Gulari Crowned 2013 Moth World Champion

by scottPosted on October 20, 2013 Posted in General — No Comments ↓

Bora Is The First American Two-Time Champ In 54 Years While Australia’s Outerridge, Babbage Complete Podium.

Kaneohe Bay, HI (19 October 2013) – An early squall drenched the 80 competitors for the 2013 McDougall + McConaghy International Moth World Championship this morning as they prepared their flying carbon-fiber craft for the final day of racing. The rain and clouds brought with them an unfortunate side effect, cooling down Oahu’s Koʻolau Mountains and shutting down the building thermal breeze that might have allowed a final day of racing for the Moth World title.

After a tense 3-hour wait in the Kaneohe Yacht Club boat park, Race Officer Tom Pochereva reached for the treble horn that indicates the end to the regatta; within seconds, a dozen American racers lifted Michigan’s Bora Gulari in the air and tossed him in the club pool for the 2013 World Champion’s ceremonial dunking.

Gulari becomes the first American two-time Moth World Champion since 1959; he won the 2009 World Championship in Cascade Locks, Oregon. “It hasn’t really set in yet,” said Gulari, after drying himself off. “One thing I know for sure is that without Anthony, George, Brad, and pretty much the entire US Moth racing team, I would never be World Champion again.”

Gulari attributes his success to his Mach 2 Moth, which he says “is a perfect platform for this kind of sailing,” combined with the cumulative effect of dozens of small changes to the boat. “We’ve been working for a solid year in Detroit, refining and changing things bit by bit until they’re perfect,” said Gulari. He also gave credit to his sail package, adding “North Sails and specifically sailmaker Chris Williams came up with an extremely powerful sail design for this Worlds; I’ve never sailed with a faster sail since I bought my first Moth.”

A full news release will follow on Sunday; until then, you can find racing video, highlight reels, daily photo galleries, and interviews on the Moth Worlds Facebook Page.

2013 McDougall + McConaghy Moth World Championship Final Results:

1. USA 6, Bora Gulari, [18]-1-2-1-3-3-[7]-5-3-3- ; 21   

2. AUS 3997, Nathan Outteridge, 1-2-1-[10]-9-1-8-2-[13]-5- ; 29   

3. AUS 2, Scott Babbage, 4-4-[27]-[24]-1-12-1-4-5-13- ; 44   

4. GBR 3982, Ben Paton, [15]-3-3-15-[23]-6-3-6-2-7- ; 45   

5. GBR 4047, Robert Greenhalgh, 2-7-7-9-[19]-[13]-11-1-1-8- ; 46   

6. AUS 3, Rob Gough, [17]-8-13-8-8-2-4-[38]-6-1- ; 50T   

7. GBR 7, Chris Rashley, 3-[35]-6-11-7-4-13-[36]-4-2- ; 50T   

8. AUS 8, Julian Salter, [12]-9-8-5-2-[29]-5-3-12-11- ; 55   

9. USA 3931, Brad Funk, [24/ZFP]-5-4-3-5-5-18-10-21-[23]- ; 71   

10. NZL 3991, Peter Burling, [40]-28-[52]-2-10-7-6-9-11-4- ; 77   

Images are free for editorial use to a maximum half-page size with mandatory credit to read ThMartinez/Sea&Co/International Moth Worlds.  No modification or cropping (other than resizing) is permitted.

Clean Racing Tip Of The Day

As one of the world’s elite racing classes, the International Moth Class believes it essential to emphasize the responsible use of energy and resources in the context of sailing. Working with 11th Hour Racing, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Moth Class has come up with a number of initiatives to help all sailing events improve the energy profile and performance of racing boats and increase the personal investment of sailors in the health of our waters. Each day, the Moth Worlds fleet will highlight a ‘Clean Racing Tip’ they’ve implemented; something that will work for regattas and racing classes around the world. Here’s today’s tip:

TRASH:  Rule 55 of the Racing Rules of Sailing prohibits the discharge of trash on the race course.  But the problem isn’t just on the water; trash in the dinghy parks and yacht clubs is just as bad — and often ends up in the water.  Make trash disposal easy for competitors by keeping trash barrels easily accessible.

