Moth Worlds – They go up tiddly up, up…
by John Curnow on 9 Dec 2014
Scott Babbage on fire on Lake Macquarie. John Curnow
They go down tiddly down, down. Yes. It’s all about those magnificent men in their flying machines. Now very quickly, we’ll add that women sail Moths too, but then that doesn’t fit the original song’s lyrics nearly as well, and as the bulk of the fleet is male, we’ll just ask for some poetic licence up front. OK? P.S. Those opening lines of the song were actually written by a woman… You can get your dose of Terry Thomas, below.
So the relevance of all that is that in the first two instalments we saw how all the great Moth sailors indicated that if you’re obsessed by looking good, then don’t sail a Moth. They do stack, often repeatedly and almost always spectacularly. In the last decade this class, possibly more than any other, has moved on, perhaps even been the thin edge of the technology wedge.
This is undoubtedly why 143 sailors, a lot of whom are America’s Cup legends and/or Olympic Gold Medallists and World Champions, are going to descend on Sorrento at the bottom of Melbourne’s Port Phillip for the McDougall+McConaghy Moth World Championship in the middle of January 2015.
One person eminently qualified to speak about it all is Scott Babbage. He is the current Australian Moth Champion, but even more importantly, Scott is also the President of the International Moth Class Association. Now along with Seve Jarvin (son of the magnificent and charismatic Steve) and Sam Newton, Scott is also a member of the ‘Gotta Love It 7’ 18’ Skiff team that are no strangers to either speed or winning. Scott has been with the team for five years now and involved with the 18’s for 10 years.
The former Australian Sailing Team coach said, 'If we win again this year, Seve will be the most successful Skipper in the class, ever. It has been great to be a part of the overall success, especially as they are a hard class to win in. It is fantastic to have Iain Murray as part of the coterie, for he is integral to the campaign.'
'Combining the Gotta Love It 7 Moth and Skiff programmes really has been beneficial. Success breeds success. In the 18’ Skiff campaign we have a good boat, good team where no stone is left unturned and that then flows over to the Moth. It is a culture that has helped with my Moth sailing – to have a detailed and expansive programme in place', said Babbage.
'I started a long time ago (2001 as it turns out) in a cheap, second-hand, non-foiling boat, which is different to today, where a brand new M+M Mach2 is the favoured item. Being so much the better craft, you don’t have to tough it out at the back now. By way of example, I struggled to tack during my first Australian Championship. I’m on my 11th boat currently and happily, most of the others are still ticking around the place. My partner, Rayshele Martin gets my immediate past vessel these days. Running two boats is not cheap, but at least there a not complaints about spending money on Moths', said Babbage, who has had every style of craft from Lazich to Prowlers and Mach 2s.
'It’s tricky trying to predict what kind of conditions you’re going to get. The last two Worlds have been really light, when it was expected to be more. Who knows what we’ll get? I’d prefer to see some variety, as I’m on pace across the range, whereas there will be those who’ll be good in light and others who will go well in heavy conditions.'
At 76kg, Babbage is sort of lower middle in the weight range. 'Over the last few years, the winner is mostly just over 80kg. When we went to foiling, the weight of the skipper went up a lot too. Once you’re flying more weight is better, but if you’re too heavy, then getting out of the water and up on the foils can be a pain. The Moth is now at full power in just 13kn of breeze and everyone is getting better with their skills too, so less than 7kn is not so much of an issue with foiling these days. Pretty much everyone has their overall kit optimised for the conditions on offer.'
Babbage went on to add, 'The Moth is moving away from the technicalities or nuances and so is now less Moth sailor specific and moving towards typical sailing prowess. Hence why the top-notch sailors are doing really well. Picking the wind shifts and staying up on the foils are crucial elements in a victory, so it is kind of back to being a typical boat race. Indeed races are closer now and so winning every race on the way to a championship is no longer going to be seen, which makes the title more up for grabs and that’s better viewing for all.'
Babbage has been on the podium for the World Championship four times previously and in the top ten on just as many occasions, so is this the year to get the big one? 'Sorrento will be the hardest year in memory. To call it this far out is a tad presumptuous, given the quality of the fleet, but I certainly wouldn’t mind! Fighting out a regatta with the best on offer is always a wonderful thing. I have been around a bit longer in the class than a lot of the newer sailors. Since 2001 to be exact and am one of the few left from the pre-foiling days of 2003.'
