After five days of racing at this year’s ACO 13th Musto Skiff World Championship at Weymouth and Portland, British sailor Sam Pascoe kept his cool under pressure as the event favourite to win the 2024 Worlds Title. Here’s the final day report on how the last two races of the Championship unfolded to see Sam take his well-deserved place on the podium.
Day 5 of the Championship and the fleet expected to be heading into the bay for a southerly 15 knots and the anticipation of a big day out with the southerly swell coming in. However, the fine weather from earlier in the week had exhausted itself, and there was very poor visibility with a forecast of immanent rain, meaning the decision was made to race in the harbour.
The course was set up at a bearing of approximately 220 degrees with the windward mark just to starboard of the Bill. This meant there was more pressure down the right, wind bends from the left, an oscillating breeze, big gusts, and correspondingly reasonably sized holes to contend with.
Race 13: With the first race of the day, Euan Hurter was fast out of the blocks, picking some great shifts to lead the pack around the top mark, with Dan Trotter, Andy Rice, and Paul Dijkstra all in close pursuit.
The chasing pack was trying to make the best of the conditions—some gybe setting, some straight setting—all looking for the best of the pressure. Euan held off Dan Trotter, Ben Clegg, Rick Peacock, and Danny Boatman to keep his lead to the bottom gate and round the next lap, only to suffer gear failure and a resulting broken tiller extension right before the finish. He recovered from his capsize to maintain fourth, but Dan Trotter, the chief benefactor, took the bullet he’d been on the verge of taking all week.
Rick Peacock came in second, and in picking up third place, Rob Richardson did enough to secure second overall on the podium, fending off Danny Boatman, who had maintained the slightest hope that he could overhaul him in the overall standing.
Race 14: For the final race of the Championship, the fleet was still as eager as they were in the first, pushing the line hard, resulting in another general recall and starting under a black flag. With the wind backing 10 degrees left immediately before the gun, it was a race to get onto port tack. Euan Hurter did this best out of the port end of the line, with Jamie Hilton, Rick Peacock, and Danny Boatman quickly onto port from the committee boat end. Soon, the whole fleet was racing hard into the right-hand corner for better pressure and the anticipated flick of the wind back to the right.
Danny Boatman’s leverage got him to the top mark in pole position, with Sam Pascoe and Euan Hurter close behind, as well as Jamie Hilton, who had picked a favourable lift into the top mark. By the leeward gate, Jamie Hilton had sailed a great downwind leg to assume the lead narrowly from Sam Pascoe, with Jamie winning the starboard gate, Sam opting to gybe off for the port-hand gate, and thereby choosing the right-hand side of the beat. Unfortunately for Danny Boatman, he’d sailed himself into a bit of a hole, while Euan, bless him, suffered more gear failure, resulting in an early shower.
Meanwhile, Sam Pascoe hit the right-hand corner of the beat, while Jamie led the left side from Rick Peacock and Andy Tarboton. Fortunately for Jamie, the left side paid handsomely, where he was able to take a healthy lead down the final run, giving him a comfortable bullet and a glimpse of the form that he’s sadly been missing this week.
Tarboton took second, leaving Pascoe and Peacock to fight it out for third place. A risky final hitch to the finish saw both deciding to try and hold the kite across the line. Sam did the best job of this, giving him the final third place in the last race of the Championship.
At the close of the ACO 13th Musto Skiff World Championship, Sam Pascoe deservedly won the World Champion Title. As the favourite to win from the outset, Sam did not show any signs of pressure to deliver and sailed a fantastic Worlds with six bullets under his belt and some flawless sailing amongst an incredibly competitive fleet of talented sailors.
Joining Sam Pascoe on the podium was Rob Richardson in second overall, who also took the title of first place in the Youth category, and Danny Boatman in third overall.
Overall Results and Category Places
Overall:
1st – Sam Pascoe (GBR)
2nd – Robert Richardson (GBR)
3rd – Danny Boatman (GBR)
4th – Rick Peacock (GBR)
5th – Dan Trotter (GBR)
6th – Daniel Henderson (GBR)
7th – Andy Tarboton (RSA)
8th – Sam Barker (GBR)
9th – Eddie Bridle (GBR)
10th – Ben Clegg (GBR)
Youth:
1st – Robert Richardson (GBR)
2nd – Edgar Stalleicken (GER)
3rd – Ollie Bull (GBR)
Master:
1st – Jamie Hilton (GBR)
2nd – Dan Vincent (GBR)
3rd – Mark Cooper (GBR)
Grand Master:
1st – Andy Rice (GBR)
2nd – Brian Greensmith (GBR)
3rd – Richard Smith (GBR)
Legend:
1st – Karsten Groth (NED)
2nd – Ian Trotter (GBR)
3rd – Ian Escritt (GBR)
Overall results and Day 5 races: https://www.sailwave.com/results/wpnsa/2024-MustoSkiff-World-Championship.htm
View all the races from the Musto Skiff 2024 Worlds in replay via SailRacer’s live GPS tracking: https://enter.sailracer.org/eventsites/live-screen-tracking-club.asp?eventid=226267&labels=S&templ=club_tracking
Following the prize giving, the class finished packing up boats, said their goodbyes, and set on their way, buzzing from a brilliant week of sailing together as an international fleet.
On behalf of the class, thanks to the event organising team at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, specifically Sally Reynoldson and Richard Bowers, who, along with their 30 strong team of volunteers, put on a fantastic event for the Musto Skiff class.
The jury team and Principal Race Officer, Mark Woods, also did an excellent job delivering all 14 races in a mix of conditions. With a great team around him, race courses were set up swiftly and accurately each race day, with a well-managed start line. The fleet was also kept informed about the daily racing plans with great communication each morning from Mark, which was much appreciated by all the sailors.
Much thanks to our Event Title Sponsor, ACO, for their continued support of the class and for joining us at our Gala Dinner with special guest speaker, Pete Goss MBE. It was an honour to be in the company of two sailing legends, with both Pete Goss MBE and Keith Musto OBE in attendance, to enjoy the evening with all the competitors and their friends and family.
We would also like to extend our thanks to our Class Title Sponsor, Musto, for all their support and the very generous merchandise bundles for our prize giving. As well as the final day prize giving, this enabled us to run the very popular “Get Better Soon” daily awards with the ever-witty host, Brennan Robinson, who entertained us all each evening with awards across the fleet for spectacular capsizes and amusing happenings on the race course, as nominated by the sailors. The daily awards were also supported by some very useful prizes of PRO-SET Epoxy kits from the team at Wessex Resins and Adhesives.
A final thanks to our class boat builder, Ovington Boats, and the hardworking Ovi team—Sam Pascoe, Sam Barker, and Bill Maughan—who were on site all week to support the class with spares and repairs as well as to compete in the Championship.
Thanks again to everyone who made the journey to join this year’s Worlds, with sailors coming together from all over the UK, as well as representing the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Armenia, South Africa, and Australia.
It’s been a brilliant event all round, and we now look ahead to doing this all again in six months for the ACO 14th Musto Skiff World Championship 2025 in Australia! The next Worlds will be hosted at Woollahra Sailing Club in Sydney over 2nd to 10th January 2025. Entry is currently open. Find out more about this event at https://mustoskiff.com/2025-worlds/
See you in Sydney!
Day 5 Media:
Daily photo gallery (Credit: © Michael Oliver)
Daily video (Credit: © Optical Marine):
Feature image: ACO 13th Musto Skiff World Championships 2024 – Weymouth and Portland, UK (© Michael Oliver)
