After the event:

Full results are here

Congratulations to John Harris for taking the CST World title by a safe margin. Also to Amac for a gutsy 2nd place proving age is no bar if you put the effort in - and have the talent. Young 'light airs' specialist Matt Belcher scotched that rumour with a great 3rd and new comer, Swiss Arnaud Psforaghis proved how fast you can hit the top if you've got what it takes. And where the hell did Brit Alex Knight find his pace and consistancy to make 6th? Fantastic effort.

The pomms were pommelled in the Ashes. I think the score tally is Australia 152 UK 352.5 (could somebody check the maths please).

A special mention to WAGS Alex Harris for working so hard on the official press releases (not easy with four days of no racing) and Karrina Crocker for the unofficial version. As at Garda you added colour and wit where we most needed it.

Now for the honest view. The weather wrecked the event. Two days at 20 knots is not a respectable championship. Twenty boats failed to score a single start and thirteen more recorded only one result. That's 33 times £200 entry fees for almost nothing (£6,600).

There's nobody to blame. WPNSA staff and race officer did their best to get us going but conditions were appalling. Thanks for all your efforts. We know you must have been just as frustrated as the competitors. They perhaps took an over cautious view by splitting the fleet into two flights - meaning racing would take twice as long to run. In the event time ran out and they were forced to gamble on one fleet. Probably a maximum of eighty boats got to the line for race 1 which is certainly a foiling record. We're not aware of any significant collisions nor of any injuries. Which is a testament to the sensible nature of the sailors in our fleet who are clearly well aware of the risks of 20knot sailing and build in the required safety margins. Insurers please note: risk equals speed/skill.

The boats held up well considering the conditions with few major structural issues. Broken control rods were the most common problem.

As for the venue. Great on the water but soul destroying on shore. The building work for the Olympics combined with the natural bleakness of Portland give the feeling of holidaying in a quarry with the crushing of boulders and banging of piles as a constant soundtrack. The contrast with Garda was too painful to contemplate. Next up another Portland - Oregon, USA.


Stop press: entries look likely to reach 94! When did that last happen?

Dates: 5th to 11th July

Weymouth and Portland Sailing Acadamy website: here

Accommodation list: here

Arriving before Friday 4th July?
Rules and fees apply! Sorry but it's very important we get off to a good start with our hosts so please cooperate. These two documents explain all you need to know: Arrival Information and Site Map


Shipping a boat?
Any competitors shipping boats to the 2008 World Championships at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy and would like them to be received by the WPNSA are requested to make contact with George Denny at the below email address. The Academy will endeavour to ensure boats shipped are received and moved to a secure place but you need to provide shipping details

George’s email address is george.denny@wpnsa.org.uk


Sponsors and supporters:

The UK class association is delighted to announce the title sponsor for the 2008 Worlds - now to be known as the 'CST International Moth World Championships'. CST design and manufacture a full range of filament wound carbon fibre tubing and some of their ultra small mast sections are currently being trialled at the leading edge of the class. The technology company has made a significant financial commitment to the success of the event from which all attending will benefit. We hope everyone will do their very best to ensure the company gets excellent value from their support.

And there's more...

GPS manufacturer Velocitek puts up $1000 for the Mothie with most vavavoom...