Report by Andy Tarboton
Firstly, a big thank you to Castle Cove Sailing Club, its members, and its volunteers for putting on a cracking weekend in Weybiza!!! We were treated to champagne conditions (if you ignore air temperature/wind chill) and top-level hosting! In addition to the event weekend, Friday training was also bolted onto the programme with coach Adam Bowers.
Castle Cove is a fantastic club for the members, run by the members, and they really went out of their way to include everyone in the regatta and cannot be faulted at all for their efforts. Members not only operated the safety boats, tally board, organising, etc., but also made bacon rolls, coffee, and pasta for the sailors throughout the weekend. Sam Barker stepped up to the plate, taking on the lion’s share of organising responsibilities now that Mr Pascoe has departed the class. A thank you, also, to the Cerne Abbas Brewery, who generously donated some prizes, and Ovington Boats for their continued support of the class.
For Friday’s training, Adam once again drove us through the gears from comfort to fatigue throughout the day to highlight errors creeping into sailors’ technique as they begin to fatigue. I believe there was something in the range of 15-20 starts on Friday at 3-minute intervals, with the final one culminating in a 2-lap race. 13 Musto’s and a growing number of K1’s took part throughout the day, which finished off in style with a debrief and beers. Even the sleep-deprived Jamie Hilton (from his epic trip down south again) took away loads from the day.
Thanks to Noble Marine Insurance for their continued support of the Musto Skiff class, which enabled us to host this training day with Adam. They have supported the UK fleet for many years with a class discount as well as training funds, so it is always worth considering Noble Marine next time you renew your boat insurance.
It was awesome to see new and returning faces sailing over the weekend – a strong sign for the current position of the class. Stuart Moore, Tom Goodman, Fin Anderson and James Bishop have recently joined the fleet. These guys didn’t let the challenging conditions phase them, each having some good positives to come away with from the weekend and some bits to work on too. (See the end of this event report for the full training article).
Ben Clegg overcame a major setback on Friday outside Bournemouth on the A31 when a gold-wrapped Chelsea tractor decided that it took great offence to his boat and vehicle obeying the rules of the road, as well as British queue etiquette in front of it, and rendered the boat unusable for the weekend. This kind gesture activated the true nature of the Musto class. With modern technological communication abilities, we were able to mobilise young Rob Richardson (who was gifted the regatta win for his heroics) to load a double stacker at Stokes Bay (gladly offered by Andy Rice) with an extra boat, ensuring that Ben’s trip was not merely a taxi service for Fin Anderson. Additionally, throughout the weekend when people experienced breakages, the class came together to help – what a great atmosphere we have in the Musto Skiff fleet!
The event racing across Saturday and Sunday was tight for each race in the varying winds of the weekend, which always results in some good stories in the bar after sailing, with plenty of thrills and spills. The race team did a great job of firing off the races efficiently, meaning that some of the races were difficult to isolate from others. Rob Richardson, who only came back to the modern world from down under 10 days ago, let just one race slip in an otherwise unblemished string of firsts throughout the weekend, proving that you can’t beat skill with training.
Eddie Bridle and Ben Clegg were next quickest on the race track to consistently be in the top 3 before Ben got scared of the prospect of writing the report and manufactured a failure on his borrowed boat to avoid the duty.
Sam Barker narrowly missed the podium, with claims of being a few kgs lighter than he was for the Weymouth Worlds – although the real reason may have something to do with his impending nuptials or a different class of boat in his fleet distracting him from what is really important in life – the Musto!
Stalwarts of the class Graeme Oliver and Jamie Hilton fought hard with Sam Barker for the final spots in the top 5, with Graeme snatching the final spot in the top 5. Richard ‘Dickie’ Smith, Serega Samus, and Nigel Walbank continue to prove that they’ve still got it! For any younger people in the class, these guys are a great example that we can all aspire to as we mature as sailors.
All in all, the weekend showed a strong Musto fleet down south, and no doubt there is just as much talent and enthusiasm kicking about up north, which proves the strength of the class in the UK currently. Couple that with the good nature and banter of the class members – the sky is the limit.
Overall Results
Musto Skiff Class Top 10:
- 1st place – Robert Richardson
- 2nd place – Eddie Bridle
- 3rd place – Andy Tarboton
- 4th place – Sam Barker
- 5th place – Graeme Oliver
- 6th place – Jamie Hilton
- 7th place – Dave Poston
- 8th place – Andy Rice
- 9th place – Mark Cooper
- 10th place – David Annan
Full Results: https://halsail-1e484.kxcdn.com/Result/Public/89191
All event photos by © Tim Olin. View the full event photo gallery at https://www.flickr.com/photos/141388522@N05/albums/72177720326027698/
Musto Skiff Training Day - 9th May 2025
View the article for the Musto Skiff training day with coach Adam Bowers on Friday 9th May: https://mustoskiff.com/musto-skiff-training-day-at-castle-cove-sc-may-2025/
Feature photo: Musto Skiffs racing at Castle Cove Open 2025 / © Tim Olin
