Moth Invasion

Sailboats that make you "feel like God"

July 26, 2007—Imagine the speed and intensity of kite-boarding minus the goofy outfits, and you've got moth sailing. Long popular among adrenaline-junkies in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, the sport—which basically involves careering around in a sailboat that weighs as little as 66 pounds fully rigged—is finally catching on Stateside. Credit the recent fashionability of the yachting life, plus the introduction of keel-mounted hydrofoils, little wings that help moth boats rise out of the water at top speed—which, in strong winds, can reach up to 30 mph. (Don't believe us? Check out a video here.)

Starting August 3, Australian brand Bladerider (company mascot: a moth-eating bat) kicks off a tour of moth sailing demonstrations by two-time world champion (and the guy in the video above) Rohan Veal. "Other boats just don't have the wow factor," claims the fortuitously named champ, who's scheduled to hit Long Beach, Miami, Newport—and even Detroit—on the tour. Though exact figures are hard to come by, anecdotal evidence indicates he'll find a receptive audience. Take Bill Beaver—for some reason, the sport attracts guys with memorable names—an Annapolis-based enthusiast who built his own moth boat (called the Hungry Beaver, naturally) and already claims dozens of moth-sailing friends. "The acceleration is huge, and it gets eerily quiet when you go up on the foils," he explains. "Most boats have a lot of wave slap and noise, but on a moth, you go into a kind of nirvana mode and you feel like God." Tough to argue with that.

Bladerider X8, from $14,950, www.bladerider.com.au