Zhik Moth Worlds 2011 Finals Race 5 - Absolute Carnage everywhere

by Lizzi Rountree on 13 Jan 2011 Zhik Moth Worlds 2011 Finals.

It’s the battle of the breeze as the steady 24 knot East-Northeasterly tore down the racecourse, with max gusts recorded during the first (and only race so far) at 27 knots. With Silver Fleet postponed on shore, Gold Fleet danced the 'You Launch First, Mate' before the daunting trek to the start line.

'It’s like the Gorge [2009 Moth Worlds],' said Lindsay Bergan, 'I leave just enough time for 1 wipeout on the way to the start line.' Her teammates agreed – you don’t want to be out there long than you have to.

Clear start, carnage ensues. First with Moth Squaddie Joe Turner (AUS), capsizing he emerged with foils in hand. He managed to salvage all the bits and make the upwind haul back to shore. A Moth without foils? 'Felt like a Sabot,' he reported.

Tom Slingsby (AUS) was next. After a rocky start, he bolted up the course and assumed control after the first 3 boats sent it in at the windward mark, with Rob Gough (AUS) and Bora Gulari (USA) hot on his heals. At the leeward mark it was 'Absolute carnage everywhere' according to Rescue Rib Driver John Fullerton. The full top flight stacked it – Gulari was the first to recover, and fired off lap 2 in the lead. Slingsby had a tough time recovering, as did Peter Burling (NZL) and Iain Jensen (AUS).

Nathan Outteridge (AUS) went over landing on his side-stay, taking a big hit to his leg and forearm. Sheer determination drove him to a second place finish, and as soon as he hit shore he was on ice and analgesics.

Burling said he stacked it about 20 times, but with his scores from yesterday he said, 'I knew I had to soldier on.'

Solid racing for 2008 World Champion John Harris who finished third, and more new faces in the top 5: Andy Budgen (GBR) and Josh McKnight (AUS). McKnight describes his upwind strategy, 'I just sailed really high – I wasn’t really hiking, and my main was right in.'

Ultimately getting the gun was Gulari. 'I love it out there, I hope we race again!' After a two hour postponement, he got his wish.

The game has decidedly turned going into Race 5 of the Final Series at the 2011 Zhik Moth World Championships. Racers are still flying fast, but the tactical gears are beginning to churn.

In Race 5, Peter Burling (NZL) lead around the course, ultimately losing to Iain Jensen (AUS) on the last leg. Nathan Outteridge (AUS) now with eight points was back in form after the injury, lost out on the win, but played a tight race against the leading contenders, Joe Turner (AUS) and John Harris (AUS) who have 19 and 23, respectively. Turner finished the day strong, but he does carry a DNF into the final day of racing and cannot afford any slip-ups.

Outteridge goes into the final day with a comfortable 11-point lead (although what’s considered 'comfortable' in a Moth Fleet is debatable.) Second place on down is anybody’s guess. Even with Bora Gulari’s (USA) OCS in the final race, he was able to climb back to 13th, which is currently his drop for a score just 7 points back from Turner. Scott Babbage (AUS) sits just ahead, and despite having a double-digit race early in the day (10th), he did hit a 31.1 knot split during the racing.

Forecast reads for 20 knots 9300hrs, and PRO Peter Moor has moved the start of Silver fleet to 1000hrs AEDST, with Gold to immediately follow.

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Zhik 2011 Moth World Championships - Belmont, NSW - Thursday 13 Jan 2011

Gold Fleet - Final Series Results with 1 discard

Rank Skipper Code QS Pos R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Pts
1 Nathan Outteridge AUS 1 1 1 4 2 3 8
2 Joe Turner AUS 3 3 4 3 DNF 6 19
3 John Harris AUS 8 5 2 5 3 9 23
4 Scott Babbage AUS 4 2 8 6 10 4 24
5 Bora Gulari USA 11 4 3 7 1 13 26
6 Peter Burling NZL 2 14 DNF 1 11 2 30
7 Iain Jensen AUS 5 7 16 9 9 1 31
8 Andrew Budgen GBR 13 6 6 10 4 7 36
9 Arnaud Psarofaghis SUI 12 8 5 13 7 5

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