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Elite rockstars of the foiling world start arriving on the Hibiscus Coast this week in the lead up to the Moth World Championships.
It’s a major coup for Manly Sailing Club (MSC) who began their campaign to host the international competition a few years ago when Manly sailor Russell Coutts pitched to the international association.
MSC vice commodore Harold Bennett has a long history running sailing events at the highest level, joining his first Americas Cup in 1986. He said Hibiscus Coast sailors Jake Pye, Mattias Coutts, and Seb Menzies are the ones to watch with all three performing strongly in last year’s event in Weymouth before it was abandoned due to weather conditions.
Harold said the club is proud to attract international talent to New Zealand for the race. In addition to INEOS wing trimmer Iain Jensen; American Magic crew Luca Calabrese, Riley Gibbs, Ben Rosenberg; and SailGP Spanish sailor Diego Botin, it has also drawn an impressive calibre of women sailors such as Hattie Rogers, Helena Scutt and Wakako Kajimoto.
The event kicks off on January 1 with the Oceania Championships serving as a dry run for the Moth Worlds qualifiers starting on January 4. The fleet will be split across two race courses in a complex process that Harold said will ensure a balanced competition while maintaining safety given the speed of the Moths.
