Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

PredictWind Moth World Championship at Manly Sailing Club Day 4

by Suellen Hurling for Live Sail Die & PredictWind 8 Jan 07:12 GMT 4-9 January 2025
Mattias Coutts on 2024 PredictWind Moth Worlds at Manly Sailing Club Day 4 - January 8, 2025 © Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die

It was game on for the penultimate day of racing at the PredictWind Moth World Championships at Manly Sailing Club, north of Auckland for the first day of finals racing. After three days of qualifying, with nine races completed, the fleet had a well-deserved day off ahead of the finals, where the fleets were split into Gold and Silver.

Mattias Coutts (NZL / Youth) almost had a shattering day before racing even started, and it was touch and go if he would make it to the race course.

"It was a great day, but pretty stressful for me as I hit something in the water on my way out and had to head back in to do some repairs and only just made it back out in time for the second race," said Coutts.

Coutts missed the first race as it took around 40 minutes to get his Mackay Bieker v3 stitched back up. He flew out to the race course and into the starting sequence of the second race of the day and took the bullet. Needless to say, it was impressive to watch.

Jacob Pye (NZL / Youth) won the opening race of the finals but didn't have the day he planned. Pye finished the day with the first race gun, then fifth, eighth, and then 16th, which is subsequently his second drop of the regatta. He now sits 10 points behind Coutts on the leaderboard.

George Gautrey (NZL / Open) took out the third finals race, with Coutts securing his second bullet of the day for race four.

"It was a good first day of finals," said Gautrey.

"I really struggled in the qualifying so I spent some time on the reserve day out training and it made a world of difference today. Getting a race win and some top-five results was great but gutting that it's taken me this long to find out that I had a foil that wasn't working, but it's always good to be racing at the front of the fleet," he continued.

"It should be an interesting day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to hopefully racing at the front of the fleet - looking forward to mixing it up," stated Gautrey.

Richard Didham (USA / Open) is holding onto third place overall after an unfortunate UFD in the opening race of the day. He finished on a high taking second in Race 4 behind Coutts. Didham is also leading the Open Division.

There are eight youth sailors in the top 10, with Seb Menzies (NZL / Youth) moving up the leaderboard and into fourth overall. He had an impressive day, finishing in the top five out of the four of the races and now fourth overall. Jack Bennett (NZL / Youth), is on equal points with Richard Schultheis (MLT / Youth) who are fifth and sixth respectively.

Hattie Rogers (GBR / Women) is leading the charge in the women's division against some of the best foiling sailors in the world having a top 20 finish in Race 4.

Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA / Open) is leading the silver fleet after finishing consistently in the top five.

The PredictWind forecast for the final day of Moth World Championships racing is a 180-degree flip from what the fleet has been receiving. The south westerlies have dominated but the final day will see a shift to a light to moderate nor'easterly - which will definitely keep everyone honest out there.

"I'm feeling good about tomorrow, hopefully, I've had my bad luck of the regatta. Different conditions tomorrow with an onshore breeze should be a little bit steadier and hopefully, it should be all good," said Coutts.

The final day of racing for the PredictWind Moth World Championships starts at 1200 hours on Thursday 9th January - then the World Champions will be crowned.

Full results available here.

Related Articles

Wetsuit Outlet Moth UK Championship overall
Three races held on the final day in Torbay After a day off on Saturday, due to huge swell in Torbay the easterly breeze kicked up, the Moth fleet were back in action on Sunday to conclude the battle for the UK Championship. Posted on 7 Sep
Carbon or Steel?
Moth Foil Evolution with Alex Adams Foils have been shrinking for years as sailors continually try to reduce drag and increase speeds, but designers were reaching the limit of what they could do with carbon, so the latest foils have turned to steel for some parts. Posted on 7 Sep
Unboxing the Bieker Moth with Kyle Stoneham
A look 'below decks' at the hidden control systems on Kyle's International Moth Why are all the ropes hidden on all the latest International Moths? It's all about aerodynamic efficiency as the boats get faster and faster. As we find out with Kyle, there are also some very clever systems under the carbon covers. Posted on 6 Sep
Wetsuit Outlet Moth UK Championship Day 2
Commit and send it in Torbay! The Moth fleet have had their fair share of bad luck over the past couple of years, with a lack of wind at some major events, but so far the UK Nationals at Torbay have been close to perfect. Posted on 5 Sep
Wetsuit Outlet Moth UK Championship Day 1
An extraordinary first day of racing in Torbay An extraordinary first day at the Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship saw four races held and some very tired sailors wondering how they were going to get through three more days of the same. Posted on 4 Sep
The Age of Steel in the Land of Rock
The International Moth class is never standing still This week the Moths have gathered in Torquay at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club for the UK Championship, and the discussion is all about steel. Posted on 3 Sep
Of Ospreys, Eagles, Falcons, and Moths
Birds of prey. Insects. All of them airborne? How does it all apply here? Time to find out! All are airborne. The first three are birds of prey. The last one is an insect. All are so completely different. The first three have also had their name, formidable qualities and fantastic reputations applied to fantastic aircraft made by Boeing. Posted on 27 Jul
The Curtain Falls on the 2025 Moth Worlds
A week of Wind, Talent, and Great Sailing in Malcesine After 6 intense days of racing, the 2025 Moth World Championship officially came to a close on Sunday. Hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine from July 6 to 13, this extraordinary event brought together 137 sailors from 25 countries on the waters of Lake Garda. Posted on 18 Jul
The International Moths are back in Torquay
For their UK Nationals in September The Royal Torbay Yacht Club is pleased to announce that the prestigious International Moth National Championship will be held in Torquay from September 3rd - 7th 2025. Posted on 18 Jul
Double Podium For Team Allen
Enzo Ballanger sailed fully equipped with Allen hardware to a Moth Worlds victory Representing Team Allen through its French distributor, XPO, Enzo Ballanger sailed fully equipped with Allen hardware to a dominant victory at the 2025 International Moth World Championship. Posted on 16 Jul