Interview with Hayden Harding by Andy Tarboton
Hayden, thank you for taking the time to chat with us, we wanted to get to know you a bit more as a sailor with strong prospects in the fleet. At your age, you have already built a wealth of experience within the world of sailing, including making an impact in the Musto Skiff. There will be people looking into the class with some interest who may read this article and take your advice to heart; it may encourage them to take the first step into joining the class and share the fun we all get from the boats. We all have some great stories to share from our time and look forward to reading your stories here…
At what age did you start sailing?
“I started sailing by myself in an Australian dinghy called the minnow when I was about 7 years old. My pa owned an old pacer that he used to take us out on since I was about 2 or 3 though.”
Can you tell us more about your journey into the Musto Skiff?
“After sailing the 420, 29er and 49er, I jumped into the Musto whilst I was still sailing the 49er. My crew, Casey (Bates), and I found it hard to find time to sail with each other due to school and other commitments, so we decided to both jump into the Musto so we could get out on the water whenever we wanted.”
You sail other boats with Casey Bates – do you find it easy to transfer skills between boats?
“I think that every boat has their own ins and outs, and it takes time to pin point them, but a lot of the basic skills will be transferable from any boat to the next. Sailing the 49er and having a bit of skiff knowledge helped when I first jumped into the Musto. Nonetheless, I still spent my first month in the boat mostly upside down. It is certainly its own boat and has a fair few challenges to it, but once you learn to keep it up right you realise that most of those basic skills can be transferred across.”
What has been the biggest challenge in the Musto Skiff?
“One of the biggest challenges I have found sailing the Musto is keeping everything consistent in all the different conditions. Especially being on the lighter side of the range keeping up and not putting it in the p**s in the heavy air has been difficult. Despite this, I do love getting a good gybe and shooting off when its blowing 20 plus knots kite up downwind.”
What do you find most enjoyable about the Musto Skiff?
“The most enjoyable thing about the Musto, besides the sailing, is the community around it. Out on the water everyone is competitive and serious but as soon as everyone hits the shore everyone relaxes and it is always good fun.”
What aspirations do you have in the class?
“I think, just like a lot of people in the Musto, a heat win at the Worlds would be a good place to start; I think it might be a while off depending on how the training goes over the next few years, but after that happens I can re-access.”
Do you have any funny stories you are willing to share with us?
“I’ve got a few funny stories, some probably not appropriate for here, but one of the biggest things I’ve found to be pretty funny – and one of the things that keeps me pushing – is when I come in shore absolutely wrecked after a huge day, and I look over at these guys who are 20-30 years older than me who have just been out there just as long in the same conditions and look fine – just in need of a beer.”
Besides the distances you need to travel to get to world events, what would you say is the biggest challenge facing the Australian fleet at the moment?
“Well certainly the biggest challenge most of us faced this year, which I am sure many can relate to, is the lockdowns and the lack of sailing we have been able to get in. Other than that, I think one of our biggest focus’ we have at the moment is trying to grow the class in other states besides Victoria and trying to introduce more people to the class of all different demographics.”
Internationally, Australian sailors have always been strong – the fleet is not afraid to try different techniques, and the knowledge gained from other high-performance boats famous in the country seem to transfer well. We are looking forward to seeing your story in the class unfold with interest. Good luck as your season gets going with the Australian nationals in the new year!
Photo credit: Femke de Vries Fotografie, 2019 | Musto Skiff World Championships 2019, Medemblik
