ACO Musto Skiff World Championship at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

ACO Musto Skiff World Championship at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron - Overall

by Andy Rice 14 Jan 2018 15:09 GMT 9-14 January 2018

Final day - ACO Musto Skiff World Championship © LF Sports

Four races on a windy final day of the ACO Musto Skiff World Championship held the potential for all kinds of place changing, but Jon Newman kept his nerve to win a second world title in this demanding singlehander.

With the breeze gusting up to 25 knots off the Blairgowrie shore, but also shifting through as much as 30 degrees, it was a far from straightforward race course. Blasting out to a corner was rarely the best answer, unless you wanted to minimise manoeuvres. Playing the shifts and gusts was the best way to do it, provided you had the skills to make it work.

In the first race of the afternoon, Will Phillips did what he needed to do if he was to bring the fight to Newman for the world title. He led the race all the way to the finish, only to tip in on the final gybe to the line. By the time he righted the boat he could only manage 11th while fellow Australian Thor Schoenhoff cruised past for the win, and Newman was fifth.

Richie Robertson, who won the first heat a few days ago, has struggled in the light to medium airs that dominated the middle part of the competition, but the 100kg-plus local sailor was back in his element today. He was third in the first heat, then won the next, 10th in the third and second in the last race of the regatta. This dragged up him up into 19th overall.

Meanwhile Newman was doing enough to secure the regatta, not always starting that strongly but relying on his incredible boat handling, windshift spotting and all-round boatspeed to charge through the fleet. He ended up winning the championship with two races to spare, but stayed on the water anyway and finished off in style by winning the final race.

Final day - ACO Musto Skiff World Championship - photo © LF Sports

"It's great to win the championship again," said Newman, whose other title came in Perth at the other end of Australia. "Will's a friend and he put up a good battle. He's a great sailor so I'm happy to have won against such a good competitor." Phillips finished in second overall at his first Musto Skiff World Championship, some way in front of the battle for third.

George Hand from Great Britain was on the charge today, and crossed the finish line of the final race in fifth. He stopped to look back at where his rival for third place was sitting. Jamie Hilton was charging down to the line at full pace with three boats coming in from the far side, all with a gybe to complete before they could cross the finish line. At just the moment when they least needed it, the three port-gybers were hit by a mega-gust that tipped them all into the drink. Hilton swept past and crossed the line in ninth place. He had finished on equal points with Hand, but Hilton's two bullets from earlier in the week broke the tie in the Flying Scotsman's favour.

Final day - ACO Musto Skiff World Championship - photo © LF Sports

First Master (over 45) was Wayne Bates in 9th overall and first Grand Master (over 55) was Arthur Brett, three-time Contender World Champion, in 11th overall. First Youth was Hayden Brown (under 25) in 28th.

This evening Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron hosts the prizegiving and bids farewell to the overseas competitors who will all meet at the next ACO Musto Skiff World Championship in Medemblik, the Netherlands, where more than 100 competitors are expected to compete. Newman plans to be there to defend his world title.

Overall Results:

Pos	From	Sail No	Skipper	Boat Name	Fleet	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	Pts
1	AUS	492	Jon Newman	FAST GIRL	G	[6]	[5]	1	5	3	5	1	2	4	5	4	5	1	36
2	AUS	553	William Phillips	SUZANNE	G	[12]	10	2	7	1	1	5	5	3	[11]	7	1	6	48
3	GBR	444	Jamie Hilton	TYSON	G	5	1	[19]	6	9	15	4	1	[19]	2	5	7	9	64
4	GBR	548	George Hand	BUMBLEBEE	G	4	[19]	10	[15]	6	4	12	6	5	7	3	2	5	64
5	AUS	513	Thor Schoenhoff	SVEN	G	2	7	[57S]	16	2	2	9	15	[17]	1	6	3	15	78
6	GBR	372	Alex Knight	MUSTO SKIFF	G	9	2	5	[34]	18	10	3	10	1	22	10	[57U]	8	98
7	GBR	520	Dave Poston	ULTRA COMPOSITES	G	10	6	7	14	[20]	9	17	[22]	8	9	2	6	12	100
8	AUS	576	Marcus Hamilton	SCARY PIRATE	G	17	[38]	6	[19]	15	6	6	11	12	8	8	11	3	103
9	AUS	554	Wayne Bates	SPUD MUFFIN	G	7	3	11	3	[17]	14	14	13	10	6	15	8	[16]	104
10	AUS	408	Matthias Houvenagel	BLING BLING	G	[23]	15	4	10	12	12	2	7	7	12	[57F]	22	4	107
11	AUS	493	Arthur Brett	UNCLE BOB	G	[19]	16	12	9	4	13	[57B]	3	6	17	17	13	11	121
12	AUS	578	Paul Newman	HUMMER	G	[24]	9	17	2	13	16	7	8	13	4	[26]	19	14	122
13	AUS	572	James Sly	OWLS	G	8	24	3	11	16	3	[32]	4	14	18	9	[27]	17	127
14	GBR	568	Andrew Peake	WAKTAKONIC	G	14	4	9	[29]	7	18	[25]	12	15	10	21	17	7	134
15	AUS	579	Tim Hill	JET	G	15	14	8	4	10	7	8	[25]	21	[38]	13	18	22	140
16	AUS	379	Sam Phillips	DELTA	G	11	17	14	12	[19]	[24]	18	14	2	15	12	15	13	143
17	SUI	459	Alexander Greil	MUSTO SKIFF	G	20	12	20	1	14	[57U]	13	17	16	[57F]	27	12	19	171
18	GBR	533	Stuart Keegan	MUSTO	S	[25]	23	21	13	[28]	21	19	9	11	16	14	9	21	177
19	AUS	452	Richie Robertson	MAW CIVIL	G	1	[35]	18	25	27	31	28	[32]	32	3	1	10	2	178
20	NED	478	Paul Dijkstra	KUIPERS NAUTIC	S	26	[33]	24	[37]	5	8	20	21	25	14	16	4	25	188
21	GBR	364	Andy Rice	SAILJUICE.COM	G	13	20	15	8	23	19	10	23	22	[27]	[57U]	25	10	188
22	GBR	535	David Annan	‑	G	3	[28]	23	26	[40]	17	16	19	23	19	11	23	18	198
23	AUS	418	Brett Morris	PEXAJEEBE	S	21	13	[57U]	20	11	30	15	[47]	27	23	22	21	23	226
24	GBR	574	Jack Grogan	HYDE SAILS	S	28	25	27	18	26	20	11	24	[45]	[30]	24	14	24	241
25	AUS	357	Peter Kendall	LIKE A GLOVE	S	[33]	22	30	21	8	23	21	[38]	24	13	29	29	31	251
26	AUS	565	Robin Dayes	THE MISTRESS	S	30	21	16	31	29	32	30	[33]	[37]	21	20	16	20	266
27	AUS	438	Richard Ekberg	BLACK SPOT	G	16	11	13	24	25	28	33	[44]	34	33	31	20	[57F]	268
28	AUS	117	Hayden Brown	SPACE CADET	G	18	8	25	17	22	[57U]	[45]	16	33	28	34	37	37	275
29	GBR	419	Richard Smith	MUSTO SKIFF	S	27	26	31	38	34	22	[43]	[41]	9	20	18	35	27	287
30	AUS	440	Casey Bates	SHES IN CHARGE	S	32	30	[35]	22	24	26	23	29	29	[39]	28	32	26	301
31	GBR	500	Tom Conway	FIVE HUNDRED	B	[41]	40	33A	27	31	11	[44]	28	38	29	19	36	33	325
32	AUS	555	Richard Ironmonger	TINKERBELL	S	29	29	[41]	39	32	[57U]	37	31	18	24	32	28	28	327
33	GBR	385	Terry Pressdee	‑	S	35	34	32	23	37	37	22	20	28	32	[38]	30	[57C]	330
34	AUS	491	Hayden Harding	SHELL BE RIGHT	S	34	27	39	36	30	29	26	26	[41]	[42]	35	40	38	360
35	AUS	417	Ian Martin	T.I.E.	S	31	32	29	40	36	[57U]	40	40	[57S]	31	23	24	35	361
36	GBR	521	Iain Morton	OCHT AYE	S	40	31	36	32	[47]	36	34	18	[42]	35	36	33	34	365
37	GBR	550	Jon Bailey	BFF	B	[46]	[57S]	37	30	45	33	36	36	31	34	25	34	29	370
38	AUS	524	James Lewis	LEROY	B	37	43	[57C]	35	33	27	24	27	20	36	33	[57C]	57C	372
39	GER	427	Gilbert Brietzke	THEREISPROBABLYNOGOD	S	36	44	26	45	[57B]	[57U]	35	37	30	37	30	31	32	383
40	NED	361	Huud Ouwehand	NED361	B	42	42	34	[46]	42	38	39	35	44	25	37	26	[57F]	404
41	AUS	423	Chris Bick	MID LIFE CRISIS	B	[45]	37	38	[48]	41	42	29	43	39	40	39	38	30	416
42	NZL	233	Aaron Duncan	FORWARDWIP	B	38	41	28	28	35	40	27	39	35	[57C]	[57C]	57C	57C	425
43	AUS	425	David Taylor	RUBY	B	[44]	36	33	[47]	44	43	42	42	36	41	40	39	36	432
44	GBR	432	John Mcafee	ROCK BOTTOM	B	[57S]	39	43	41	43	39	41	34	26	43	[57C]	57C	57C	463
45	GBR	556	Steve Robson	TOUCHINGCLOTH2	B	[57F]	[57S]	57S	33	21	25	38	30	57R	57C	57C	57C	57C	489
46	AUS	218	Dick Shallcross	DICK	B	39	45	40	[57C]	[57C]	57C	31	45	57B	26	57R	57C	57C	511
47	GBR	333	Tim Chapman	LITTLE DEVIL	B	43	46	42	43	38	35	[57C]	[57C]	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	532
48	AUS	488	Chris Peile	CHRISS BUSINESS	S	22	18	[57F]	[57C]	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	553
49	AUS	571	Brett Williams	UPPER MIDLE BOGAN	B	[57S]	[57S]	57S	42	39	34	57C	57C	40	57C	57C	57C	57C	554
50	AUS	472	Hugh Stephens	TBC	B	[57F]	[57F]	44	55Y	57C	57S	46	46	43	57F	57C	57C	57C	576
51	AUS	380	Bryce Reid	BTR RACING	B	[57F]	[57S]	57S	44	46	41	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	587
52	AUS	391	Ed James	ERICAS KITCHEN	B	[57F]	[57S]	57S	49	48	57F	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	610
53	AUS	244	Michael Berryman	TBC	B	[57S]	[57S]	57S	51	57S	57S	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	621
54	AUS	453	Paul Tadich	MARIO KART	B	[57C]	[57C]	57F	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	627
54	GBR	542	Ron Barnes	MORE STICKY MOMENTS	B	[57C]	[57C]	57C	57C	57S	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	627
54	GBR	376	David Rickard	DIVA	B	[57C]	[57C]	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	57C	627