Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
by Mark Jardine 7 Jul 16:45 BST
2025 International Moth Worlds at Fraglia Vela Malcesine © Martina Orsini
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. The sailing mecca hosted the event in 2017 and 2021, and now they're back for more.
145 helms from 23 nations are set for the event and the entry list has so many of the big-hitters of sailing. Let's take a look at the superstars of the fleet and some of their achievements:
- Tom Slingsby, Skipper of the Bonds Australian SailGP Team, Olympic gold medallist at London 2012, and Moth World Champion in 2019 and 2021.
- Diego Botín, helm of the Spanish SailGP Team, winners of SailGP Season 4, and Olympic gold medallist in the 49er class at Paris 2024.
- Enzo Balanger, winner of Foiling Week on Lake Garda, which acted as a warm-up for the Worlds.
- Giles Scott, skipper of the Canadian Northstar SailGP Team and double Olympic gold medallist in the Finn class at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
- Dylan Fletcher, helm of the Emirates GBR SailGP Team, as well as INEOS Britannia, winner of the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup, Olympic gold medallist in the 49er at Tokyo 2020 and Moth World Champion in 2022.
- Paul Goodison, recent helm of the New York Yacht Club American Magic AC75 before he broke his ribs in a fall on the boat, Olympic gold medallist in the Laser class at Qingdao in 2008 and three-time Moth World Champion in 2016, 17 & 18.
- Mattias Coutts, the defending champion and son of Russell, who has brought SailGP technology to the Moth game.
- Jake Pye, runner-up to Mattias and a serious talent, also finished as runner-up at the recent Foiling Week.
- Arnaud Psarofaghis, helm of the Swiss Alinghi Red Bull Racing in the recent America's Cup, two-time Moth European Champion, GC32 World Champion in 2019 and Extreme Sailing Series winner in 2016 and 2018.
- Sébastien Schneiter, helm of the Swiss SailGP Team and three time Olympian.
- Phil Robertson, previous helm of the Canadian SailGP Team and World Match Racing Tour champion in 2016 and 2019.
- Harry Melges, helm of American Magic Quantum Racing, the team which has just won the TP52 World Championship.
- Šime Fantela, Olympic gold medallist in the 470 at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
- Hattie Rogers, reigning Women's Moth World Champion and the 2023 Women's WASZP World Champion.
Then you've got the likes of Iain 'Goobs' Jensen, Keagan York, Simon Hiscocks, Alex Adams, Kyle Stoneham, Jack & Henry Wetherell, Mike Lennon, Nicolai Jacobsen, Richard Didham, Sam Street, David Gilmour, Dylan DiMarchi, Brad Funk and Riley Gibbs in the fleet. The strength in depth in the Moth is extraordinary, with all champions in multiple classes over a number of years.
These are just a few, and there are more great names in the fleet who will be in the mix and some who will spring a surprise or two on the better known sailors. The Moth is a development class, and every so often someone comes along with an idea which will push speeds up and the idea of what is possible in an 11 foot boat to another level.
Calling a winner...
Wow, that's a tricky one.
Tom Slingsby is a natural born winner with physical attributes that are almost perfect for the Moth. Every time I look down the list my eyes settle on his name and if I was a betting man, that's where my money would be, but this time it would be a gamble.
Defending champion Mattias Coutts and his training partner Jake Pye can't be discounted, and have the advantage of youth in this incredibly physical boat.
Dylan Fletcher's star has been on the rise ever since winning 49er gold at 2020. He's a perfectionist when it comes to boat preparation, and brings an analytical mind to the class, but is lighter than some of the other top sailors, which can be a disadvantage when trying to maximise use of the power these incredible boats can generate.
Paul Goodison as a three time winner, who defeated Peter Burling in the 2017 worlds, is over his AC75 injury and has been spending some serious time on the water at Lake Garda.
Diego Botin is flying high in SailGP, but at Foiling Week had results ranging from 2nd to 66th, suggesting he's finding his feet in the Moth and searching for consistency. There's no doubting his speed though, and he will have spent a lot of time perfecting his Moth skills in the past month.
Giles Scott is a relative unknown, but his height gives him some serious leverage when hiking, and he's a proven winner on the big stage. He finished 16th at Foiling Week, but it's often hard to know if sailors are showing all their cards ahead of the main event.
To say I'm sitting on the fence is an understatement. Everyone I've talked to has their favourite, and is convinced that they're going to win with straight bullets, but the opinion of who that dominant sailor is varies, suggesting it's the most wide-open Moth Worlds in at least a decade. I can't wait to see how this plays out.
Italy in it for the long term
Everywhere you look in the foiling world has a mention of Italy. The awesome Switch class has grown fast in the country, the next America's Cup will be held in Naples, the 100 foot foiling Ferrari Hypersail has been announced, and now the Red Bull Sailing Academy has been officially opened.
You'll notice that none of my favourites for the title are from Italy, but with a world-class facility like the Red Bull Sailing Academy, and top-class training programs put in place, there's no doubt that the next generation of foiling superstars will include a large Italian contingent.
The charismatic 'Checco' Bruni came closest to breaking Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and USA's stranglehold on the Moth Worlds title, finishing second to Paul Goodison in 2018, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the young Italians popping in top three race results at this year's event, and then pushing for titles in years to come. World class facilities will result in world-beating sailors.
The facility will act as a base for the Italian SailGP Team and two-time America's Cup winner Jimmy Spithill described its importance:
"Something the sport has never had in my career is a true home base to come back to and train as a team. Usually, you're always on the road competing but never have a place to return and reset. That's what makes the Red Bull Sailing Academy here such a game changer - not just for SailGP athletes, but for the next generation of Olympic contenders and world champions."
So much more going on!
I love summer in the northern hemisphere, and have been out on the water every moment I can in the past couple of weeks. We've witnessed some great events happening in sailing, including the iconic Salcombe Merlin Rocket Week, the TP52 Worlds in Cascais, the 29er Worlds at Lake Garda (with 251 teams from 29 nations taking part), and disabled sailor Jazz Turner achieving a record-breaking rounding of the British Isles and raising over £53,000 for her local club's sailability program.
We're trying to bring you all the news we can on Sail-World.com, YachtsandYachting.com and our YouTube channel, so please do keep us posted with your events, big or small, traditional or modern. We love hearing about them all!
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor