Moth World Championship - Mothapalooza winner announced

by Pierre Orphanidis on 25 Aug 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championship 2012 - German sailor, Carlo Mäge, wins the 5,000-Euro first prize of the inaugural Mothapalooza™. Mäge's Moth stood out among the 125-strong Moth fleet on lake Garda with its eye-catching Zebra theme. Zhik, the premiere sailing gear manufacturer, proves that the sport of sailing doesn't need to be dull.

A unique event for the Moth class took place today in Campione del Garda, venue of the 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championship. The first ever winner of the Mothapalooza™ competition received his 5,000 euro cash, rewarding his creativity, hard work and artistic spirit in decorating his Moth yacht while racing in the world championship.

'Zhik is proud to sponsor this competition, the first of its kind anywhere in the world', said Brian Conolly, founder and managing director. 'I believe this will now begin a new trend in sailing, and hope the idea will catch on across many classes over time. We certainly plan to build on the success it had on lake Garda, and make it an important element to the Moth Worlds regatta every year.'

At every sailing regatta there are a fleet of sails, and this is an opportunity to express art across a mobile, floating canvas. This Mothapalooza™ event demonstrated to the world that this floating canvas can be a worthy spectacle in itself. While we can celebrate wind, water, waves, lifestyle and sportsmanship, we can also add cultural diversity, personality and uniqueness to the mix. Something more for the observer of the sport, that will also help lift the profile of sailing in general.

Competition was tough for Mäge as a number of sailors let their imagination and creativity roam free. His Zebra-themed boat had to battle it out with equally impressive designs such as the Alien, the Dragon or on the Flying Hellfish, to name a few.

In fact, it was after seeing the Dragon that Mäge decided to enter the Mothapalooza competition. Although he initially felt 'down', as he jokingly stated while receiving the award, he worked hard in order to make sure that at least he won 'one trophy' in the world championship.

In just four weeks and after spending no less than 80 hours working on his idea, Mäge came to Campione del Garda with a Zebra Moth that made head turns both on the boatpark and on the water. Not only did he cater to every detail on his yacht, he ordered a special zebra-themed suit worn by ice-skaters so that he could be one with the hull and sails of his Moth.

The Moth sailors have once again proved their innovative skills, applying their artistic creativity to the odd profile and sail of a Moth sailboat, winged and foiled, and then making that consistent with the sailors own attire. This was definitely a challenge, particularly while also remaining competitive in the race.

Three judges scored each boat in four categories - Sail, Hull/Foils, Self and Overall Integrity - and these were added together to declare the winner. True to the fun and funny nature of the Moth class, the judges, although impressed by Mäge's work, decided to give him a score of 99 out 100 because the German sailor had forgotten to wear a tail. Mothapalooza Zhik Nautica Moth Worlds website