Erstellt am: 9. 7. 2009 - 05:30 Uhr
Learning to Fly
Let's be honest, sailing doesn't have a particularly 'gnarly' reputation, does it? Watching those peaceful little tubs bobbing away in the Olympic bay of Qingdao last summer was a particularly soporific experience on the early morning TV schedule.
But for the duration of this storm-blown summer, our entire Morning Show crew has set sail on the flagship MS4. So when Captain John 'Red Beard' McGill sent me, Petty Officer Chris C, down to the Neusiedlersee on a scouting mission to find the most able-bodied and radical sailors of the land, it was a obviously a mission that I had to take seriously.
And what a fine success I had!
cummins
I spotted some sailors who are not prepared to stick to the surface of the water like mere mortals but instead choose to fly rapidly above it like auklet birds.
Now that’s the alternative spirit we’ve been looking for!
The feeling of sailing a high speed International Moth dinghy has been described as like experiencing "horizontal freefall". I can neither confirm nor deny the truth of that statement since I'm loathe to attempt free fall in any direction (save career path). But, thanks to the magic of water-proof head cameras, I can offer you this here video:
Such flying Moth boats have only been around for around 5 years and are still a rare sight in Austria. A small crowd gathered around me as I stood on a hot pier in the Neusiedlersee watching Niki Liebscher and Anglo-Austrian Doug Coulnane skimming a half-metre above the water. The inquisitive spectators asked me what on earth was going on.
They may as well have asked the cat, of course. But, flattered to be asked, I supplied the on-lookers with my idiot's guide to the technology, so I may as well do the same for you:
The super-light international moth boats have a pair of T-shaped carbon-fibre contraptions called hydrofoils stuck to the bottom of their hull.
cummins
These act like wings under the water, and once you reach a certain speed the boat lifts up as if on stilts. That, of course, massively reduces the drag of the water. I suppose it's like the difference between gliding over ice on sharpened skates rather than skidding over it in your loafers. On a windy day, you can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour in an International Moth boat. Leaning back over choppy water, there's nothing soporific about that!
Doug, who has just returned from the European Championships in Denmark, is trying to set up a fleet of Moth boats in Austria so that like-minded addicts of water-borne speed can train and race together.
It's certainly not a cheap hobby. Doug, a handy carpenter, built his own boat last winter for around 6,000 euros. If you buy one ready-made, it can set you back almost double that price. The T-shaped hydrofoils alone cost a thousand euros each.
Once you have got one, however, they are very compact and convenient. The hull is only about half the width of an average surf-board and a similar length, which means you can pack them on top of a car roof and drive off in search of wind and water.
chris cummins
In any case, if you happen to be around the Neusiedlersee and see a boat flying, there's no need adjust you sun-hat against the dazing rays of Burgenland or swear to abstain henceforth from the demon drink. Don't worry: you are not hallucinating, it's probably just Doug and Niki out for a training sail. A gnarly training sail, I should say.
Hear more on today's Morning Show