For photos, interview requests, or additional information about the Moth Worlds, please contact us at usmothclass@gmail.com.  

Britannia Rules Light-Air Waves On Day 5

by scottPosted on October 19, 2013 Posted in General — No Comments ↓

America’s Gulari Maintains Lead Over Australia’s Outteridge As English Push For Podium

Kaneohe Bay, HI (19 October 2013) – A surprisingly stable 6-10 knot Northerly breeze allowed for more ‘flight time’ on Friday than anyone expected, as 80 competitors from 15 nations took to the waters of Kaneohe Bay, HI for the penultimate day of the 2013 McDougall + McConaghy International Moth World Championship. Three quick races saw American Bora Gulari’s lead over second place Nathan Outerridge grow to 8 points, while Scott Babbage’s third-place position is under assault from attacking English.

Southampton, UK’s Robert Greenhalgh sailed away from the fleet in races 8 and 9 on Friday, winning one race by more than 200 meters and the other by half that, winning the day and moving up to fifth place with just one day’s racing remaining. Fellow UK Mothist Ben Paton had one of his strongest days of the regatta, moving into fourth, just one point ahead of Greenhalgh. Chris Rashley sits tied on points for 6^th place with Tasmania’s Rob Gough, marking the 3^rd Englishman in the top ten. He could have easily been on the podium though; Rashley had big leads in at least two races later abandoned. “The [English] boats are going really well out there, but it would be nice if I could have a bit better luck,” said Rashley. Greenhalgh was relaxed despite the tight battle for the podium that lay ahead for him. “Above all else we’re here in Hawaii to have some fun, and today was great fun,” he said.

American Clamps Down On Olympic, Cup Star

Detroit foiling phenom Bora Gulari extended his lead over Australia’s Nathan Outteridge to 8 points with all discards counted, as the American took advantage of Outteridge’s foil selection mistake. “Everything was looking really light in all the forecasts we looked at, and the big main foil I put on was looking good after Race 8,” said Outteridge. The 27-year old racer would take second in the first, light air race of the day, and far enough ahead of Gulari to close the Championship battle to just one point. After one abandoned race and a 20-minute postponement, the wind increased to around 9 knots, and Outerridge’s fate was sealed. “I took a risk and it was the wrong call,” he said. “Those are the tradeoffs and choosing the day’s equipment can be the most stressful part of the morning.” Outteridge added that he hoped to get in enough racing on Saturday to have a shot at beating Gulari and taking his second Moth world title.

Kaneohe Yacht Club Race Officer Tom Pochereva intends to hold four races to finish up the 2013 World Championship; racing begins at 12:00 Hawaii time and no race can be started after 4:00 PM.

Fans can follow along with video and photo updates as they happen on the Moth Worlds Facebook Page.

Overall Results After 10 Races (Top 10) – Full Result

1. USA 6, Bora Gulari, [18]-1-2-1-3-3-[7]-5-3-3- ; 21   

2. AUS 3997, Nathan Outteridge, 1-2-1-[10]-9-1-8-2-[13]-5- ; 29   

3. AUS 2, Scott Babbage, 4-4-[27]-[24]-1-12-1-4-5-13- ; 44   

4. GBR 3982, Ben Paton, [15]-3-3-15-[23]-6-3-6-2-7- ; 45   

5. GBR 4047, Robert Greenhalgh, 2-7-7-9-[19]-[13]-11-1-1-8- ; 46   

6. AUS 3, Rob Gough, [17]-8-13-8-8-2-4-[38]-6-1- ; 50T   

7. GBR 7, Chris Rashley, 3-[35]-6-11-7-4-13-[36]-4-2- ; 50T   

8. AUS 8, Julian Salter, [12]-9-8-5-2-[29]-5-3-12-11- ; 55   

9. USA 3931, Brad Funk, [24/ZFP]-5-4-3-5-5-18-10-21-[23]- ; 71   

10. NZL 3991, Peter Burling, [40]-28-[52]-2-10-7-6-9-11-4- ; 77   

Images are free for editorial use to a maximum half-page size with mandatory credit to read ThMartinez/Sea&Co/International Moth Worlds.  No modification or cropping (other than resizing) is permitted.

