2019 Chandler Macleod Moth Worlds at Mounts Bay Sailing Club - Day 1
by Harry Fisher 13 Dec 2019 18:11 PST
9-18 December 2019
Racing was extremely close on the opening day of the 2019 Chandler Macleod Moth Worlds © Martina Orsini
The first day of the Moth Worlds saw absolutely scorching conditions in Perth with the mercury topping 40 degrees and a lot of waiting around for the sea breeze to finally come in.
Albeit a bit sweaty, the boat park was buzzing with competitors salivating at the opportunity to draw first blood in the 2019 Chandler Macleod Moth Worlds.
The key was to not put your boat under any tension and leave it in the sun as gear breakages were occurring before people even left the water with carbon parts not withstanding the heat - most competitors were hosing down their boats every 5mins to keep things cool.
On the race track the action was just as hot with both fleets racing simultaneously on different courses.
In the Yellow fleet it was Matt Chew from Brisbane, Australia who jumped out of the blocks for the first heat win of the event, however the story was Tom Slingsby, after being buried off the first two starts showed electrifying pace to claw his way back to second place and win the final two heats of the day.
Meanwhile on the Blue course, Kyle Langford was putting on his own masterclass with two heat wins to kick things off, followed by a second after being buried at the start line but working his way through the fleet in a building breeze.
He was on the chase behind Olympic gold medallist Tom Burton and class stalwart Les Thorpe, who enjoyed some of his best results at a major championship in a long time.
Burton was able to hold out a fast finishing Langford in the final race of the day with Scott Babbage coming through in third and Thorpe in fourth.
It was Australian domination on the first day with the exception of Brad Funk from the United States and Graeme Sutherland from New Zealand the only internationals in the top 10.
With three races scheduled for today and a late sea breeze forecast, we should see the qualification done and dusted and move into finals after a rest day tomorrow.
Stay tuned as the action continues to heat up at the 2019 Chandler Macleod Moth Worlds.