PredictWind Moth World Championship 2024 at Manly Sailing Club - Overall

At just 19 years of age, Mattias Coutts has taken out the PredictWind Moth World Championships at his home venue, Manly Sailing Club with a crowd of fans and spectators cheering him on from the sidelines.

The final day of the PredictWind Moth World Championships was unlike any other day the fleet experienced. It was the only day with sunshine and a consistent nor'eastery - the perfect way to end the event, which started with the PredictWind Oceania Championships on the 1st of January.

Yes, this was technically the 2024 World Championships as no event was raced in the 2024 year. The previous Moth Worlds was at Weymouth in 2023. The 2025 Moth Worlds will be held in Lake Garda in July.

Final day at the PredictWind Moth World Championship - photo © Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die

Racing was delayed as the race committee waited for the sea breeze to kick in and it wasn't long after 1300 hours that racing got under way.

Four races were completed with the breeze increasing to around 15 knots. There was lots to play for. Mattias Coutts (NZL) went into the event 10 points clear of Jacob Pye (NZL), and the two top-seeded sailors kept their eyes on each other all afternoon.

They each won a race on the final day with Coutts taking out Finals Race 7 and Pye winning Finals Race 8, which was the series' last race.

Coutts won the event by 13 points, clearly positioning him as the newest Moth World Champion and only the second Kiwi to win the event. Peter Burling won in Sorrento in 2015 and now Coutts looks set to follow in his footsteps.

Otto Henry from Australia rounded out the podium finishing third overall. All the top three winners were in the youth division.

As Coutts was bringing his boat up the beach ready to unrig for the final time he said, "I'm lost for words. I can't really believe it. I'm just stoked, yeah, to be honest."

Mattias Coutts wins PredictWind Moth World Championship - photo © Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die

At the prize-giving, Coutts thanked almost everyone at the Manly Sailing Club and all the visiting volunteers who made the event possible. He also acknowledged his training partners, Jacob Pye and Jake Bennett amongst others.

"I'd also like to thank my Grandpa - my boat is named after him!" The name of Coutt's moth is "Pete". And of course, he thanked his parents, mum Jenny, and New Zealand yachting legend Sir Russell Coutts.

Women's podium at the PredictWind Moth World Championship - photo © Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die

The Women's PredictWind Moth World Championship went to British sailor Hattie Rogers, who mixed it up in the gold fleet, the only woman to make that all-important cut-off.

Rogers thanked the race committee, volunteers, her sponsors and parents at the prize-giving when she stood on top of the podium next to overall winner Coutts.

The International Moth is a high-performance machine that isn't for the faint-hearted. The young sailors who race this class have events like the America's Cup and SailGP in their sights. It won't be long before we see some of these sailors racing in the world's most hyped foiling racing machines.

Prize-giving at the PredictWind Moth World Championship - photo © Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die

Gold Fleet Overall Results:

Silver Fleet Overall Results: