British Moth flies at Skandia Geelong Week 2009

by Lisa Ratcliff - Skandia media on 23 Jan 2009 Great Britain’s Simon Payne has firmed his stranglehold on the Zhik International Moth Nationals on a day that was frustratingly light until late this afternoon. In stark contrast to yesterday when the racing was cancelled at Docklands due to high winds, the Moths spent most of the afternoon in postponement shore side at Geelong’s Corio Bay.

Following today’s wins in race five and seven, his fourth of the series, Payne (Mach 2) is leading the pointscore on 10.2 points ahead of Australian Olympic 49er sailor Nathan Outteridge (Bladerider) on 18 points and Scott Babbage (Appliances Online) on 26 points.

Payne, the 2006 Moth World champion who began sailing the class as a child and has returned as an adult, and the Mach 2 designer, Andrew McDougall, only got the new boat foiling properly two days before the series began on Tuesday. Built at McConaghy’s in China, it’s a brand new design and the first to be raced in Australia - and it’s proving fast and seaworthy.

The diminutive Payne doesn’t like to talk about how he’ll hold the advantage for the remaining three races, 'if I start thinking about writing a winner’s speech I get a bit over-awed,' he laughed this evening.

'I prefer to break it down, sailing is a series of small steps.'

He says getting a good start is key to his success, and trying to stay clear of the weed in Corio Bay – a tough ask when you are two feet above the water on foils and doing 24 knots of boat speed, the sort of pace the mothies were setting in this afternoon’s second race.

Payne is not surprised by Outteridge’s early success in the Moth class. 'He’s a fantastic sailor and it’s a privilege to sail against guys like him'.
As for Outteridge, he’s biding his time. 'I’m just hangin’ in there. Hopefully he’ll make a mistake,' he said of Payne.

The 37 Moths tussling for their class’ national title on a sparkling Corio Bay completed the first of three scheduled races this morning, came ashore then headed back out for the 1400hrs start of the second.

After drifting around in a breeze that tantalised but refused to settle in from one direction the race committee sent the competitors back to the beach to await a decision on whether racing would resume or be abandoned for the day.
As Skandia Geelong Week’s sports boats crews relaxed back at Royal Geelong Yacht Club after their races a belated sou’easterly sea breeze finally blew in, rattling rigging in the marina and sending the Moths scurrying back out to a new course area for the final two scheduled races.

In 16 knots of building pressure the lightweight International Moths, which only average 30 kilos in weight and have a hull like a rowing skull with two huge hiking wings either side, skated along up on their foils in this afternoon’s race six, which finally began at 1705hrs. Race seven began at 1806hrs this evening which meant a later than usual un-rig. Luckily tomorrow’s start is a late one with the first of the two scheduled races due to start at 1400hrs once the bulk of the Passage Race fleet has arrived from Williamstown.

Luka Damic (Ready!) scored his first win in race six, beating David Lister (Manic) and Payne. In race seven Payne led Outteridge and Lister when the results were tallied.

Zhik International Moth Australian Champ

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

PROVISIONAL RESULTS

Updated:  23/01/2009  20:33:09

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL RESULTS

Series Results [Elapsed Time] up to Race 7 (Drops = 1)

Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 7	Race 6	Race 5	Race 4	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1		3381	MACH 2	Simon Payne	HISC	10.20	0.80	3.00	0.80	4.00	0.80	[9.00]	0.80
2		11	BLADERIDER	Nathan Outteridge	RSYSB16S	18.00	2.00	7.00	2.00	3.00	2.00	[10.00]	2.00
3		3263	APPLIANCES ONLINE	Scott Babbage	WSC	26.00	7.00	4.00	3.00	[7.00]	4.00	2.00	6.00
4		9368	MANIC	David Lister	STGSC	26.80	3.00	2.00	[15.00]	0.80	5.00	13.00	3.00
5		3217	SOUTHERN SPARS	Andrew Brown	TBC	29.00	8.00	5.00	8.00	2.00	3.00	3.00	[11.00]
6		3281	BORA GULARI	Bora Gulari	BYC	45.00	5.00	6.00	[17.00]	6.00	9.00	14.00	5.00
7		3295	SAILINGBITS.COM	John Harris	A18L	50.00	4.00	14.00	9.00	5.00	14.00	[17.00]	4.00
8		3283	ALTITUDE	Rob Gough	RYCT	51.50	12.00	8.50	[16.00]	12.00	7.00	5.00	7.00
9		3128	KA SAIL	Mark Robinson	CYCA	52.50	13.00	8.50	6.00	13.00	6.00	6.00	[13.00]
10		3573	READY!	Luka Damic	STGSC	58.80	6.00	0.80	[22.00]	11.00	15.00	7.00	19.00
11		3570	OBSESSION	Alan Goddard	BSC	65.80	14.00	13.00	5.00	14.00	19.00	0.80	[23.00]
12		3262	CARBON NEUTRAL	Les Thorpe	BYRA	68.00	9.00	[15.00]	13.00	9.00	13.00	12.00	12.00
13		3252	OYSTER FUND	Psarofaghis Arnaud	SNG	69.00	[43.00C]	18.00	4.00	8.00	10.00	15.00	14.00
14		3288	THE MIGHTY BOOSH	Rod Ray	BISC	74.00	10.00	20.00	7.00	20.00	8.00	[21.00]	9.00
15		3128X	UPGRADE	Lochlin Byrne	SYC/RBYC	76.00	16.00	16.00	11.00	10.00	12.00	11.00	[17.00]
16		3297	TBA4	Samantha England	BYS	84.00	15.00	11.00	12.00	18.00	[28.00]	20.00	8.00
17		9332	HTFU	Andrew Stevenson	STGSC	95.00	11.00	12.00	[29.00]	16.00	23.00	23.00	10.00
18		3260	PHLEGM FATALE	Stephen Donovan	STGSC	104.00	20.00	[29.00]	10.00	24.00	16.00	16.00	18.00
19		3290	TBA	Peder Arvefors	BRASS	106.00	17.00	10.00	[25.00]	17.00	22.00	24.00	16.00
20		3321	IFFI	Martin Cross	BSCRPAYC	112.00	19.00	17.00	18.00	19.00	[27.00]	18.00	21.00
21		9334	LEA	Lea Sitja	SGSC	115.00	[43.00C]	40.00F	19.00	22.00	11.00	8.00	15.00
22		9343	TIGER ON A CHAIN	Phil Stevenson	STGSC	126.00	23.00	19.00	14.00	[28.00]	24.00	22.00	24.00
23		3420	TBA	Brent Pearson	KBSC	139.00	21.00	26.00	[27.00]	23.00	21.00	26.00	22.00
24		3472	TRX 1	James Owen-Smith	DBYC	140.00	18.00	22.00	28.00	21.00	17.00	34.00	[43.00C]
25		3309	HYDROPHOBIC	Michael Boode	RGYC	142.00	28.00	23.00	20.00	[29.00]	25.00	19.00	27.00
26		3271	RED BARON	Greg Wise	ASC	143.00	22.00	21.00	[35.00]	25.00	30.00	25.00	20.00
27		13279	BLADERIDER RX 2	Martin Gravare	GKSS	147.00	37.00F	25.00	23.00	15.00	18.00	29.00	[43.00C]
28		9365	BUCCANEER	Ned Dally	ASC	163.00	24.00	32.00	24.00	30.00	[33.00]	27.00	26.00
29		9364	SILVER SHADOW	Martin Johnson	WSC	166.00	25.00	24.00	26.00	[43.00C]	26.00	36.00	29.00
30		3305	BLACKADDER	Alastair Gibson	BSC	174.00	29.00	30.00	21.00	26.00	31.00	37.00	[43.00S]
31		3279	NN	Magnus Gravare	GKSS	184.00	27.00	28.00	37.00	27.00	35.00	[40.00]	30.00
32		9256	SMITH	Ian Sim	BSC	188.00	26.00	33.00	30.00	33.00	38.00	28.00	[43.00C]
33		9360	VERTICAL HORIZON	Matthew Day	WSC	191.00	43.00C	43.00C	43.00C	38.00F	20.00	4.00	[43.00C]
34		3232	SUMMIT	Will Logan	RYCT	194.00	30.00	31.00	36.00	32.00	37.00	[38.00]	28.00
35		3359	CHATTERBOX	Stephen Tillman	ASC	196.00	32.00	35.00	33.00	35.00	29.00	[41.00]	32.00
36		8978	WINGNUT	Michael Willcocks	LCSC	199.00	31.00	37.00	31.00	[43.00S]	36.00	33.00	31.00
37		9168	FRAN	Kylie Lowry	STGSC	203.00	33.00	34.00	34.00	34.00	34.00	[35.00]	34.00
38		1	THE TRAMP	James Mackenzie	STGSC	205.00	34.00	38.00	32.00	36.00	[40.00]	32.00	33.00
39		1260	SAILFAST	Hiroki Goto	SFC	209.00	37.00F	27.00	43.00C	31.00	32.00	39.00	[43.00C]
40		3182	RENEGADE	Jonathan Emonson	GLYC	226.00	43.00C	43.00C	43.00S	[43.00C]	42.00F	30.00	25.00
41		3178	TEKNOLOGIKA	Bruce McLeod	STGSC	235.00	43.00C	36.00	43.00C	43.00C	39.00	31.00	[43.00C]
42		9311	ON THE PROWL	David Barnes	XXXX	258.00	43.00C	43.00C	43.00C	43.00C	43.00C	43.00C	[43.00C]

(Ties: S=Score R=Race B= Bettered. Penalties: A=ARB B=BFD C=DNC D=DNE E=ESP F=DNF G=RDG L=Late Entrant M=DGM N=ENP O=OCS P=Protest Q=DSQ R=RAF S=DNS U=DUT V=AVG X=EXC Z=ZFP Y=SCP #=NoData [x.y]=Discarded)

At 1800hrs tomorrow, Saturday 24, the top 10 on the Zhik International Moth Nationals pointscore, following race eight and nine, will be invited to participate in a ‘dash for cash’ off the breakwater at Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Ten Moths will start and each sprint race the last two will drop off until there is a match race between two Moths, who will have to literally grab the $500 cash from the outstretched hand of one of the race committee members on their way through the finish gate.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for west to north westerly winds 15 to 20 knots reaching 25 knots ahead of a south westerly change of 15 to 25 knots.