Moth World Championship- Competitors worried about racing

by Alan Block on 18 Oct 2013 Talk around Kaneohe Yacht Club’s boat park this morning wasn’t about which foils to use or which sails were best for today’s racing. Instead, competitors at the 2013 McDougall + McConaghy Moth World Championship were worried if they’d get any racing in at all in the final two remaining days of the regatta.

'With 3-4 knots the likely max we’d see today, we’re abandoning the day so you can all go and enjoy Hawaii,' said Matt Knowles, US Moth Class President and organizer of the event at the morning briefing. 'Models are all showing a tough couple of days ahead, but we’re hoping a window opens for a few more good, fair races.'

Bora Gulari’s (USA) five-point lead over Australia’s Nathan Outteridge becomes far more crucial with a reduced schedule ahead, though the 2009 Detroit-based World Champion isn’t counting on nature to make his life any easier. 'I’ve had some great battles with Nathan over the years, but I’m really just happy to be here, sailing fast and enjoying Hawaii,' said Gulari, busy preparing his boat for some practice in Thursday’s zephyrs. Bora was the first American to win a Moth World Title in 33 years when he won the event in Cascade Locks, Oregon; finishing just behind was Outteridge. Two years later, Aussie Gold Medalist and America’s Cup skipper Outteridge crushed the fleet in Belmont, Australia to win his first Moth Worlds.

American racer Brad Funk saw his lock on third place disappear when race officials corrected an earlier scoring error; the Florida Olympic sailor now sits in fourth place, tied on points with third place Julian Salter from Tasmania (AUS). Fellow Tasmanian Rob Gough rounds out the top 5. Full results.

Injuries, Damage Surprisingly Small After 'Scariest Boat Crash I’ve Ever Seen'
The first top mark of Race 4 of the Championship was the site of the 'scariest boat crash I’ve ever seen,' according to one witness, yet neither of the two sailors involved suffered more than a scratch. 'I was coming in on the port tack layline, ducking a wall of starboard tackers,' explained Tom Offer (GBR). 'Philip [Käsermann] was on starboard, and I think he bore away to let me through just as I was bearing away to go behind him.' At a closing speed of nearly 40 knots, the bow of Offer’s Exocet moth tore into the Swiss sailor’s wing bar, bringing both boats to a spectacular stop and catapulting both sailors through the air and into the water. Offer’s royal blue dinghy suffered damage to the bow though was otherwise unharmed. 'It’s a bit much to reconstruct the nose right now, and while I’m massively disappointed to end my regatta after such strong results, I’m very happy neither of us was hurt,' Offer said. Käsermann’s boat was luckier. 'I’ve changed the wing bar and will replace the broken boom; I can’t finish my sailing season with a retirement!' The incident served as a reminder of the skill needed to sail a moth at the very highest level. 'One little misstep at these speeds can be catastrophic,' said Knowles.

Youth America’s Cup Star Wins $1000 'Velocitek Dash For Cash'
New Zealand hasn’t sent an army of competitors to this Worlds like their neighbor to the West, but Youth America’s Cup winner and 49er World Champion Peter Burling made up for the deficit in numbers with a victory in the annual Velocitek Dash For Cash contest. After verifying data from Burling’s Velocitek speed-measuring device, Velocitek founder Alec Stewart announced that Burling had reached an incredible 25.0 knots of boatspeed; all in a maximum wind of around 11 knots – and between two races. 'I came in after a race to replace a broken part, and I was definitely in a rush to get back to the start of the next race,' said Burling. The young Kiwi would start 4 minutes behind the fleet and still finish the race in the top ten. 'We’ve really enjoyed supporting the Moth fleet over the years with the Dash For Cash,' said Stewart. 'The cutting edge technology, incredible efficiency, and simplicity are exactly what Velocitek stands for.'

Overall Results After seven Races (Top five Only):
1. USA 7: Bora Gulari, Detroit, MI, [16]-1-2-1-3-3-7- ; 17
2. AUS 3997: Nathan Outteridge, Wangi Wangi, Australia, 1-2-1-[11]-9-1-8- ; 22
3. AUS 8, Julian Salter, Tasmania, 11-9-8-5-2-[29]-5- ; 40
4. USA 1111: Brad Funk, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 24(ZFP)-5-4-3-5-5-[18]- ; 40
5. AUS 3, Rob Gough, Tasmania, [15]-8-13-8-8-2-4- ; 43