Clean Racing Tip Of The Day

As one of the world’s elite racing classes, the International Moth Class believes it essential to emphasize the responsible use of energy and resources in the context of sailing. Working with 11th Hour Racing, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Moth Class has come up with a number of initiatives to help all sailing events improve the energy profile and performance of racing boats and increase the personal investment of sailors in the health of our waters. Each day, the Moth Worlds fleet will highlight a ‘Clean Racing Tip’ they’ve implemented; something that will work for regattas and racing classes around the world. Here’s today’s tip:

LEAD BY EXAMPLE:  Make sure the best sailors in the fleet — the people who everyone else looks to for tuning and strategy advice — are on board with the green program.  This shows the fleet that the green message is for real, and that the values of environmental conservation are truly the values of the sport.

For photos, interview requests, or additional information about the Moth Worlds, please contact us at usmothclass@gmail.com.

Gulari/Outteridge Battle Rages As US Racers Take Two of Top Three Spots

by scottPosted on October 16, 2013 Posted in General — No Comments ↓

Kaneohe Bay, HI (16 October 2013) – Light to moderate trade winds swept Kaneohe Bay Hawaii today, allowing four spectacular races in the postcard-perfect conditions Hawaii is known for for the 3rd day of the 2013 McConaghy + McDougall International Moth World Championship. 2009 Moth World Champion Bora Gulari took advantage of a weaker performance from Nathan Outteridge today, blasting ahead of the 2011 World Champ by a five point margin. Florida’s Brad Funk closed to within 8 points of Outteridge to round out the top 3.

Today’s high-speed action meant plenty of breakages, collisions, and general carnage on the course; the Moth Worlds media team will send a more detailed news release, along with today’s HD highlight reel, and the winner of the $1000 Velocitek “Dash For Cash”, in the early hours of the morning.

Overall Results After 7 Races (Top 5 Only):

1. USA 7: Bora Gulari, Detroit, MI, [16]-1-2-1-3-3-7- ; 17

2. AUS 3997: Nathan Outteridge, Wangi Wangi, Australia, 1-2-1-[11]-9-1-8- ; 22

3. USA 1111: Crad Funk, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 8-5-4-3-5-5-[18]- ; 30

4. AUS 8, Julian Salter, Tasmania, 11-9-8-5-2-[29]-5- ; 40

5. AUS 3, Rob Gough, Tasmania, [15]-8-13-9-8-2-4- ; 44

Full results are available. You can find photos, video interviews, and other features at

the Moth Worlds Facebook Page.

Outteridge Opens World Championship With Near-Perfect Day

by scottPosted on October 15, 2013 Posted in General — No Comments ↓

Kaneohe Bay, HI (15 October 2013) – Light to non-existent breeze skunked the opening day of the 2013 McConaghy + McDougall International Moth World Championship, but Tuesday was a different story. After several general recalls and abandonments, the breeze filled in at a light-but-sailable 6-9 knots of breeze from the East-Northeast, allowing for 3 races to open the event for the 80-boat fleet.

As Artemis Racing’s helmsman during this summer’s America’s Cup regatta in San Francisco, Australia’s Nathan Outteridge found little time to practice on his beloved Moth compared to many of the racers here at the Hawaii Worlds, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt him in the least; Outteridge won two of three races today, scoring a second place in the other, and leads the fleet by an incredible 12 points after just three races. Southampton, England’s Rob Greenhalgh holds a slim second, just ahead of three US entrants; Brad Funk, George Peet, and Bora Gulari.