Plenty of sizzle at Moth Worlds

Perth, Australia (December 13, 2019) – The first day of the Moth Worlds saw absolutely scorching conditions with the mercury topping 40°C (104°F) and a lot of waiting around for the sea breeze to finally come in.

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 frequently hosing down their boats to keep things cool.

On the race track the action was just as hot with both fleets racing simultaneously on different courses during this qualifying stage.

In the Yellow fleet it was Matt Chew (AUS) who jumped out of the blocks for the first heat win of the event, however, the story was Tom Slingsby (AUS), 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 (AUS) 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 medalist Tom Burton (AUS) and class stalwart Les Thorpe (AUS), 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 (USA) and Graeme Sutherland (NZL) the only internationals in the top 10.

With three races scheduled for tomorrow and a late sea breeze forecast, the qualification stage should be done and dusted and the top ready to move into finals after a rest day on December 15.

Worlds information – Entry list – Results – Facebook

The 2019 Moth Worlds schedule has qualifying racing on December 13-14, a reserve day on December 15 and finals racing on December 16-18.

Source: Harry Fisher, Scuttlebutt