With the Australian Moth Nationals getting underway today, it has been an interesting lead up with a large part of the fleet having to deal with boat and gear breakages.
Now with plenty of new gear to filter through the fleet from a multitude of manufacturers, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out as the 120 boats hit the line for the first time in the Australian Championships today.
The feeling around the rigging area is that everyone thinks they are going “okay”, however there is still so much unknown about who could be in the hunt, which makes it an exciting time for the Moth class.
Perth’s iconic sea breeze is expected the crank in as well, which is sure to put pressure on both the sailors and the gear.
The fleet is littered with some of the world’s ‘rock stars’ of sailing, as well as some of the best amateur sailors in the world, so the next two days will create some great opportunities for a solid build up and allow a little more time for sailors to put the finishing touches on their campaigns and debug any systems.
Mounts Bay Sailing Club is a spectacular setting, one of the best volunteer-based clubs in the country with a team that has been mobilised over the last few days to get the whole fleet through registration and measuring – they have truly opened their arms to the visiting sailors.
For any club to put on a show of this magnitude is a monumental effort, however to do it almost completely as a volunteer organisation is even more impressive.
Mounts Bay Sailing Club is perfectly situated in Crawley Bay with a view of the city skyline and protected from the big sea breezes.
It is then a very short sail around Pelican Point to the race course, making it easy enough for sailors to head back to shore and get what they need if they bust any gear.
It has been a team effort though with many other clubs on the river including Royal Perth Yacht Club, South of Perth Yacht Club and Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club all providing assistance to the Mounts Bay team – a true Western Australian team effort.
The manufacturers are also working hard to support the fleet with MACH2 and Maguire boats bringing in the biggest setups to service a large number of sailors using their kit, while other suppliers are working feverishly around the rigging area, including CST Composites, Bieker Boats and Swift Foils who all have representatives assisting their sailors.
They are all backed up by one of the event sponsors, Skiff Gear Online, providing an on-site chandlery for the Mothies, a great feature of this class where no matter if you are a star of the sport or new to Moth sailing, the manufacturer support is available in spades.
As we launch into the business end, stay tuned through our social media platforms for all of the action as we bring you the coverage of the 2019 Chandler Macleod Moth Worlds.
The event is supported by a number of great sponsors, including Chandler Macleod, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, WGA, Skiff Gear Online and SLAM.
