How slow can you go?

Novel Zhik Mothapolooza returns at the Moth Worlds next month

The 2015 McDougall + McConaghy Moth World Championship is set to be even more of a spectacle this year, with the return of the Zhik ‘Mothapolooza’ which promises a potential head-to-head between participants, including many sailors from the America’s Cup and Olympics.

The event will take place alongside the Moth Worlds Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia over 10-16 January.

This year, the Zhik Mothapolooza has evolved into a unique two-event series for individuals and teams, all devised to test the competitors’ innovative foiling skills and boat handling to the extreme.

An individual event, ‘How Slow Can You Go’ is a test to find the ‘slowest foiler’ sailing between two points. You read that right - the slowest! Competitors will sail at 90° to the wind over a 100m course. Whichever sailor takes the longest time, while still keeping their boat foiling at all times, without tacking or gybing, will be the winner! Anyone who has tried foiling for themselves will quickly recognise just how difficult this test will be.

The team event will be the World’s first foiling ‘Sailing Relay Race’. Teams of four will have to pick up, carry and deliver a baton to a floating bucket, then get out of the way so the next team mate can grab the baton and head back in the opposite direction.

Any Moth Worlds entrants can team up together to battle it out for overall honours and generous prizes awarded by ZHIK.

With names including Tom Slingsby, Rome Kirby, Kyle Langford, as well as Dean Barker, Glenn Ashby, Ray Davies and Peter Burling, there is potential for another race off between Oracle Racing and Team New Zealand

Other well-known names include defending world champion Nathan Outteridge, former two time Moth World Champion Bora Gulari, British Laser Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison and 49er Olympic bronze medallist Chris Draper. Will we see ‘Moth Team Oracle’ or ‘Moth Artemis’, or even perhaps the Aussie Olympic medallists’ team up?

With $5000 worth of Zhik prizes up for grabs, this is an event not to be missed by competitors and public alike.

Brian Connolly, Founder and CEO of Zhik, said: “The Zhik Mothapolooza is an outstanding test of the sailors’ skills, and enormous fun for the spectators to watch too. We are delighted to be involved with this event. The Moth class is right at the forefront of dinghy sailing technology, and Zhik is right there with the sailors all the way.”