How a US Mothie becomes a Madmothist

So, I thought I'd create a blog separate from the IMCA-USA site to record my progress toward the 2009 moth worlds in the Gorge. Besides, I'd like to participate in the World Championship Moth Blog suggested by Andrew Brown.

Where do I stand now? Well, I found out Wednesday that my boat is still sitting at the WPNSA, a result of a shipping snafu. George Denny is threatening to start charging storage fees if it's not gone soon. The firm SEKO has said that is should be picked up asap, but they were supposed to arrange that last week. So my slightly damp wetsuit has been sitting in the storage crate for over ten days. Boy, I hope the boat clears Customs and isn't quarantined as a bio-hazard! So, yes, I'm steamed and have therefore adopted the moniker "Madmothist."

In the meantime I've been trying to get the moth class history as presented on the IMCA worlds site to include the US perspective. Whether folks know it or not, the IMCA has existed since 1935, 37 years before the IYRU officially blessed the organization with the "international" class designation. As such, the IMCA held world championship regattas for the International Antonia Trophy from 1933 through 1964 when it was retired. The present world championship trophy, recently won by John Harris at Weymouth, was donated by the Coca-Cola Company and first awarded to Jean Pierre Roggo in 1965. It's a piece of trivia that he is the only person to have won both the Antonia Trophy and the Coca-Cola Trophy, being the last on the Antonia and the first on the Coca-Cola Trophy. The Antonia Trophy, by the way, now resides in the collection of the Maritime Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. I am working with George Albaugh, the historian of the Classic Moth Boat Association to get all of the IMCA history posted on the world site.

That's all for now,
Joe, who's still waiting for his foiler to return from the UK....