Si Payne opens Aussie Nationals campaign with a win

6:14 PM Tue 20 Jan 2009 GMT

'Simon Payne at Australian Nationala 2009' Teri Dodds &copy

Britain's Simon Payne won the opening race of the Australian Moth Nationals on Geelong's Corio Bay.

The former World Champion, only collected the new Mach2 design Moth from the factory in China on his way to Australia and this was its first competitive outing.

Thirty-five starters from seven nations, including many of the top ten International Moth sailors, lined up for the opening day of Skandia Geelong Week and the first race in the Zhik International Moth Nationals.

For race one, which was delayed until a gusty south sou'east sea breeze settled in at 18-20 knots having peaked at 25 knots, reigning Moth world champion, Sydney based John Harris, also performed well his new boat, finishing as part of a breakaway group which included Nathan Outteridge (AUS) and Bora Gulari (USA), and was led by the UK's Simon Payne who scored first series points with his Moth Mach 2.

Harris has intentionally optimised himself for his current 18 foot skiff campaign by 'eating a few too many pies'. This has put him seven kilos above his weight last year when he won the World title at Weymouth in the UK, with just three months preparation behind him, so he's hoping for fresher conditions this week.

A past 18 foot skiff world champion, Harris only recently took charge of his new Bladerider VRX called sailingbits.com and today described the Moth Nationals competition as 'world class with so many top ranked sailors and with the likes of Nathan (Outteridge), who will probably give us all a sailing lesson'.

Race 1 Australian Nationals 2009 - Teri Dodds&copy

And indeed he did. In his International Moth racing debut Outteridge blitzed the fleet with a win in the invitational race and a second in race one.

An Australian 49er Olympic sailor, Outteridge promised himself after the Beijing Games he would branch out into different classes. Apart from one practice race over the course of his 12 week stint as a Moth owner, today's opening event of the series was his first experience on a Moth start line and his combined results blew him - and his L plates - clean away.

'It will be hard to make the top ten, it's a pretty competitive fleet,' admitted the Aussie Olympian, who is currently ranked fourth on the ISAF world standings for the 49er class and is preparing for this year's 49er Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy, in July as well as eyeing off the next Olympic Games.

'The speed difference between the good guys and those out of control can be as much as five knots. You really need good technique, particularly sailing at the extremes. I'm still learning my way,' he acknowledged this morning, prior to sending out a contradictory warning to his fellow mothies.

The majority of the Nationals fleet are foiling Moths including the latest design, the Mach 2, but there are still a few traditional scow Moths (original Moth design, no foils, no wings and a square bow) on the entry list, including one that is 45 years old.

The different designs complete a different number of laps and to score them, it's 'a Bathurst type finish' explains Royal Geelong Yacht Club sailing administrator Rob Hampshire. 'First past the post is the winner then they count the number of laps that the rest have done and sort out the finishing order that way.'

From tomorrow, Wednesday 21 January, the first race of the day for the Zhik International Moth Nationals will start at 10:00hrs followed by a second start at 14:00hrs and a third immediately following. Thursday is a layday with two races scheduled for Saturday and the closing race 10 on Sunday prior to the trophy presentation.

The forecast for Wednesday is for southwesterly winds 10 to 15 knots and by Friday afternoon Harris' deliberate bulking up to suit the 18s may again prove a bonus with west to north westerly 10 to 15 knots becoming north westerly 10 to 20 knots during the afternoon.

Zhik International Moth Australian Nationals - Race 1 of 10


Place	Sail No	Boat Name	From	LAPS	Skipper	Score
1	3381	MACH 2	HISC	3	Simon Payne	0.8
2	11	BLADERIDER	RSYSB16S	3	Nathan Outteridge	2.0
3	9368	MANIC	STGSC	3	David Lister	3.0
4	3295	SAILINGBITS.COM	A18L	3	John Harris	4.0
5	3281	BORA GULARI	BYC	3	Bora Gulari	5.0
6	3263	APPLIANCES ONLINE	WSC	3	Scott Babbage	6.0
7	3283	ALTITUDE	RYCT	3	Rob Gough	7.0
8	3297	TBA4	BYS	3	Samantha England	8.0
9	3288	THE MIGHTY BOOSH	BISC	3	Rod Ray	9.0
10	9332	HTFU	STGSC	3	Andrew Stevenson	10.0
11	3217	SOUTHERN SPARS	TBC	3	Andrew Brown	11.0
12	3262	CARBON NEUTRAL	BYRA	3	Les Thorpe	12.0
13	3128	KA SAIL	CYCA	3	Mark Robinson	13.0
14	3252	OYSTER FUND	SNG	3	Psarofaghis Arnaud	14.0
15	9334	LEA	SGSC	3	Lea Sitja	15.0
16	3290	TBA	BRASS	3	Peder Arvefors	16.0
17	3128X	UPGRADE	SYC/RBYC	3	Lochlin Byrne	17.0
18	3260	PHLEGM FATALE	STGSC	3	Stephen Donovan	18.0
19	3573	READY!	STGSC	3	Luka Damic	19.0
20	3271	RED BARON	ASC	3	Greg Wise	20.0
21	3321	IFFI	BSCRPAYC	3	Martin Cross	21.0
22	3420	TBA	KBSC	3	Brent Pearson	22.0
23	3570	OBSESSION	BSC	3	Alan Goddard	23.0
24	9343	TIGER ON A CHAIN	STGSC	3	Phil Stevenson	24.0
25	3182	RENEGADE	GLYC	3	Jonathan Emonson	25.0
26	9365	BUCCANEER	ASC	3	Ned Dally	26.0
27	3309	HYDROPHOBIC	RGYC	3	Michael Boode	27.0
28	3232	SUMMIT	RYCT	3	Will Logan	28.0
29	9364	SILVER SHADOW	WSC	2	Martin Johnson	29.0
30	3279	NN	GKSS	2	Magnus Gravare	30.0
31	8978	WINGNUT	LCSC	2	Michael Willcocks	31.0
32	3359	CHATTERBOX	ASC	2	Stephen Tillman	32.0
33	1	THE TRAMP	STGSC	2	James Mackenzie	33.0
34	9168	FRAN	STGSC	2	Kylie Lowry	34.0
DNS	3305	BLACKADDER	BSC	3	Alastair Gibson	43.0