Mach 2 mast. I was doing laps around a course in 25 to 30 knots. Coming in to the bottom mark doing 25 knots I got a bloody big gust that pushed me up to 30. The boat is quite stable at those speeds, sitting back heaps and praying that the wand (which is flicking like crazy) will do it's job".

Shit and to think just 2 years ago we had the prestigious "20 knot club"

Take a look at these numbers from Robs record breaking run, they are immense! What an effort!

>> This page was build with GPSActionReplay. Visit www.gpsactionreplay.com
>>
>> Rider : 100501_142159 , Setttings = [ANY best per run | LINEAR speed]
>> Total Distance = 23.713 Km , Average speed = 15.96km/h
>> [8.62Knots] , Total
>> Time = 1 hour 29 minutes
>> 5 bests' average = 53.7km/h [29Knots]
>> Best Speed n°1 = 56.84km/h [30.69Knots] (31.6 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°2 = 54.7km/h [29.54Knots] (30.4 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°3 = 52.98km/h [28.61Knots] (29.4 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°4 = 52.88km/h [28.55Knots] (29.4 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°5 = 51.11km/h [27.6Knots] (28.4 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°6 = 51.07km/h [27.57Knots] (28.4 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°7 = 50.68km/h [27.37Knots] (28.2 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°8 = 50.38km/h [27.2Knots] (28.0 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°9 = 50.33km/h [27.17Knots] (28.0 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> Best Speed n°10 = 50.33km/h [27.17Knots] (28.0 meters in 2.0 sec.)
>> 5 best 100 meter (at least) average = 50.34km/h [27.18Knots]
>> 100 meter run n°1 = 53.53km/h [28.9Knots] (119.0 m. in 8.0 s.)
>> 100 meter run n°2 = 49.75km/h [26.86Knots] (110.6 m. in 8.0 s.)
>> 100 meter run n°3 = 49.66km/h [26.82Knots] (110.4 m. in 8.0 s.)
>> 100 meter run n°4 = 49.63km/h [26.8Knots] (110.3 m. in 8.0 s.)
>> 100 meter run n°5 = 49.11km/h [26.52Knots] (109.1 m. in 8.0 s.)
>> 5 best 200 meter (at least) average = 49.18km/h [26.55Knots]
>> 200 meter run n°1 = 51.57km/h [27.85Knots] (200.6 m. in 14.0 s.)
>> 200 meter run n°2 = 49.37km/h [26.66Knots] (219.4 m. in 16.0 s.)
>> 200 meter run n°3 = 48.9km/h [26.4Knots] (217.3 m. in 16.0 s.)
>> 200 meter run n°4 = 48.14km/h [25.99Knots] (213.9 m. in 16.0 s.)
>> 200 meter run n°5 = 47.93km/h [25.88Knots] (213.0 m. in 16.0 s.)
>> 5 best 5 second (at least) average = 50.78km/h [27.42Knots]
>> 5 second run n°1 = 54.81km/h [29.59Knots] (91.3 m. in 6.0 s.)
>> 5 second run n°2 = 50.36km/h [27.19Knots] (83.9 m. in 6.0 s.)
>> 5 second run n°3 = 49.77km/h [26.87Knots] (83.0 m. in 6.0 s.)
>> 5 second run n°4 = 49.58km/h [26.77Knots] (82.6 m. in 6.0 s.)
>> 5 second run n°5 = 49.4km/h [26.67Knots] (82.3 m. in 6.0 s.)
>> 5 best 10 second (at least) average = 49.89km/h [26.94Knots]
>> 10 second run n°1 = 52.77km/h [28.49Knots] (146.6 m. in 10.0 s.)
>> 10 second run n°2 = 49.62km/h [26.79Knots] (137.8 m. in 10.0 s.)
>> 10 second run n°3 = 49.47km/h [26.71Knots] (137.4 m. in 10.0 s.)
>> 10 second run n°4 = 49.24km/h [26.59Knots] (136.8 m. in 10.0 s.)
>> 10 second run n°5 = 48.34km/h [26.1Knots] (134.3 m. in 10.0 s.)