Sail   Boat   Skipper Yacht Club    1   2   3   4   5   6   7    Total Pos USA 7      Bora Gulari   Bayview Yacht Club     [17]   1   2   1   3   3   7     17   1   AUS 3997      Nathan Outteridge   Wangi Sailing Club     1   2   1   [10]   9   1   8     22   2   USA 1111   UFO   Brad Funk   Lauderdale yacht club     [24/ZFP]   5   4   3   5   5   18     40   3   AUS 8   Salter marine @ gmail   Julian Salter   Royal yacht club of Tasmania     12   9   8   5   2   [29]   5     41   4   AUS 3   The Belafonte   Rob Gough   royal yacht club of tasmania     [16]   8   13   8   8   2   4     43   5   GBR 7   Royal London Yacht Club   Chris Rashley   Royal London Yacht Club     3   [35]   6   11   7   4   13     44   6   AUS 2   7   Scott Babbage   WSC     4   4   [27]   24   1   12   1     46   7   GBR 4047   50 Shades   Robert Greenhalgh   Royal Southern YC/HRSC/SBSC     2   7   7   9   [19]   13   11     49   8   GBR 3982   PATONATOR   BEN PATON   LYMINGTON TOWN SC     [54]   3   3   15   23   6   3     53   9   AUS 1   Equinox Racing   Josh Mcknight   RPAYC     7   10   [16]   7   14   10   9     57   10   USA 4054      George Peet   BYC/LTYC     5   6   9   [37]   22   9   14     65   11   AUS 3951   Puddles   Iain Jensen   wangi amateur sailing club     [33]   27   21   4   6   14   15     87   12   NZL 3991   Be rude not to   Peter Burling   Tauranga Yacht Club     39   28   [52]   2   10   7   6     92   13   USA 3911   General Disarray   Eric Aakhus   Kaneohe YC     10   [37]   32   19   4   16   26     107T   14   SUI 3796      Psarofaghis Arnaud   SNG     [32]   21   18   23   15   20   10     107T   15   AUT 4029      Nico Luca Marc Delle Karth   KYC     6   [32]   14   30   16.5/TIE   17   28     111.5   16   AUS 5   KA Sail   Andrew McDougall   Black Rock YC     [35/ZFP]   11   22   14   20   15   30     112   17   USA 4056   the spruce goose   Tom Johnson   Tom Johnson     25   [33/ZFP]   28   18   12   11   21     115   18   GBR 3985   Shocksailing.com   Simon Hiscocks   Wpnsa     18   [43]   24   13   13   22   27     117   19   AUS 3958      Steven Thomas   Royal Perth Yacht Club     13   16   12   32/ZFP   [34]   30   16     119   20   ITA 3912   Owner drive   Rizzi Stefano   Svoc     20   12   [43]   17   27   24   20     120   21   JPN 3989   Kurenai   Hiroki Goto   JMCA     23   14   17   21   30   25   [35]     130   22   AUS 3832   Stonecutter   Les Thorpe   BYRA     24   20   15   20   [41]   19   33     131   23   USA 3896   sailingbits   John Harris   A18FL     30   26   10   [39]   16.5/TIE   21   31     134.5   24   USA 4007      Dalton Bergan   Seattle YC     34   22   36   22   11   [39]   19     144   25   SUI 0000   EFG Bank   Christopher Rast   SWYC/MBYC/TYC/RCO     38   25   [81/DNS]   6   21   32   25     147   26   ESP 3975   Troncho Bueno   Pablo Arandia   RCNValencia     14   30   35   26   [37]   33   12     150   27   USA 3799   Brohemoth   Jonathan Goldsberry   SFYC     [35]   15   29   27   31   27   32     161   28   AUS 3920      Ben Newling   WSC     22   23   19   [49]   36   34   42     176   29   AUS 3803   Onsoku2   Kohei Kajimoto   Black Rock Yacht Club     9   34   [55/TLE]   12   40   36   46     177   30   AUS 3657   Manic   David Lister   St George Sailing Club     28   58/ZFP   [81/DNS]   40   25   8   24     183   31   GBR 4025      Adam May   WPNSA     26   31   41   35   33   23   [45]     189   32   AUS 4000   Viva La Vida   Mark Robinson   WSC     37   19   [55/TLE]   50   26   41   17     190   33   USA 4017   Time Bandit   Matt Knowles   Sail Newport     29   24   [48]   42   18   40   41     194   34   SUI 3752   Patch   David Holenweg   CVE     31   29   30   32   38   [60]   39     199   35   AUS 3750   Chapman High Performance Saili   Andrew Chapman   WSC/LC12'SSC     27   36   25   48   28   [50]   36     200   36   SWE 3786   Drofn   Nils Akervall   royal swedish yacht club     [59/TLE]   18   31   31   45   43   43     211   37   NZL 4024      Mike Bullot   MBSC     [81/DNF]   57   23   34   42   18   38     212   38   AUS 4003      Reece Tailby   RPAYC     36   40   34   [65]   47   37   23     217T   39   AUS 4020   Moosters Trampoline   Warren Sare   Woollahra Sailing Club     44   [81/DNS]   53   28   32   26   34     217T   40   GER 3954   Lotte   Leopold Fricke   Chiemsee Yacht Club     21   50   20   43   [53]   45   44     223   41   ISV 4   Swinging