At the age of just 19, Mattias Coutts has won the PredictWind Moth World Championships on his home turf at Manly Sailing Club. The son of sailing legend and SailGP-CEO Russel Coutts deservedly prevailed against the elite of high-flyers in challenging conditions with a consistent series and nine daily victories in 18 races. Compatriot and training partner Jakob Pye followed him onto the podium ahead of Australian Otto Henry.
"I'm lost for words. I can't really believe it. I'm just thrilled, to be honest," said Coutts, who wants to compete in the 49er at the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He is only the second Kiwi to achieve such success in the highly competitive and highly technical Moth class. The youngster is thus following in the footsteps of none other than Peter Burling, three-time Olympic medallist, three-time America's Cup-winner and 2015 Moth World Champion.
19-year-old wins, Bieker design dominates moth world championship
Back then, "Pistol Pete" prevailed against Nathan Outteridge, his current co-driver for Emirates Team New Zealand. However, the "Mach2" moth design that prevailed ten years ago, on which Burling also stormed to the title, is now long outdated and no longer represented on the entry list. Developments in the open construction class have been too rapid. Instead, the field was clearly dominated by the "Bieker V3" design from New Zealand manufacturer Mackay Boats. 37 out of 67 sailors opted for this type of moth, with nine in the top 10 alone.
The boat is characterised in particular by fully optimised aerodynamics with outstanding workmanship, rigidity and weight, as well as the specially developed and built foils. Here, the latest developments in parts are in the direction of metal instead of carbon.
Record-breaking: Over 39 knots logged
In addition to other top sailors, world champion Coutts also used customised models. These are said to have been manufactured in the hallowed halls of SailGP, so to speak. However, this has not been confirmed.
For the sails, the majority of the fleet opted for North Sails. In addition to the wings, the cloths are an important component for the high speeds of the filigree butterflies. Harry Price, who ultimately came tenth, is said to have travelled at over 39 knots on the first day of the World Championship and is therefore likely to hold the current speed record.
SailGP and America's Cup sailors challenged in the Moth
The world champion was Hattie Rogers in 36th place overall, who also competed in this year's Women's America's Cup. The Spanish Olympic participant and runner-up (47th overall) Nicole van der Velden also took part in the AC40 off Barcelona in the autumn.
In addition, the entry list was peppered with other promising talents such as new NRV member Richard Schultheis from Malta (5th), Enzo Balanger (6th) and Harry Melges (16th) as well as names from the absolute world elite. For example, SailGP helmsmen Sébastien Schneiter (15th) and Diego Botin (22nd) and American Magic pilot Lucas Calabrese (31st) sailed ahead of Manly. Meanwhile, nobody from Germany took part in the race. However, this is likely to change at the next World Championship. This is already scheduled for the summer of 2025 on Lake Garda.