Rig marole

2010-04-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Its on Simon's site too but if you are keen on learning more about the Moth rig you probably should read what Simon Payne and Andrew McDougall have to say about using the KA MSL10b and the KA MSL13....

"With 19 of the top 20 Moths at the recent World Championships being Mach 2’s, the latest Moth to be designed by Andrew McDougall and built by McConaghy, one might assume that all the top Moth sailors now go the same speed.

However nothing could have been further from the truth. In fact there were big differences in speed, and these differences can be attributed to one thing only:

The Rig.

I won the event and I thought I’d take time to explain my rig, because although other people were fast, I think I was the fastest for most of the time and right now, with all of our other equipment being so similar, optimising your rig is critical as it is your only differentiator.

Someone once said that “boat speed makes you a tactical genius” and no one believes that more than me. A fast Moth can make up for an average start, mediocre race craft or in my case indifferent fitness after a knee operation.

So we all agree boats speed is import, and given the above it’s kind of surprising that people still make rig purchase decisions based on emotion rather than fact. I have observed this and I sympathise. I have found one of the hardest things to do is to make balanced impartial calls when you choose kit, but this you must. Friendships, colours, new things and advertising sway us all but spending lots of money to go slower is to me a sign that Darwins Theory of Evolution is clearly not right.

You have to look at what’s fast, and to do that you have to look at historical results for the conditions you anticipate at your target event.

In Moths a lot of people use KA sails, and I do so for a several reasons. Let me share these with you so you can understand my thinking.

Firstly when we talk about the rig we are referring to the sail and the mast. In the Moth world few suppliers have a collaborative relationship here but I do know that the Mach 2 series of masts are the same ones you can buy from KA and it’s these masts that fit the KA sails. To me that makes sense as they both come from the same designer.

But in Moths a minor change in wind conditions can change boat speed dramatically. That’s because it doesn’t take much before 25 knots of wind (gradient plus apparent) is coming over the deck, where previously, in a few of knots of less wind, we were low riding. This means that to win a championship you need a sail that changes gears easily. Very easily. You cannot be out for a day’s racing knowing that you have a weak spot if the conditions change. There are plenty of sails I know to be fast in one mode but they then slow up as the conditions change.

Of course you can’t have everything, and clearly something’s must change to maintain a fast pace as the breeze builds or fades. I do not change sails, but I do change masts as I believe that this minimises the degree of risk because the difference of change is less than the difference that occurs when you change sails.

(photgraph courtesy of Thierry Martinez)

At the worlds I used the KA MSL10 sail. In less than 12 knots I used the KA/Mach2 stiff mast, and over 12 knots the KA/Mach2 soft mast. One day I got confused and used the soft mast in light winds and still went OK. You see what I’m getting at here? Winning Moth Championships is about staying fast and managing risk. The sail fits both masts really well.

So if you agree that the rig needs to work through a number of conditions let’s talk about those gear changes when using a KA MSL10 or KA MSL13 Sail

1st Gear. We have “traditional” conditions where the wind is light, the windage is low and the sail must produce maximum power to get you on the foils. The outhaul is off with about an 8 inch gap between the sail and the boom. The cunningham is on just enough to take the creases out and the kicker is on to keep the leach straight. At the first scent of foiling I let the kicker off in order to generate the twist needed to get on the foils early, In first gear your primary control is the kicker.

2nd Gear. The boat is now foiling in marginal conditions. Boat speed has risen from a low riding 4 knots to a foiling 12knots. In this gear you need to manage the power and drag ratio of the rig. Pull the kicker on and Cunningham on until you can sail with the boom on the centreline (mainsheet block to block) without spilling wind. Your drag will be at its minimum and the power will be the maximum you will need. However no wind is so constant that you can just set it and forget it and if you do find yourself falling off the foils after sailing into a light patch then ease the outhaul straight away .If the wind is dying you wont have time to do anything else and the KA MSL10 powers up well like this. In second gear your primary control is the outhaul.