Engine   Anthony Kotoun   Sail Newport     57   45   11   29   [81/DNF]   81/DNS   2     225   42   AUS 3847   Altitude   Charlie Connor   Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania     47   38   [55/TLE]   46   24   46   40     241T   43   JPN 3899   SAMEZIMA   Masatomo Suzuki   JMCA     [56]   41   47   38   48   38   29     241T   44   AUS 3878   Stray   Andrew Cuddihy   WSC     31/ZFP   54   51   [62]   35   35   37     243   45   SUI 3622   Gonet Conseils   Fabien Froesch   SNG     49   46   50   33   [54]   48   22     248   46   GBR 4038   Windy Wendy   Tom Special Offer   Rock Sailing Club     11   13   5   [81/DNF]   81/DNS   81/DNS   81/DNS     272   47   AUS 3771   Badin Dubh   Michael O'Shea   WSC     41   [68]   44   36   50   57   51     279   48   FRA 3596      Nicolas Rousselon   CNN     53   [65]   26   45   58   53   47     282   49   USA 3683   99 Problems...   Zack Maxam   SDYC     52   48   39   47   46   55   [59]     287T   50   USA 4066      Dylan DiMarchi   Waikiki Yacht Club     40   44   46   53   55   [81/DNF]   49     287T   51   AUT 4028   Frida   Nikolaus Leopold RESCH   Yacht Club Velden     59/TLE   [81/DNF]   55/TLE   25   39   44   66     288T   52   USA 3801   Dangus Junior   Ian Andrewes   Kaneohe Yacht Club/RNZYS     58   56   49   [63]   43   28   54     288T   53   AUS 4004   Impact   Will Logan   RYCT     [59/TLE]   47   55/TLE   41   44   52   57     296   54   NED 4023   Amsterdamned   Kalle Coster   Yab Yum's King Club     45   53   [71/ZPT*]   51   49   51   53     302   55   AUS 3785   Let Them Eat Cake   Rayshele Martin   WSC     48   58   33   60   57   58   [67]     314   56   USA 3984   tex   John Bartlett   Austin Yacht Club     51   [68/ZFP]   37   56   66   47   61     318T   57   SWE 3794      Emma Aspington   KSSS     42   39   38   68   [72]   69   62     318T   58   SWE 3793      Magnus Gravare   GKSS     46   63   55/TLE   52   61   [64]   50     327   59   JPN 3886      Takashi Nakagawa   JMCA     59/TLE   49   40   69   52   62   [73/TLE]     331   60   ITA 3855      Fabio Mazzetti   circolo vela arco     59/TLE   64   [81/DNS]   57   59   42   58     339   61   AUS 3824   Yoshi   Fang Warren   Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club     59/TLE   55   45   44   64   [81/DNF]   73/TLE     340   62   AUS 3905   Rhapsody   Phil Stevenson   StGeorge SC     59/TLE   [73/TLE]   55/TLE   58   51   56   64     343   63   SWE 3792   ForumILS   Casper Arvefors   BrSS     55   [67]   55/TLE   64   60   59   52     345   64   AUS 3934   TWW   Jamie Woods   LMYC     [81/DNC]   81/DNC   81/DNC   81/DNS   29   31   48     351   65   GBR 3604      Katherine Knight   SLYC     59/TLE   51   42   66   [69]   66   69     353   66   SUI 3798   Hula   Philippe Schiller   sng     59/TLE   62   55/TLE   55   63   65   [68]     359   67   AUS 3770   Ladybird   Emma Spiers   WSC     59/TLE   59   55/TLE   61   70   [81/DNF]   56     360   68   FRA 3964   CORUM   Loick Peyron   YCLB     59/TLE   66   55/TLE   [81/DNS]   68   54   60     362   69   SUI 3729   SYZ&CO   Philip Käsermann   SNG     43   33   54   [81/DNF]   81/DNS   81/DNS   81/DNS     373   70   USA 4018   Bronco   Thomas Loughborough   IYAC     59/TLE   60   55/TLE   54   65   [81/DNF]   81/DNS     374   71   ITA 3950   no name   Tommaso (Thomas) Freddi   xkite a.s.d.     59/TLE   70   [81/DNS]   59   62   67   65     382   72   AUS 4021   CAMARGUE   David Robinson   WSC     59/TLE   72   55/TLE   67   [73]   70   63     386   73   USA 4001   Norwegian Blue   Chris Maas   CIYC     59/TLE   73/TLE   55/TLE   71   51/TLE   [81/RET]   81/DNF     390   74   IRE 3861      Annalise Murphy   National Yacht Club     59/TLE   69   [81/DNS]   73   71   49   73/TLE     394T   75   USA 3678   High Speed Meditation Chamber   Guy Fleming   Waikiki     59/TLE   73/TLE   55/TLE   [75/TLE]   73/TLE   61   73/TLE     394T   76   USA 3479      Jimmer Montgomery   Coronado Yacht Club     59/TLE   73/TLE   55/TLE   72   [74]   71   70     400   77   ITA 4030   LANULFI   Marco Lanulfi   yacht club acquafresca     50   61   [81/DNS]   81/DNS   81/DNF   81/DNS   55     409   78   USA 3510   Doppelgänger   Ryan Lorence   Mission Bay Yacht Club     59/TLE   [81/ZFP]   55/TLE   81/ZFP   67   68   81/RET     411   79   IRE 3805   Lethal weapon   Ryan Seaton   BYC/CSC     80/ZFP   71   [81/DNS]   74   56   63   71     415   80