The International Moth World Championships on Perth's Swan River turned into something of an America's Cup preview this week, with a podium that will mean plenty to anyone following the Cup.
France's Enzo Balanger, sailing for La Roche-Posay Racing Team, took the title with seven race wins from the 14-race series at Mounts Bay Sailing Club. The defending champion simply had another gear when it counted, his speed, balance and precision standing out in a fleet stacked with world-class competitors.
Behind him came Australia's Ryan Littlechild, a rising star of Challenger of Record GB1. Second place underlined his growing reputation as one of the emerging talents of the America's Cup generation.
Then there was Hattie Rogers.
The British sailor, a trimmer for the British Women's America's Cup Team GB2, won the Women's International Moth World Championship title. She did it with a 20th place overall against a predominantly male fleet, a genuinely strong result given the depth of competition on the water. For Rogers, already established as one of the leading female foiling sailors in the world, it's another significant achievement in a career that keeps gathering momentum.
The week made clear why the Moth has become such a vital proving ground for America's Cup sailors. These are brutal boats to sail well, single-handed foiling dinghies that punish any lapse in balance or timing, and the skills they demand map almost directly onto what's needed aboard an AC75.
Perth didn't make it easy either. The Swan River's breezes are notoriously fickle, shifting in strength and direction without warning, and the fleet was tested hard across the series. There was spectacular high-speed foiling, dramatic overtakes, and the occasional crash to remind everyone how unforgiving these boats can be.
Balanger's win cements his standing as a sailor capable of competing at the very highest level. Littlechild and Rogers, meanwhile, both point to the depth of talent building inside the British America's Cup programmes.
With the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup drawing closer, the connections between Moth racing and the top end of professional sailing have rarely looked stronger. Smaller boats, solo sailors, but the same demands: speed, precision, tactical intelligence, and an unwavering determination to win.
From the Swan River to the Bay of Naples, the next generation of America's Cup talent is already making its mark. On this evidence, the future of foiling sailing looks exceptionally bright.
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