New training videos launched for the Musto Skiff

by International Musto Skiff Class Association 21 Oct 2023 10:45 BST

The International Musto Skiff Class Association is pleased to announce the release of a new series of training video for the class. The video series is aimed at sailors who are new to the Musto Skiff, as well as those that are looking to improve their boat handling and racing techniques. To support growth in the class and encourage more people to demo and sail the boat, the new training videos will be available as a free training tool. The full video series will be launched from today and accessible online via the class YouTube channel and class website.

The video project was initiated by GBR Class Chairman, Bill Maughan, who worked closely with the class boat builder, Ovington Boats, and members of the International Class Committee. The project was made possible through the sponsorship support of Musto, who have been a long-term Title Sponsor of the class since 2000.

The video series features commentary and sailing manoeuvres by former Musto Skiff UK National Champion and seasoned sailor, Sam Pascoe, as well as light wind boat handling specialist, Ben Schooling. The series includes nine videos ranging from rigging to sailing manoeuvres and capsize recovery. The video series covers:

• Rigging
• Launching & Landing
• Tacking
• Gybing
• Hoisting & Dropping
• Upwind Speed
• Downwind Speed
• Mark Roundings
• Capsize Recovery

UK based company, Optical Marine, who provide specialist content creation services to the marine and watersports industries, worked with the class to deliver the project including capturing all the footage and editing the video content.

Commenting on the new training video series release, Bill Maughan, said: "The Musto Skiff is widely perceived as a difficult boat to sail, which I'm sure most members of the fleet would agree with. The learning curve, particularly in the early days, can be very steep. According to our class survey, this is one of the main reasons preventing new members from joining the class. We have been talking about updating the training video for some time now, and thanks to the support of the International committee, 15 years after the release of Richard Stenhouse's very popular K16 DVD, we are launching a refreshed set of training videos to support new members learning the basics, as well as those looking to refine racing techniques."

International Class Chairman, Danny Boatman, said: "We continue to welcome new sailors to our class every season, and following a campaign to encourage and support youths to attend the World Championships in Lake Garda earlier this year, the class has seen a boost in youth sailors joining the class. Whilst the learning curve is known to be relatively steep in a Musto Skiff, this is also what makes it such a great boat to sail. People have stayed in the class for many years, as they really enjoy the challenge of sailing it and the opportunity to race a fun boat at a decent competitive level. This new video series is going to be a great training tool for the Musto Skiff, and we look forward to seeing continued growth in the class within all our active fleets across the world."

The full video series playlist is now available to view via the class YouTube channel here and on the class website coaching and training page at mustoskiff.com/boat/coaching-training.

For more information on the Musto Skiff class, including their international event calendars and how to become a class member, visit mustoskiff.com.