'Yes, I have enjoyed the transition up into the air and the numbers of Moths sailing everywhere also going up as it were, is very cool. Foiling has proven not to be a fad and it is attracting more and more souls to this type of sailing. Andrew McDougall has really been instrumental in it all. He single-handedly made the Moth more accessible and it reached a lot of new countries by virtue of the ‘near’ mass production. We are a small class in real terms, but attract the world’s best and it is all about fun, which is why it is not just about the top tier. A lot of Moth sailors come from a non-pro background.'
'The Moth is an awesome boat and something to really get your teeth into in terms of learning. It is a craft that always challenges you, one in which you can never be complacent, is always changing and there is something to learn each and every time you leave the beach. We are delighted to see so many craft turn up after last World Championship, which was in the Northern hemisphere and hence just 6 months ago. Big fleets is truly a wonderful thing for our fun and spectacular class', Babbage said by way of closing.
Now if you were getting the idea that this is going to be a huge event, then you’d be right. Sure it will be fun and all the sailors are very much looking forward to high levels of conviviality off the water. Make no mistake, however, on the water it will be a grand dust up, dukes an all. So who is going to be looking after all that? Well the Principal Race Officer is both incredibly qualified and experienced. Sorrento will be his sixth Moth World Championship. His name is, Peter Moor.
'I was Moth World Champion in Okinawa 1975, which is well before most of the current competitors were born! There’s even more ancient history, as I was the Australian Moth Champion in 1975 at Adelaide and also 1976 in Melbourne. Way before even that, I was the Australian Fireball Champion of 1966! Later I was also the 1989 Australian 14' Skiff Champion and was second at the 1989 San Francisco 14' Skiff Worlds. In 1983 I was even the Malaysian Sailboard National Champion and coach to the Malaysian Sailing Team for the SE Asian Games of 1983 and 1985', said Moor.
In terms of Race Management, Peter did his first Australian Championship as RO for the Moths in 1976 on Lake Macquarie. Other credits include the Volvo Ocean Race of 2005-2006, the Extreme 40 Catamaran European Circuit in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Flying Eleven Australian Championships of 2002, 2003, and 2008. With the International 14' Skiffs he has done the Australian Championships of 1984, 1990, 1994, 2002 and 2009, as well as the World Championships of that year in Sydney. On top of all that there is the A-Class catamaran Australian and World Championships of 2010 out of Belmont on Lake Macquarie and then the Moth Australian and World Championships of 2011 on the very same waters. Finally then the Contender Australian and World Championships of 2014, along with the 9er (49er/FX and 29er) Australian Championships off McCrae in 2013, Brighton in 2014 and soon Perth for 2015.
Moor was also the Technical Operations Manager for Sailing with SOCOG (Sydney Olympics) from 1997 to 2000 and then successfully completed his International Race Officer’s course and exam in Brisbane, 2009. Yep. This guy is more than qualified. He’ll also have his work cut out for him, but it seems he knows exactly how to deal with it all.
OK. Wearing my Baggy Green for just a moment (code for being a totally proud Australian), let’s think about the last time reigning Moth World Champion, Nathan Outteridge competed at Sorrento. It was for the 2008 49er World Championship, which he and Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen won. I bet both of them hope it will be lucky waters once more…
In finishing, we’ll simply say look out for waves in a Northerly and the Southerly busters that come through with a nasty chill and plenty of squirt. Don’t be too perturbed by the insects known locally as sand flies (real name March or Horse Fly – family Tabanidae), for they’re slow, easy to swat and you’ll know exactly where they are from the little touch up they give you. Honestly, be more wary of the barflies. Equally, whilst Port Phillip sees the occasional top end shark, being shallow, it is not the preferred habitat for Great Whites and more often it is just whalers and nurses you’ll spot. Think more about all the cool dolphins, seals, rays, birds, ‘roos and splendiferous vistas.
Tip. Instead of all that, concentrate on grabbing some of the Mornington Peninsula’s exquisite cheeses and produce, along with a bottle of scrumptious, local wine. I heartily suggest the Stonier Chardonnay or Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir, so that then your total attention can be applied to watching these magnificent men and women on their flying machines. Why? Because the foiling Moth really is sailing’s developMENTAL class.
The foiling Moths will be in action from January 6 with the Australian Championship and then from January 9 to 16, the McDougall + McConaghy 2015 Moth World Championships will be conducted. To be a part of the Social Media programme, join the conversation via #mothworlds or go and like www.facebook.com/mothworlds
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