By Brennan Robinson
At the close of the 2025 sailing season, the Musto Skiff class launched their annual 2025 Class Survey, which included a class member vote on the future integration of the small Mainsail X at organised events. The survey report is due to be published this weekend, but ahead of this report, the International Committee has opted to share the voting results.
With the introduction of the smaller mainsail – the Mainsail X – class members were invited to vote on options to manage mainsail switching at major regattas. This included a choosing from a range of scaled restrictions that could be applied when a sailor opts to switch mainsails during a regatta, with the objective of deterring mainsail switching for competitive advantage.
For those class members who participated in the Mainsail X vote, the majority voted for the ‘Lighter Restrictions – Lower Penalty’ option (at 36% share of all votes). Musto Skiff class International Chairman, Brennan Robinson, shares his thoughts on the vote results and what this means for organised class events going forward.
The Mainsail X vote result and how this option will be applied
By Brennan Robinson
Many of you have been eagerly awaiting word on how the class is going to turn its grand flirtation with the alluring Mainsail X into something more enduring, and I’m thrilled to share the outcome today.
It is something that has been talked about for years, but the class has now well and truly embraced it, with dozens of Mainsail X’s currently in circulation.
The most recent class survey has now concluded, with the most prominent topic on that agenda being the vote on how the class will integrate the Mainsail X into fleet racing going forward. There have been multitudinous previous releases and articles outlining the options and various merits thereof, so we’ll not cover that ground again. Instead, let us cut to the good part – the class’s path forward:
A decisive majority of the class voted for a balanced option, which allows the freedom to change sail sizes during a championship, but with some restrictions in place to ensure that those at the front of the fleet can’t exploit this flexibility to gain an undue competitive edge.
In summary:
- All sailors will nominate a primary sail size before the first race.
- Sailors may switch sail sizes with prior notification.
- A reduced scoring penalty applies (10% of fleet size).
- Grand Master and Legend sailors are exempt from the penalty and may change sail size (that’s anyone aged 55 and over).
- Sailors who switch sail sizes are not eligible for a top three overall result.
Both sails are fully class legal. The above will not be implemented as a class-rule change but will be stipulated in the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions for all International events organised by the class. The first international regatta to include these ‘use of mainsail instructions’ will be the 2026 Worlds in Carnac.
This is a forward looking decision that keeps the class dynamic, inclusive, and fair, and it marks an exciting new chapter for Musto Skiff racing.
Yours truly,
Brennan
Feature image: Musto Skiff small Mainsail X © Richard Bowers
