2026 Australian International Moth Open National Championships at McCrae Yacht Club Invitation Race
by Shane Baker 4 Jan 08:46 PST
5-10 January 2026
Champagne sailing conditions greeted the 31 starters of 40+ entries for the invitation race, with Port Phillip Bay turning on the kind of weather sailors dream about and talk about for years afterwards.
The south-westerly peaked around 20 knots early, eased back to a comfortable 10-12, then remembered it was supposed to be exciting and built again to 17-20 knots toward the end of the session. Semi-cloudy skies eventually gave up and revealed a glorious sunny day.
Two races were completed on two different courses, giving both foilers and low riders the perfect arena to battle it out on pristine waters. The foilers stole plenty of attention, putting on an impressive display of speed and grace, regularly clocking speeds near 25 knots and, according to some very confident GPS watches, possibly nudging past 30 knots
Once racing concluded, it was back ashore for the all-important debrief—also known as re-sailing the race verbally, but faster. Aka Bar Karate.
The catering team knocked it out of the park with homemade burgers, keeping competitors and their entourages well fed and smiling. The on-site coffee van saw heavy traffic (purely coincidental to the early start), while the slurpy van proved extremely popular with the younger spectators—and a few adults who were "just holding it for the kids."
Racing proper begins tomorrow. Get down, check out the history of the Moth all in one spot. Witness some of the fastest single-handed sailing on the planet—just don't blink, or you might miss it.