Moth World Championship - Gulari Crowned 2013 Moth World Champion

by Alan Block on 20 Oct 2013 An early squall drenched the 80 competitors for the 2013 McDougall + McConaghy International Moth World Championship this morning as they prepared their flying carbon-fiber craft for the final day of racing. The rain and clouds brought with them an unfortunate side effect, cooling down Oahu’s Ko?olau Mountains and shutting down the building thermal breeze that might have allowed a final day of racing for the Moth World title.

After a tense three-hour wait in the Kaneohe Yacht Club boat park, Race Officer Tom Pochereva reached for the treble horn that indicates the end to the regatta; within seconds, a dozen American racers lifted Michigan’s Bora Gulari in the air and tossed him in the club pool for the 2013 World Champion’s ceremonial dunking.

Gulari becomes the first American two-time Moth World Champion since 1959; he won the 2009 World Championship in Cascade Locks, Oregon. 'It hasn’t really set in yet,' said Gulari, after drying himself off. 'One thing I know for sure is that without Anthony, George, Brad, and pretty much the entire US Moth racing team, I would never be World Champion again.'

Gulari attributes his success to his Mach 2 Moth, which he says 'is a perfect platform for this kind of sailing,' combined with the cumulative effect of dozens of small changes to the boat. 'We’ve been working for a solid year in Detroit, refining and changing things bit by bit until they’re perfect,' said Gulari. He also gave credit to his sail package, adding 'North Sails and specifically sailmaker Chris Williams came up with an extremely powerful sail design for this Worlds; I’ve never sailed with a faster sail since I bought my first Moth.'

A full news release will follow on Sunday; until then, you can find racing video, highlight reels, daily photo galleries, and interviews on the Moth Worlds Facebook Page.

2013 McDougall + McConaghy Moth World Championship Final Results:

1. USA 6, Bora Gulari, [18]-1-2-1-3-3-[7]-5-3-3- ; 21
2. AUS 3997, Nathan Outteridge, 1-2-1-[10]-9-1-8-2-[13]-5- ; 29
3. AUS 2, Scott Babbage, 4-4-[27]-[24]-1-12-1-4-5-13- ; 44
4. GBR 3982, Ben Paton, [15]-3-3-15-[23]-6-3-6-2-7- ; 45
5. GBR 4047, Robert Greenhalgh, 2-7-7-9-[19]-[13]-11-1-1-8- ; 46
6. AUS 3, Rob Gough, [17]-8-13-8-8-2-4-[38]-6-1- ; 50T
7. GBR 7, Chris Rashley, 3-[35]-6-11-7-4-13-[36]-4-2- ; 50T
8. AUS 8, Julian Salter, [12]-9-8-5-2-[29]-5-3-12-11- ; 55
9. USA 3931, Brad Funk, [24/ZFP]-5-4-3-5-5-18-10-21-[23]- ; 71
10. NZL 3991, Peter Burling, [40]-28-[52]-2-10-7-6-9-11-4- ; 77


Clean Racing Tip Of The Day

As one of the world's elite racing classes, the International Moth Class believes it essential to emphasize the responsible use of energy and resources in the context of sailing. Working with 11th Hour Racing, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Moth Class has come up with a number of initiatives to help all sailing events improve the energy profile and performance of racing boats and increase the personal investment of sailors in the health of our waters. Each day, the Moth Worlds fleet will highlight a 'Clean Racing Tip' they've implemented; something that will work for regattas and racing classes around the world. Here’s today’s tip:

Trash: Rule 55 of the Racing Rules of Sailing prohibits the discharge of trash on the race course. But the problem isn’t just on the water; trash in the dinghy parks and yacht clubs is just as bad — and often ends up in the water. Make trash disposal easy for competitors by keeping trash barrels easily accessible.