Mattias Coutts and Jacob Pye, both aged 19 years, won their opening qualifier heats to top the day 1 Moth Worlds leaderboard.
The two Kiwis, who finished 1 and 2 in the Pre-World event, have spent hours training on the worlds race course, which just happens to be their backyard with both locals of the host club, Manly SC, Whagaparoa, New Zealand.
Richard Didham USA and Harry Melges USA took the second place finishes, Enzo Balanger FRA and Sam Street NZL the third places.
It was touch and go with the PredictWind forecast for the first official day of racing for the PredictWind Moth World Championships on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula north of Auckland. The conditions were at the top end, with plenty of action at the mark roundings keeping the competitors, and the race committee on edge.
However, the conditions subsided enough, and within the class guidelines for the two courses to get some racing underway, before the race committees raised AP over H, sending both fleets home.
After many discussions back on shore, the decision was made to call time on the opening day races to give the sailors a chance to rebuild ahead of Day 2.
The race management team and class representatives had a robust discussion post-racing, putting plans in place moving forward, given the conditions that the sailors will likely be dealt with for the remainder of the regatta.
The PredictWind forecast for Day 2 is another day of south westerlies, ranging from 15 knots, with gusts potentially reaching 26 knots.
PredictWind International Moth 2024 World Championship
Leading scores after Q1 races (74 entries)
1st NZL 5107 Mattias COUTTS – – 1 – – 1 pts
1st NZL 5006 Jacob PYE – – 1 – – 1 pts
3rd USA 5 Richard DIDHAM – – 2 – – 2 pts
3rd USA 8 Harry MELGES – – 2 – – 2 pts
5th FRA 9 Enzo BALANGER – – 3 – – 3 pts
5th NZL 5123 Sam STREET – – 3 – – 3 pts
7th NZL 5110 Jack BENNETT – – 4 – – 4 pts
7th ESP 5088 Diego BOTIN – – 4 – – 4 pts
9th ARG 2 Massimo CONTESSI – – 5 – – 5 pts
9th NOR 5170 Nicolai JACOBSEN – – 5 – – 5 pts
11th USA 5124 Riley GIBBS – – 6 – – 6 pts
11th AUS 5108 Ryan LITTLECHILD – – 6 – – 6 pts
13th USA 5007 Ben ROSENBERG – – 7 – – 7 pts
13th AUS 5109 Otto HENRY – – 7 – – 7 pts
15th AUS 5055 Scott BABBAGE – – 8 – – 8 pts
15th AUS 5171 John HARRIS – – 8 – – 8 pts
17th AUS 4986 Harry PRICE – – 9 – – 9 pts
17th AUS 5054 Jack FERGUSON – – 9 – – 9 pts
19th SWE 5113 David GILMOUR – – 10 – – 10 pts
19th AUS 5087 Iain JENSEN – – 10 – – 10 pts
21st NZL 5063 George GAUTREY – – 11 – – 11 pts
21st USA 5115 Lucas CALABRESE – – 11 – – 11 pts
GBR positions:
27th GBR 5168 Hattie ROGERS – – 14 – – 14 pts
49th GBR 5174 Simon HISCOCKS – – 25 – – 25 pts
55th GBR 4817 Philip REES – – 28 – – 28 pts
58th GBR 4758 Ed GATEHOUSE – – 38 – – 38 pts
