Australian Moth Championships Day 2 - 'Bangin’ the Corners Cup'

by Tony Outteridge on 9 Jan 2013 Zhik, CST Composites 2013 Australian Moth Championship Day 2 - With temperatures over 40 degrees and wind gust in excess of 30 knots, championship racing was cancelled. With a fleet of 70 boats and a varying degree of skill and experience, the race committee decided call off racing for the day for fairness and safety reasons. However in the place of normal races, the organizer scheduled the 'Bangin’ the Corners Cup' supported by KA Sails and Mach 2 Moths.

The top 12 boats were invited to compete in a very short series of sprint races on a course set right in front of the club. Fellow sailors and spectators lined the shore to watch and cheer some of the best Moth sailors in the world battle the elements and each other. With a running start and only 75 metres to the first mark the racing was really exciting. At the end of each race two boats were eliminated and the remainder would then race again until eventually only two were left to determine the overall winner.

First to be eliminated in race one were Andrew (Mach2) McDougal and Dave Lister, then in race two Luka Damic and Hirioki Goto from Japan got the chop. Race three saw Olympic gold medalist Tom Slingsby and current World Moth Champion Josh McKnight bite the dust. Another Olympic gold medalist Iain Jensen and local sail-maker Scott Beeby were next to go leaving only four boats left. Next race saw the departure of another Olympic gold medalist Nathan Outteridge along with 2011 Moth World Champion runner up Joe Turner. This left Olympic silver medalist from NZ, Pete Burling to fight it out with Scott Babbage, who seems to come second in everything he competes in (Worlds, Nationals etc) and guess what he came second again as Kiwi Pete cleaned up.