Moxie - A PERFECT INSTRUMENT! (.pdf)
TEXT & PHOTO BY PHILIPPE ÉCHELLE
Multihulls World magazine

Before haulout, the crew (from left to right)
Myles, Aurelia, myself and Craig

Delivery to the Azores, Nov 2002

On 13 Nov 2002, Christian1470 at aol.com writes to the Multihulls Mail List:

I just got back from a delivery on Newick's Moxie to the Azores (aiming for Spain, but didn't make it that far), we left from Newport...

And on 14 Nov 2002, Christian continues:

In one word, Rough! 12 days to the Azores, 4 lows along the way, one having gusts over 70 kts. Ended up towing a milkcrate on a warp to slow down. Had a bit of structural failure as well. The seam between the underside of the leading edge of the port aka and hull let go, which is why we put in to the Azores. It is suspected that structural changes to the main bulkheads might have something to do with the damage, but then stuffing the boat at 23.9 knots could be a factor as well. We shortened sail after that. We never did really push the boat, but once in a while she'd decide to get on a wave and go on her own. I personally think it was more a wave broadside that did the damage, we were sailing on the beam the night the damage was discovered, and every once in a while one would sneak under the ama and pound the main hull. Either way, the area was reconstructed back to original specs in the Azores, so it shouldn't be a problem. The port side has seen more of it's share of abuse, remember that the previous owner t-boned a boat with the port ama a few years ago as well. That could have set the stage for the current failure. Other than that, she did fine. Myles Manns, one of the crew and a one time employee of W. Greene described her nicely, "She rides like a Cadillac", I agree, even heavy as we were (4 crew and gear). As far as comfort goes, it was a bit cramped (understandably) and wet, (more than our share of rain and spray, not to mention the "head" which leaked pretty bad until we found the sikaflex).

All in all, I pretty much fell in love, and am considering a Val for myself.

Craig, the new owner, plans to keep the boat in Formentera (next to Ibiza) winters and Italy in the summers. There are tenative plans for the 2-star next summer and, hold on to your hats, the OSTAR (or whatever it's called these days) the year after! Whether this actually comes about remains to be seen, but he seems pretty gung-ho. Kind of a cool Idea, a vintage class for ocean racing.

As for Moxie, herself, Craig went through an extensive refit at Newport shipyard, and I was there myself when Walter came down for a visit and proclaimed, "she didn't look this good when we built her".

Moxie has found a good owner in Craig, and even though it's sad to see her go overseas (I'll miss seeing her over in the corner in Sippican Harbor), it's good to know she will be sailed like she should, and kept well.

I plan to visit Walter's operation in Maine when Myles get's back from the second leg. I'm looking forward to it, and will report back on the experience.

-Christian
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On the ways with whaleboats

Myles and I on one of the more uncomfortable watches

Atlantic storm in Moxie - Lia (Aurelia) Ditton tells the tale

ARRIVÉE TRANSAT video of MOXIE finishing the 1980 OSTAR Trans-Atlantic Race

An OSTAR winner with Moxie
by David Berson, Ocean Navigator, July/August 2011 Issue 195

www.moxie.fr (defunct)

En France 2020... moxiesailing.bzh

>

Moxie (book, film) by Philip S. Weld
"For this, his third attempt at the OSTAR, Weld had Dick Newick design him the trimaran Moxie. In design, construction and in every piece of equipment Moxie was built to win. Phil Weld knew what it took to race across the Atlantic - the boat and the man were made for each other."