Dinghy sailing on the Thames
I sail a small
single-handed dinghy, a British Moth, at Medley Sailing Club. Both are
a tad idiosynchratic. Both are
rather special!
The
British Moth Dinghy
The
British Moth
is a very old
design, but arguably still the best single hander for racing
in
the confined space of small rivers. Just 11 ft long, it's light (45 kg
for the hull) and has plenty of sail area carried on a very tall and
highly controlable rig. These characteristics make for a delightfully
nimble boat, amazingly quick in the lightest of breeze, and
able
to catch wind that's been pushed upwards by trees and bushes that are
so often a feature of river banks. When the wind blows hard, the short
hull and high aspect ratio sail plan guarantee an exciting and
challenging ride.
Medley
Sailing Club
Medley Sailing Club
is situated within walking distance of Oxford city centre, on the west
bank of the Thames overlooking Port Meadow (also a location for some of my bird photography).
It is the most up-stream sailing club on the Thames with the river
being wide enough for good tactical racing, but you wouldn't want it
any narrower! The location is splendid as the meadow is a delightful
spot and can be a magical place at certain times of the day
and year. As noted above, the British Moth is
ideally suited
to this particular stretch of water, and Medley has the largest fleet
of these boats anywhere. Other classes also race, notably Enterprises
and Toppers.
Dinghy
sailing photo album
