Earlier I posted a few photos of Louis Pillon's "Camping Moth" Fend la Bise. Another example of a camping Moth is Warren Bailey's "cruising Moth". George Bailey recently sent me a few period photos of his father's boat. Warren, who designed and built his own boats was the 1954 Moth Class World Champion in his break away design MACH 1. George offered the following comments:
"In Sept/Oct 1964 Jerry Keuhner, also a MYC sailor, who was just out of the Navy and I were (back) in Miami. I was on my way to an new duty station (USMC). We sailed the cruising moth out Government Cut with the fleet starting a big boat race to Nassau (I think it was the Miami-Nassau race). The officers on the Coast Guard cutter following the fleet kept suggesting we turn back but we did not and they gave up as we were not violating any rules. On a broad reach the fleet was making around 6+ knots and under main and jib we were making around 4. Finally, when land was out of sight to the west and the last big boat out of sight to the east, we returned to Miami. Compass? What compass? You could not miss where Miami was to the west even though you could not see it sitting low on the water as we were."
"In this same time period (before I left for Scotland) Jerry and I sailed down to one of the Keys just north of Key Largo, catching fish going down and fighting sand fleas while sleeping on the beach at night. What was interesting about this trip was (1) leaving at 9:00 AM from the Coconut Grove Yacht Club we were in a rare dense fog until around noon. Not having a compass we sailed by "feel", orienting to the bright spot in the fog where the sun was and just guessing when we should turn south. We did fine. (2) The wind came up and we blew out our old jib 2/3rds of the way down. This was interesting as it was flapping apart and did not want to fall down but neither of us could go forward to reach up the headstay and pull it down, given the design of the boat and the strong wind."
This photo, taken in the summer of 1962 shows George Bailey standing next to his father Warren's cruising Moth on her road trailer. George is looking east, towards Miami Yacht Club. The tow vehicle is a Studebaker Lark convertible. I like the neat canvas cuddy on the boat.
Here's a photograph of the boat with the sail up. Sail Nr 1470 was from one of Warren's racing Moths called MACH 2. I'll post some photo of MACH 1 & 2 if/when George B. finds them.
In this final exposure we see the boat at anchor somewhere in south Florida. George's sister Katheryn demonstrates the comfort of the cockpit. The Baileys had added a bowsprit and a fore mentioned jib by the time of this photo.
Louis Pillon, the mainstay of the French Association des Moth Classiques : http://louis.pillon.pagesperso-orange.fr/moth/ has sent me some very interesting photos of a “camping” Moth Boat which he has recently acquired. Those of us who were racing here in the states back in the 1960s had heard rumors of the French Camping Moth but had never seen one. In those times the French Mothists were quite innovative and many designs like the Duflos are still boats to beat in current Classic Moth racing. It turns out that a very few, probably no more than ten, of the Camping Moths were made and, of that number, the one which Louis owns is perhaps the only survivor. Designed and built by Parra, the Camping Moth weighs in at a hefty 120kg (~264 lb in old money)—which for a Moth Boat is substantial! By comparison, the minimum hull weight for a CMBA approved racer is 75 lb. Ah, but the Camping Moth more than makes up in civility what it lacks in speed. No doubt in the “grand salon” there’s room for a bar and perhaps a small piano for aperitifs and après race relaxation. No one beats the French in terms of refinement!
Louis: Merci for sharing! Photo credits: Pascale Guittonneau; the small advertisement is from the January 1961 issue of the French boating magazine” Bateaux”.
The original ad for Moth Bearnais De Camping. This is from the culture which gave us fine wine, Brigitte Bardot and pain au chocolat. Ad source: Bateaux, Janvier 1961.
Fend la bise can be translated to "cleave the wind". In France, la bise is a strong wind from the north.
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and Fend la bise! Look at that bow wave!
I love the wooden spars but wonder why, given the French love of free standing masts, that this boat sports a stayed rig? Perhaps Louis will explain it to me some day. Louis promises to send some photos of the interior so we can view the accommodations. Sleeping on either side of the centerboard trunk in this Camping Moth no doubt assumes very trim and sleek crew members!
