European Moth Championship 2022: Now also masterful in the moth: European Championship bronze for Buhl

Laser world champion Philipp Buhl has achieved his best result to date in the popular foil class at the Moth European Championships in Quiberon, France, with third place and European Championship bronze. A two-time Olympian, Buhl entered the Moth class in 2017 in small steps to compensate and broaden his horizons, but has only ever competed in a few events per year in addition to the Olympic sport. Buhl ordered his Exocet moth from the British manufacturer Maguire Boats in Hampshire five years ago, which was favoured by the best at the time, and only received it in 2020 after the usual long delivery time of three years. Especially the foils. In the meantime, new models such as the Aerocet and the Bieker have long since won the favour of the world's best. This is why Buhl is particularly proud of his third place at the European Championships: "It's a good feeling that you can compensate for aerodynamic disadvantages and compete with better, newer boats with a boat that isn't the best and that nobody actually sails anymore if you work well and use the hanging technique from the Laser." The open European championships were won by the British co-favourite Dylan Fletcher on an Aerocet ahead of the American Brad Funk with six race wins in eleven races.

Buhl reckons that he has only completed around 200 training and regatta days in five years on the Moth. Like other strong Moth sailors, such as world champion Tom Slingsby, the top player from the German Sailing Team is spurred on by his Olympic experience, his constantly expanding technical horizons and his good boat handling. "I now have a pretty good level of knowledge," he says himself. He has now joined the ranks of the world's best Moth sailors, although his main specialism is and remains Olympic Ilca-7 sailing (ex-Laser) and he has long since set his sights on his third Olympic participation. However, the Moth excursions provide him with a welcome change of pace and new challenges.

Buhl still loves laser sailing and appreciates the direct and tough competition in the Olympic One Design Ilca 7, in which the sailor's performance is the only thing that matters. But he is also always happy when he can race across the element of his life on the Moth at maximum speeds of up to 31 knots. "The Moth European Championship was so much fun," he says and laughs. Then he adds: "It's also a nice message that you can get so far with a Moth like mine. It puts paid to the rumour that you have to invest 60,000 euros if you want to sail at the top of the world. And there are plenty of Moths like mine on the used boat market ..." However, the right and well-developed foils are needed, admits the now masterful best German moth tamer. He has worked intensively on this and has also gladly accepted tips from top helmsmen such as Tom Slingsby. According to Buhl, he lacks the money and time to keep switching to new moth models. Obviously it works without ...

Buhl used his current stay in France for another exciting flying visit. Last week, he visited Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia in Lorient. Boris Herrmann gave Philipp Buhl a personal tour of his new "Malizia - Seaexplorer", which was only launched on 19 July. "It's a completely different world," said Buhl afterwards. Can he imagine sailing solo around the world on an Imoca? "Not really," says Buhl, "sailing around in pitch black at 30 knots in choppy seas - I think I'd be scared of that. But Boris seems to have a lot of confidence in his boat. It was a very interesting experience for me. It was nice that he took the time to show me his boat in such a friendly way." Buhl's journey continues to Marseille in the Olympic area, where the helmsman from Segelclub Alpsee-Immenstadt and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein 2024 would love to win an Olympic medal at his third attempt. A small training block with a coach regatta is scheduled there. The training group in Ilca 7 will get back to Olympic action. Another Ilca 7 training block will follow in September in the future World Championship area of The Hague, before an organisational break and winter training are on the agenda. With the Moth medal in his pocket and many Ilca 7 plans in mind, Buhl looks more refreshed than he has for a while at the end of July.