The long range forecast for Filey is 8 - 12 mph winds and 24 degrees; lets hope the forecast come true.

The UK Nationals are 3 weeks away and it will be the biggest Musto Skiff event ever. We already have 44 entries and there are still some that have not entered that I know are coming.

The event starts on Friday and runs through to the Bank Holiday Monday - so you only need one day off work.

If you have not owned your Musto Skiff long don't worry about not being competitive or that you may spend a fair amount of time upside down; this is a perfect opportunity to meet other owners who will be able to give you plenty of advice.

Last year Charlie Baker was talked into going to the Nationals by fellow club mates despite being in the early stages of ownership; he said "Going to the Nationals was the best thing I did to progress my Musto Skiff sailing ... I was never going to win but in many ways I did as I learnt a great deal from all those at the event who were very generous with their advice and encouragement. I learnt more in those 4 days than in many weekends splashing around on my own ..."

A fleet assembled from 5 different countries (GBR, GER, SUI, NED, ESP) gathered for the 2006 Musto Skiff Gold Cup which was held as part of the famous Travemunder Woche event on the Baltic coast of Germany. The fleet was 43% non-GBR which is reflective of the true international flavour of the class.

The majority of the fleet gathered on Sunday prior to the event to enjoy a couple of days training and practice before the main event. This also allowed the sailors to fully indulge in the festivities off the water and to give enough time to recover from the hangovers - Zambuca slammers were the down fall of some who should have known better ...

The first days sailing started after a short delay for the thermal sea breeze to build. Racing was dominate by Richard Stenhouse who was closely challenged by Dave Poston. At the end of the day it was Stenhouse in the lead followed by Poston and Rick Perkins in third overall.

We arrived on Friday evening to a lovely sunset over oyster beds in Whitstable bay. The B14’s having already started their Europeans with 2 great races and party in full swing. Whitstable has a nice relaxing and fun atmosphere with sun and good sea breeze, a sailor’s paradise. With 23 Mustos racing its made for close racing through out the fleet with lots of chances for picking a good wind shift or doing a bad tack to gain or loose a few places.

Race 1 Started in marginal wiring conditions Richard Stenhouse got a good start but couldn’t match the speed of Graeme Oliver, Kit Stenhouse and Ant Chapman, on the second lap Kit got through in to the lead, Ant made an error at the leeward mark to drop back into the fleet. Graeme Spotted the shortened course flag at the leeward mark and sailed straight to the finish to win, Kit turned back downwind to get second and Dan Dixon sneaked third.

Race 2 Sten lead the race for the first two laps and Graeme broke cover on the last beat to win the race and take a commanding position in the series.

Following a poll of members (see Q44) we have been reviewing how to make the outhaul easier to adjust.

The MPSCA have decided to conduct an open trial amongst sailors to see what systems work best before making a rule change (if any).

The folowing guidlines must be followed during the trial:

• You may increase the purchase ratio of the outhaul to 4:1
• You may add block(s)
• You may add aditional rope and elastic
• You may NOT drill any additional holes
• You may NOT add additional cleats

This trial runs from 28/6/6 to 31/12/06 and boats may use experimental outhaul at all MPSCA events during this period.

We arrived at Ullswater with the sun shining and not a breath of wind it looked like we would use the 6 hour time limit to get to the other end of the start line.

10 Musto Skiffs turned up to race and 4 MPS sailors absorbed in to the 18ft Skiff fleet. The course on Saturday in keeping with tradition. It was a club start line the width of the lake which was a little cramped with 206 boats but all part of the fun. Up to Norfolk Island 7 miles away at the other end of the lake with fantastic views of the mountains and back down to Pooley Bridge around 2 marks and back to finish at the club.

A nice 10kt breeze filled in just in time to make it a skiff fest.The start line was 5 deep in boats of all sizes, to be on port would be suicide illustrated by a laser 4000 that took on Ian Trotter, Mark Addison and Graeme Oliver’s 18ft Skiff and lost everything above deck level.

Largo bay played host to the fourth round of the 2006 Trident-UK Scottish Skiff Grand Prix, and those skiff sailors that made the trip to this pretty corner of the East Neuk of Fife were rewarded with a great weekend of racing.

With local Musto Skiff stalwart Ian Renilson unable to sail on the Saturday, it looked like reigning national champion Ian Trotter would have it his own way in the light winds that greeted competitors for race 1. However, Gavin Homer of Dalgety Bay had different ideas and showed that it has not taken him long to master the transition from International 14 to Musto Skiff. Homer led for much of the first race until Trotter reeled him in to take the first of several wins. Ben Robertson and Ewan Sneddon made a strong showing, leading home the 49er contingent and taking third overall on handicap.

Principal race officer Kevan Gibb set a shorter course for race 2. Order was restored with Trotter leading from early on, followed by Gavin Homer and Andy Hutchinson chasing hard to make it a 1, 2, 3 for the Musto Skiffs.

For those who receive the newsletter who aren't lucky enough to own an MPS there are a few boats for sale second hand (in various countries). Is your next challenge on this list ...??

Second hand boats are selling like hot cakes and often sell via the grapevine without coming onto the market, if you are interested in a used boat just let us know so if one becomes available we can let you know.

ALSO do you own a Musto Skiff but don't use it any more, there is a bit of a shortage of second hand boats with used boats getting snapped up. If your boat is not getting any use just email us and we'll advertise it for you FREE OF CHARGE

Thanks to our readers our circulation is now almost 600. Please send this on to anyone who likes going fast in small boats!!

Victor Boats and the MPS Class Association plan to run the class in an open way. We also do our best to promote our key supporters and suppliers.

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