The 2019 Moth Worlds in Perth finished on 18 December. They were dominated by one of the most talented sailors around, Australian Tom Slingsby – Laser Olympic gold medallist, America’s Cup winning tactician and SailGP winning skipper.
But the Moth worlds, which has been won by some of the greatest sailors alive, had until this point eluded Slingo. No surprise, then, as we caught up with him before the event, to hear he was taking things seriously: “I like to think of the Moth Worlds as a kind of mini America’s Cup campaign.
“You choose your boat design, then you can have different types of foils, sails, masts and rigs, and you blend your mix and try and get the best package on the water and go racing.
“There are a lot of very competitive boats now. First, it was the Mach 2, then it switched to the Exocet, but now it’s quite open. I went with an Exocet hull and foils; North Sails – I’ve done a lot of work developing their sails, and I am delighted with them; and CST rigs. And I hope my package will be as quick as the other guys.
“The Bieker boat, designed by Paul Bieker and Scott Babbage, was moving very quickly in training. So, too, was Kyle Langford, Slingsby’s countryman and fellow SailGP teammate, also sailing a Bieker. Slingsby said: “He is very fast in a straight line, but he has to improve his boat handling.”
Slingsby wasn’t shy about assessing the other contenders. Australian Tom Burton, who was Rio Olympic Laser gold medallist and is 2019 Laser World Champion, had just missed out on Tokyo Australian sailing team selection, and instead was focussing on the Moth Worlds, “having a charge for the pointy end”.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Yachts & Yachting.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Yachts & Yachting.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Super, smashing, great
How do you stand out in one of the most competitive sectors of boat building? Sam Jefferson steps aboard the Dufour 390 to find out
ST PETER PORT - GUERNSEY 49°27.19'N, 002°32.00'W
This haven on Guernsey is the ideal starting point to explore the beauty of the Channel Islands, as Emma Bamford discovers
Round the Island Q&A
Dave Atkinson, director of the Round the Island Race, now postponed until the autumn, explains some decisions and breaks down misconceptions about the race in a revealing chat with Rupert Holmes.
The rest is Istria
Nicola Beykirch headed to Venice in search of a cheap winter berth and endured the hardship of sailing the length of the Croatian coast en route
Grinding to a halt
Sent home from warm-weather training in Sardinia amid Covid-19 restrictions, grinder Freddie Carr updates us on what is now for INEOS TEAM UK and the America’s Cup
From a distance
Rob Peake looks at what ‘sailing’ we can do via distance learning courses and online regattas
Flying the flag
Her rise through the ranks has been meteoric and her helm Charlotte Dobson calls her ‘an absolute weapon’. Rob Peake meets 49erFX crew Sakia Tidey
Eire on a shoestring
The Irish sea deserves respect, but the rewards of a summer cruise can be great, as Don Smith notes
Ace Your Club Race
Quirky courses and mixed fleets - Mark Rushall talks tactics and sorts strategy for club race situations
WIZARDS IN OZ
After Ainslie’s spectacular series debut, ROB KOTHE speaks to SailGP skippers on the lessons learned in Sydney, and finds out what’s next from Russell Coutts
