The Musto Skiff Class Association (MSCA) has now published the report for the Musto Skiff class 2020 Annual Survey. Overall, results for the 2020 season were positive, despite most sailors in many countries being unable to participate in events and train together due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Annual Survey included responses from 16 countries, with a total of 121 surveys being submitted. This submission number was slightly higher than in previous years, providing a good cross section of the class. A total of 89% of all survey participants were Musto Skiff owners, with the remainder representing the wider sailing community.
The 2020 survey also provided the opportunity for important feedback on new boat development projects. This included the idea of developing an additional small rig, and a vote from class members on whether they wanted to explore options for a new mainsail design or defer this project for another two years.
Opportunities to increase class members
Musto Skiff class survey participants were predominantly male and represented a wide range of ages. However, the core age group in the survey was the 30 – 34 years age group, followed by the 45 to 49-year-old age group.
The youth sailor representation in the survey was slightly lower for the Musto Skiff class compared to the wider sailing community, with 8% of participants representing the under 24-year-olds for the Musto Skiff class compared to 15% for the wider sailing community. However, recent event statistics and membership data indicated some growth in youth sailors for the Musto Skiff class over 2020.
Class members were well represented in this years survey, with 73% of all participants being members. This year’s results also indicated some growth opportunities for the class to attract new members, with 78% of the wider sailing community stating that they would consider joining the class, and 24% stating that they are currently looking for a Musto Skiff boat.
Online activities increased over 2020
Globally, event schedules and organised training sessions over 2020 were postponed or cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This prompted the International Committee to explore other ways to support and engage the class during lockdowns.
There was also a shift in how sailors engaged with marketing activities. In the absence of events, the class moved to engaging online and shared more content and discussions via the class Facebook groups. All social media channels, and especially apps like WhatsApp, saw increased activity over 2020.
A number of new online training videos were also created for the class in 2020. In the survey, the Musto Skiff class rated these videos as ‘excellent’ overall. All other sailors in the survey rated these activities as ‘good’ overall. In response to this positive feedback, the International Committee will actively explore options for more video content for training purposes going forward.
Musto Skiff sailors want more regional training
Despite no organised ‘on the water’ training, many Musto Skiff sailors arranged their own informal training sessions when it was safe to do so. This included informal training in the Netherlands, the UK (both Scotland and England), and Switzerland, as well as other private training activities with club mates taking place in other countries.
A total of 92% of Musto Skiff class sailors in the survey would like more training in their region. Delivering on this for class members will be a core focus of the international and local committees, but the timing and frequency of this will remain dependent on how the COVID-19 pandemic evolves in each country over the coming months.
An additional smaller sail was supported by the majority
The latest survey asked for feedback from both Musto Skiff sailors and the wider sailing community on the idea of developing an additional smaller sail for the class. Based on the survey, 79% agreed that a smaller set of sails would help to increase the interest/membership in the class, and 79% would support an alternative smaller rig for the Musto Skiff class.
In response to survey feedback, the international committee will now develop this project (called ‘Project XS’) to progress the idea of creating an additional smaller rig, with the aim of enabling a broader range of sailors to sail the Musto Skiff.
Class members voted to progress the ‘new mainsail design project’
Musto Skiff class members were invited via the latest survey to provide feedback and vote on how they wanted to move forward with a new mainsail design project. This project was first proposed for consideration in 2017.
Out of the three options available to vote on, most voted to restart the project to explore developing and testing designs for a new, more modern sail. This option had 60% of all votes from the class members participating in the survey, making it the majority vote.
The remaining options were evenly split between option 1 (‘Continue with existing mainsail; and do no further design work for another 2 years’) and option 2 (‘Keep the existing mainsail profile but change the sail cloth’); each taking 20% of the total votes.
Based on this vote and additional feedback in the survey, the International Committee will now work with Ovington’s and the key partners to further develop the original project. It must be remembered that this was not a vote to introduce a new mainsail design, but to simply explore options for a new design and assess the viability and need for any change. Class members will be fully updated on the progress of the project and what is required at each stage, including voting on any next steps.
To view the full results of the latest MSCA 2020 Annual Survey, see here.
If you would like to find out more about joining the Musto Skiff Class, please visit the Class Membership page here. You can also find Musto Skiff used boats on the ‘Buy/Sell Used Boats’ page here.
To find Musto Skiff fleets near you, you can use this Musto Skiff locator map: www.mustoskiff.com/class/about-us/#find-musto-skiff-fleets. Alternativley, check out our Class Facebook page and groups to find out more about the class and what’s happening in your region.
Feature photo by Tim Olin (2015) – All rights reserved.
