Of all the places in the world, South African born sailor, Euan Hurter chose the windy shores of Scotland as his sailing mecca and two years on, he is still going strong in his MUSTO Skiff. Euan is currently a member of Dalgety Bay Sailing Club, just north of Edinburgh, and just a few gusts away from the infamous three bridges of the Firth of Forth.
At age 24, Euan has already sailed a range of boats, including keelboats and dinghies, but in 2018 he joined the MUSTO Skiff class and is now preparing for his second UK Nationals. Whilst 2020 has been a challenge for all of us with lockdowns and cancelled events across the UK, Euan has remained upbeat (as always!) and has put in the hours to challenge his Northern sailing buddies at every opportunity and hopefully find himself racing at the top of the fleet with the best of the best at the UK Nationals next week.
Euan took time out to share what he’s found most challenging about the MUSTO learning curve, what he’s finding the most rewarding, and what he’s aiming to achieve for the rest of 2020 and into next season.
How long have you been sailing and what was the last boat that you sailed before getting the MUSTO Skiff?
I’ve been sailing since I was 12. I used to sail whatever I could get my hands on (both keelboats and dinghies), but for the most part, my dinghy sailing went from Mirrors, to Dabchicks (local South African class), to 29ers, and finally sprinkled with some infrequent 505 sailing for good measure. Prior to getting the MUSTO, I had 3 years of almost no dinghy sailing due to university commitments.
What attracted you to the MUSTO Skiff?
There seems to be an amazing affinity between South Africans and the UK MUSTO fleet. I had decided that I was bored of only sitting on keelboat rails and needed to return to dinghy sailing. I was about to sell my soul and buy a laser, but Andy Tarboton (who I know from Durban) convinced me to buy the cheapest and oldest MUSTO on the market.
How are you finding the MUSTO Skiff so far?
The MUSTO Skiff is fantastic, and unrivaled in terms of what it offers sailors. There is an ever evolving list of challenges and improvements on a personal level, while competition is tight through the entire fleet – whether sailors are a “Bruce” (Almighty) or a complete newbie to the MUSTO.
Additionally, and I know this is continuously mentioned but, the culture of the class is second to none. The amount of enthusiasm shown by sailors is infectious – there is always someone willing to provide help no matter the size of the problem. There is also no social divides between sailors, and everyone I’ve interacted with genuinely wants others to join in and experience the magic of the MUSTO.
What are you finding most challenging?
The list of challenges is constantly evolving. Initially learning to traverse the abys between the boat and rack required getting used to (I fell through it bum first recently during a gybe – not my finest moment). Currently, fine-tuning a rig setup(s) has been the latest challenge. Fortunately, Jamie Hilton has been helping me as a sparring partner/mentor/sensei/Master Shredder over this summer to speed up the tuning process (thank you, Jamie).
What are you finding most rewarding?
Although the MUSTO is great to sail (nothing I’ve sailed beats locking in downwind on the MUSTO when it’s slightly lumpy), the most rewarding part of the experience has been the very visible relationship between time spent with the MUSTO and the improvements made. For example, spending time adjusting the rig and actually seeing the results on the water is beyond satisfying. The MUSTO has more than enough ‘adjustables’ to keep anyone entertained.
What surprised you the most about the MUSTO Skiff?
Probably how stable the boat is compared to other skiffs. The other surprise was that you can do an amazing amount of sitting. When starting out, I found that aiming to sit on each rack, with a scramble in the middle, was the safest way through tacks and gybes while not being that much slower (better a slightly slow tack than a swim).
Being optimistic that our sailing calendar will return to normal in 2021, what are your goals for next season?
I don’t necessarily come up with goals, but I’ll have an idea of which sailors I should aim to be around. I think top 10 at Nationals is a good goal for now. Ideally, I’ll give Jono (Shelley) and Jamie a run for their money at Northern events.
Have you got any targets in mind?
Not many – maximise the ratio of race result positions to previous night beverage consumption, don’t lose any clothing at events, and finish events with no more holes in sails than when I started – the usual stuff.
What advice would you give for anyone else considering the MUSTO Skiff?
If you’re remotely interested in the MUSTO, bite the bullet and buy a boat. The boats last forever and hold their value. I had a fairly competitive season last year on MUSTO #58 (8th production boat, built back in 2000!), and I didn’t once feel that the boat was holding me back. If you really don’t get along with it, you’ll hardly have lost money, but at least you will have had the experience.
All photos by Euan Hurter – GoPro, 2020
