It's a New Day

New Mothie Nathan Outteridge - photo by Andrea Francolini / Audi ©


The moth class is experiencing a sea-change. There are now so many new aspects of builders/designs/sailors/etc., that the seemingly one design road that we were on (Want to do well at the world level? Get a Bladerider and a KA sail as all the top helms did at Weymouth) is now cast aside and we're back on the vigorous development track. Obviously the Mach2 is a big part of the paradigm shift but so is the influx of new sailors, the North sail, the new spars (and boltrope sails?), and, in particular, the yet to be released Assassin moth from New Zealand.

Even in a down economy with the Assassin's price of US$6800, there are sure to be hordes of ex-Opti kids clamoring for moths. And if my recollection of high-end Opti sailing holds, it won't be long before Mom and Dad are pressured into getting a better and higher priced model. (The arms race in Optis had resulted in daggerboards close to $500 before a rule change in 2005 caused prices to fall a bit, but still over $370 for basically flat wooden daggerboards.) Even now a spar set can cost close to $800 (for three non-tapered aluminum tubes.)

Primarily due to the new builders, my prediction is that boat ownership is on the verge of a huge upswing. I think there will be plenty of room for multiple builders and sailmakers. Might there be a need to restrict the number of entries at world events? Probably not at the Gorge (less than 200 days from today) and probably not at Dubai, but surely at the 2011 worlds in Belmont, Australia, when the event organizers may have to deal with over 200 entries.

Congrats are early for Si and Amac, but I'm sure that they are tickled pink with the Mach2's showing in Geelong. More thoughts about that tomorrow, but for now party down with will.i.am.




It's a New Day, by will.i.am

I went asleep last night
Tired from the fight
I've been fighting for tomorrow
All my life
Yea I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming
Has finally came true

It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day
It's a new day

It's been a long time coming
Up the mountain kept runnin'
Souls of freedom kept hummin'
Channeling Harriet Tubman

Kennedy, Lincoln, and King
We gotta maninvest in that dream
It feels like we're swimming upstream
It feels like we're stuck inbetween
A rock and a hard place,
We've been through the heartaches
And lived through the darkest days

If you and I made it this far,
Well then hey, we can make it all the way
And they said no we can't
And we said yes we can
Remember it's you and me together

I woke up this morning
Feeling alright
I've been fightin' for tomorrow
All my life
Yea, I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming
Has finally came true

It's a new day
(it's a new day)
It's a new day
(it's a new day)
It's a new day
It's a new day!

It's been a long time waitin'
Waiting for this moment
It's been a long time praying
Praying for this moment

We hope for this moment
And now that we own it
For life I ma hold it
And I won’t let it go

It's for fathers, our brothers,
Our friends who fought for freedom
Our sisters, our mothers,
Who died for us to be in this moment

Stop and cherish this moment
Stop and cherish this time

It's time for unity
For us and we
That's you and me together

I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming
Have finally came true
Yea, I woke up this morning
Feeling alright

'Cause we weren't fighting for nothing
And the soldiers weren't fighting
For nothing
No, Martin wasn't dreaming for nothing
And Lincoln didn't change it for nothing
And children weren't crying for nothing

It's a new day
It's a new day
A new day
It's a new day
It's a new day!