3rd Gear. In a medium breeze upwind the fastest Moths to the windward mark are the highest ones. Pointing comes from the winward “push” developed by your hydrofoils as you heel the boat to windward but it also comes from that lower leach of your sail. You should be looking at that bit of leach between the bottom batten and the third one up and try to get that perfectly straight. You do this by alternately pulling the kicker on, then the cunnigham on. The head will be bladed and loose like a birds wing or the head of a fast windsurfer sail because the centre of effort has moved and the power is coming from lower down the sail. In 3rd gear your primary control is the Cunningham for managing variations in the wind speed..

“Cruise control” .This applies to downwind work which most people think is just the same as upwind. It isn’t, you may still have the boom on the centreline but you don’t generally heal to windward and you get to make gains by bearing away. I find a small easing of the kicker on the final approach to the windward mark is all that’s needed to get the head to “self work” and that gives me time to forget about the rig and plan my approach to the leeward mark. I’ve often seen people needing to constantly fiddle with controls, a sign that the mast and rig dont work well together. I use consistently high kicker loads down wind and in a breeze when I move to a softer mast this is where I see the real speed gains. It improves my downwind speed as much as my upwind. Primary control here is the cunnigham which is used to control mast bend and move the fullness forward if you need to sail low. Useful if you have to sink low to get through a finish or round a mark.

These are the wind ranges and points of sailing your rig need to take you through. My rig does, and that’s why I think I’m so consistent. If you can achieve the same with whatever equipment you have then you are on the right road too.

Finally I have a habit of not changing sails if I can help it. I like to get to get to know a sail intimately and that’s because I believe the last 10% of performance is basically hidden and is only revealed after you’ve both spent some time together. If the above makes sense then just like me you’re going to have to find it to. You won’t do that by having a random multi make sail programme".

Here are some additional observations from Andrew McDougall, who always uses the MSL 13.

“The physical difference between MSL13 and MSL10B is ridiculously small, but the difference on the water is huge.

The MSL10B is an easy sail, smooth and efficient, utilising the 8 m² of sail area in a way that is not extreme considering the speeds we are foiling at. The MSL13 on the other hand, requires more tuning between modes. For me this is a small price to pay for the extra power of the 13 has. I am a little heavier than the average moth sailor, and certainly not smooth moving around the boat, so the extra power is worth the extra work, allowing me to make boat handling errors and be able to get quickly back on the foils.

Like Simon, I only use one sail: the MSL13 and normally I try to only use one mast, the KA/Mach2 soft mast, so that I can rig and forget. (SP and forget to de rig!)

This rig can be a handful at times, requiring lots of vang and Cunningham to blade it out for efficient upwind work, or to get rid of power at the top of the sail when sailing downwind in extreme conditions.

Upwind it works quite similarly to the MSL10B, but it is downwind where the technique can be completely different. The trick of sailing downwind fast is getting the balance of low drag and right power correct. Too little vang will knuckle up the front of the sail causing high drag, too much vang will not allow the sail to twist enough to get the top working. The MSL10B does not like having little vang, so both upwind and downwind modes are similar. I.e. sail fast and get the apparent forward. The MSL13 on the other hand, with its fuller head, can work well with low vang tensions allowing a low ‘soak’ mode that is not as available to the MSL10B. I sail in this mode most of the time, particularly if the wind is strong or if the wind is very light. In strong winds because going high won't make you any faster, in light winds because the angles are so bad that any depth you can get gives very big gains.

The important thing to understand with the Moth is that the range of speeds and power requirements are more varied than almost any other boat, and not necessarily just because the conditions change. This means that any rig that is too far outside the middle ground is not going to work. This is why we have two sails that are very similar, right in the middle of the extremes.

I get reminded every time I sail these boats that adjustments generally need to be very small. It is tempting to make large adjustments when you feel you are not on the pace, but it's highly possible that you are only slightly off with your tuning but causing many knots of boat speed difference. A large adjustment will often end up on the other side of the setting you need. You need to be disciplined when other boats around you are going faster: knowing that you must make small and considered adjustments to get yourself back up to speed.”

And by the way, I was the fastest, not Simon ;)

100 not out.

2010-04-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

Photograph by Thierry Martinez

A year last Christmas we were in the McConaghy factory working all hours to build three new Mach 2 Moths. We took two to Melbourne, and when we got one flying, we took it to the 2009 Australian National Championship in Geelong. We won the first race and came 2nd overall.

