2024 PredictWind Moth Oceania Championship Day 1: Matthias Coutts leads after four races
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-Wiorld.com/nz 1 Jan 02:36 PST
1-2 January 2024
Second overall Jacob Pye (NZL5006) - 2024 PredictWind Moth Oceania. Manly Sailing Club. Jan 1, 2025 © Suellen Hurling/Live SailDie
Local sailor Matthias Coutts leads the 2024 PredictWind Moth Oceania Championship after the first day of racing.
Sailed at Manly Sailing Club, about an hours drive north of Auckland, 58 competitors contested racing in the Pre-Worlds event, which was sailed with rain squalls passing regularly through the race fleets.
Four races were sailed across the Blue and Yellow fleets, with only one competitor, Leonard Takahasi (NZL) finishing the fourth race in the Blue fleet.
Classified as a Youth sailor, but racing in Open competition Coutts battled with fellow Manly and Youth sailor, Jacob Pye in the four races sailed in the Blue fleet. At the end of the first days racing the are just 1pt apart on the overall results. Pye was unlucky to miss being awarded the 2023 World Championship title after being a clear leader in the Worlds after two races. Due to light winds at Weymouth UK, no further racing was possible and the world championship was declared a no-contest.
Between them Coutts and Pye won three of the four races sailed in the Blue fleet
USA sailor Riley Gibbs, from the American Magic America's Cup team is third overall 9pts behind Matthias Coutts.
US sailors round out the top five overall, with Richard Didham on 21pts and a second American Magic team member Harry Melges, also a Youth sailor on 25pts.
Sailing's rockstars are scattered well down the fleet, with Paris 2024 Olymnpic Gold medalist and 2024 SailGP champion Diego Botin (ESP) in 24th overall. American Magic helmsman Lucas Calabrese (USA) is 37th overall and French America's Cup helmsman Kevin Peponnet is 48th overall after only competing in two races.
Racing continues on Thursday.
Full results can be found here.