Whether your upgrading the ropes on your current boat or starting from scratch with a newly purchased boat, understanding different rope characteristics and what works best for tension, flex, comfort, and your own personal preferences can make a big difference to boat handling and your overall sailing experience.
You have just finished the worlds and decided that you really want to do better next time, but when do you start preparing? The answer is now!
The Irish ‘skiff scene’ has always been something of a misnomer. No club in the country could claim to have anything resembling a skiff fleet. Although they can sometimes be seen honing their skills on local waters, for the most part, the Irish 49er squaddies ply their trade in the Olympic sphere. As a result, there has been no ‘trickle-down’ effect to weekend-warrior level.
Many sailors may be attending this Championship as their first major international event, so I thought it might be of assistance to note down a few points of things easily forgotten or overlooked.
Here is an update on the plans for testing and development of a new rig, following questions asked at the class skippers meeting at Carnac (2016).
There’s been some discussion on the forum recently regarding the possibility of a new-look sail for the MUSTO, and a “square top” sail has been suggested as one possibility. This seems to have been driven by a number of factors, including the desire to make the boat more modern looking, but also to make the sail more efficient.
GBR sailor, Ben Schooling, shares 10 reasons why he chose to race a MUSTO Skiff.
From the first race at Hayling up till the present day, I have always believed that you don’t have to be Super Man to sail the MUSTO, it just takes practice, some time on the water, and a little more practice to get to the front of the fleet.
I address those who like me have just started out, or who are thinking of doing so. Or, more especially those who have been humbled by their efforts so far. And maybe your Skiff lies sulking under covers in the dinghy park.
There can be very few people who step in a MUSTO Skiff , or any other singlehanded skiff, for the first time and find it easy. High performance dinghies are designed for speed and tend towards the unstable and overpowered corner of the dinghy design envelope. They are not easy.
