Total Domination!
The 2015 Total Domination IPA Moth U.S. Championship, August 14-16 on the Columbia River Gorge Oregon, was a success on all fronts. Congratulations to Total Domination IPA Moth US National Champion Anthony Kotoun!
The Gorge provided for amazing sailing conditions with a full range of breeze over the course of the event, from nuclear to light (but foiling) conditions. What makes this location one of the best? Moth sailors get to race in a natural wind tunnel: the hot summer temperatures create a great pressure difference between cold Pacific Ocean air and hot desert air in the Cascade Mountains, making for almost perfect conditions.
The Pacific Northwest is arguably the most eco-friendly region in the U.S., and locals are aware they need to preserve the area, so carpooling, finding recycling bins, group and tent housing, and filtered water centers was a cinch. And thanks to the online regatta documents, events manager Susan Winner commented, “this is the least amount of paper I’ve ever used for an event”.
On the water there was plenty of action that did not include powerboats! One day, Laser sailors raced an 18-mile down-winder from Cascade Locks to Hood River, and local Portland area boats had their annual “blowout” regatta up the river as well, which brought plenty of curious onlookers to the Moth fast fleet.
The Gorge is a Moth sailors’ dream; the river is sandwiched in between mountains with flat water, funneling breeze, and an awesome cloud cover. The Oregon/Washington area just screams “protect this land”!
On one of the evenings, the class invited Sandy Wright representing the local organization Friends of the Colombia Gorge to give a speech to the participants, their friends and families. Sandy gave a unique perspective on what makes the Gorge so special: the deep, narrow river was created from large glacier break offs that came funneling through the area. She also explained current threats and shared how we can all be involved. The biggest issue being major oil and coal distributors attempting to send up to 100 trains each day down both sides of the river as a gateway from the plains to the East Coast, to eventually be shipped to China. A scary thought when one derailed car could mean a giant explosion wiping the entire area. Even scarier, there are no thorough plans for a spill cleanup. Sandy stressed the importance of getting involved politically, and also making donations to the organization.
Continuing on the theme of sustainable sailing, the Moth class is on a mission to become an environmentally green program. For the class, sustainability means minimizing the economic, environmental and social costs of our sport and lifestyle, while maximizing positive contributions at our race venues and beyond through leadership, innovation, and action. Sustainable thinking and conduct is the class obligation in exchange for getting to practice the sport at terrific venues around the world. The class will endeavor to conduct their events and sailing with sustainability as a top priority.
The International Moth U.S. Class wishes to thank all of those who made the event spectacular: a fantastic Race Committee from Colombia Gorge Racing Association, event sponsor Ninkasi Brewery from Eugene, Oregon, wonderful class sponsor 11th Hour Racing, creative genius videographer Nick Bowers, and the entire Cascade Locks community that makes this place exactly what it is!
For more information on the International Moth U.S. Class, please visit http://www.int-moth.us
For more information on the sustainable practices of the International Moth U.S. Class please visit http://www.int-moth.us/sustainable-sailing/
Source and photos: International Moth U.S. Class.