That time we remember as a roller coaster ride of blood, sweat, and tears. Infact we termed it "Black February" for number of reasons!

Now some 14 months later, and with two World Championship wins, one European Championship win and several National Championship wins for Mach 2 we have just sold our 100th boat, and it looks like this will go to Slalolm specialist and front runner Rob Gough from Tasmania.

It's a milestone in the Mach 2 story and we just wanted to say a big thank you to all our customers.

Rigged Right.

2010-03-19T00:31:00.000-07:00

Wow what and event! When the first 19 boats are Mach 2's and the average age of the first two is 49.5 years old, we are very happy. Two old gunfighters still doing their stuff, who would have thought it...

But did we win or did others loose? That event was always going to be light and the Americans, who tried so hard, just got it plain wrong, turning up a little too heavy and with a rig that even their sailmaker says is only any good in a breeze. That's the problem. If you only ever go sailing when its windy, you only do any good in those conditions. Unfortunately we all have to sail in the light and marginal stuff and whilst we may be able to control that at championship level, at club level you have to be able to sail in anything, and have a rig that goes well in anything. You only get so many Sunday's right?...

Funny though that Simon and Andrew used two different rigs..

Andrew used the KAMSL13 with the soft Mach 2 mast, and at 78kg (!!) he was first to foil and very fast downwind.

Simon used the KA MSL10B with the stiff Mach 2 mast and was very quick upwind with massive height and great speed up and down the range.

So why two rigs? Well weight really... "In training before the event I was as fast as the Americans when the breeze was up" says Simon. "My rig covers the wind range perfectly and I figure I'm just a bit light to hold the MSL13 down in a breeze. I like the simplicity of just one rig"

Anyway back to the event. Whilst it was never windy, it was wavy and each race called for adjustments to the boats settings to optimise performance. We are really beginning to understand wand axle gearing adjustment a bit more, setting the gearing one turn back from the top in the light stuff but moving to half way down the shaft for downwind sleigh rides.

But Moths are all about development so what was new? Dalton ran a double wand system which worked well controlling the ride height evenly from port to starboard (although we are not sure if it lasted the week) and Adam May had a very cool self tacking gps/compass holder.

But if you want to learn more (much more actually) get yourself to Mar Menor in Spain (17th -23rd of May) and the Pro Vela sailing school for the new Moth Fest event. Simon will be coaching for the first three days and whatever your current level you will definately move to the next one!

Meet Dion

2010-02-01T02:45:00.000-08:00

This is Dion Houghton. Dion manages the Mach 2 production at McConaghy's Zhuhai facility and his team build your Mach 2. Dion (who is bi-lingual) lives in Hong Kong and has sailed for many years with a strong background in International 14's .

Dion will be sailing at the Worlds in Dubai. He will be competing under the flag of Hong Kong (HKG) and, as you can see, he looks very good!

So you thought Mach 2's were built by people who didn't sail? Not true..

eBay Baby

2010-01-21T01:51:00.000-08:00

Check it out! Huge respect to McConaghy for donating this boat in difficult times. All proceeds go to the childrens Charity "Variety" the official charity of Audi Victoria Race Week,

Click here to follow to the auction.

What do you think of the colour? Its metalic silver. Better thant the black? There's only one..

Back home 25 years on

2010-01-10T01:44:00.000-08:00

The nationals in Perth were a well run series. Well done John Illet and all at the SoPYC. Racing was glamour with a mix of winds (none over 20 knots though, which I think no one missed).
The one non foiling race was won by local Richard Heritage by a metre, to the very vocal delight of the girls on the committee boat.

I think the best thing about the regatta was the feeling that we were the entertainers: The number of regatta volunteers who came up to me and said how much fun it was to watch us warmed my heart.

So I won. 25 years since the last time. I had speed to burn. Andrew Stevenson and Luka Damic fought out for 2nd, never more than one point apart. Stevo did the job. They both sailed well, with Alan Goddard and Brent Pearson mixed it, sailing some good races.

I was on std Mach2 gear - although up to the the last day I used a cut down rudder hydro that was possibly slipperier but I could amost never foil tack. (With the std rudder on the last day I seemed just as quick and got lots of foil tacks) The sail was an out of the box MSL13 no tweaks, not even to the battens.

And again, smiling at the check-in lady worked, only $70 excess this time! (Ex trophies though, thanks Stevo!!) So I can be out sailing again tomorrow testing the new MSL15 that just arrived :)

rgds Amac

Photos - Greg Hilton (Three time Australian Champion 78-86, he along with other 70''s and 80's Moth legends such as Graham Livingston, Graham Keys, Rob O’Sullivan came down for a look and give support.)

Sad News

2010-01-07T02:26:00.001-08:00

We are very sorry to hear the that Australian Moth sailor Roger Quinn has died in a tragic accident in Thailand.

Our thoughts are with Roger's famly and friend at this terrible time.

No more can really be said, dark times.

Bora Gulari wins Rolex Yachtsman of the year award

2010-01-07T00:08:00.000-08:00

Can he stop winning? A huge congratulations to Bora, he thoroughly deserves this award and it couldn't happen to a nicer bloke. Currently he's a winning machine and he's all set to continue in Dubai. And what a huge accolade for the Moth Class! My, how far we've come!

Australian Nationals - so far

2010-01-06T02:22:00.000-08:00

Here's Amac looking good at the Nationals in Perth. It was a lay day today.
Current standings are:-

Provisional Current Standings:
1. 3380 A McDougall - 6 2.
3573 L Damic - 17 3. 933
2 A Stevenson - 18

Australian Nationals Day 2

2010-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

There's a website but....

Anyway we think Amac won every race today and Luka and Andrew Stevenson are virtually tied for second place with Alan Goddard occasinally breaking up the top three. That's about it really... If anyone hear's anything let us and the rest of the world know.

Day One - Australian Nationals

2010-01-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Results from day 1

1,1,1, Andrew McDougall
4,3,2 Luka Damic
2,4,3 Andrew Stevenson.

More when we get it...

Have boat. Will travel!

2010-01-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

We all know that the Australian Nationals are in Perth but due to the distance many of the Australian east coast sailors have decided not to go. It is after all 2051 miles away from Sydney.
However at 5.00pm on the 2nd of January Andrew McDougall decided that actually he would go. It was a chance to support the WA boys and also to get some early 2010 races under his belt.

There then followed some frantic organising..

Book ticket Melbourne to Perth ("excess baggage" $100 AUD on Virgin)
Book Hotel
Strip boat
Paint Foils (make mental note to not hit any more reefs)
Smile sweetly at the lady at check-in

1030 am 3rd January arrive in Perth and find a taxi to get the boat in.. (below)

Hmm.. I can see Mach 2 boat bags becoming more popular after this!

A Propper Job

2010-01-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Simon Propper's New Mach 2. A tribute to the JPS Lotus Formula 1 car raced by great names like Mansell, Fittipaldi and the late Ayrton Senna. Cool eh? What makes yours different?

If you dont know me by now..

2009-12-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

Moth sailors are a charistmatic bunch, bursting with opinions, creativity and vision. Bascially they are interesting and get things done. Admittedly sometimes they have low to medium levels of personal hygene but you'd probably be better off getting stuck next to one at a cocktail party than almost any other type of person.

What they do, how they do it and the stories they write in life can't be captured in a corporate site. That's what we want to do here..

So to start. What about us? What do we like? We'll after an incredible 12 months where this time last year we were learning the Chinese for acetone (Bing Tong by the way) in McConaghy's factory in Zhuhai China we are now up to 83 boats sold. So what do we like?

We like:-

- Mach 2 customers. Thank you to each of you.

- Potential Mach 2 customers. Potential thank you to each of you.

-Thierry Martinez

- Bora Gulari

- Susan Boyle

- One of the SugerBabes but can't remember which..

What we dont like:-

- Not much

- Seeing good sailors leave the class

- Getting old

- Keynesian theory of cyclical recession

Reading about what people do, what went well, what didn't, what was funny, and what wasn't makes us more than just a bunch of boat owners, it makes us a community, a bunch of friends. Each Mach 2 writes its own book, you are the Editor. Send us your stuff?