ACO 12th Musto Skiff World Championships at Torbole, Lake Garda - Day 4
by Dan Trotter 20 Jul 18:42 BST
15-21 July 2023
After a well-earned rest day, Day 4 of the ACO 12th Musto Skiff 2023 Worlds was an early start for the fleet to catch the Peler wind, and it certainly showed up!
It was best described as a 'punchy downwind reach' going out to the start line, and there was a lot of change across the fleet for all 3 races. Dan Trotter (GBR 610) gives his perspective on how the penultimate day of the 2023 Worlds unfolded.
Races 10 - 12
After a week of leisurely 1pm starts, setting a 6:30am alarm was a bit of a shock to the system! My biggest tactical decision of the day was whether I could sneak into the hotel breakfast before it officially opened at 7am. Luckily, it paid off, and I managed to grab some chocolate croissants to fuel up for what would surely be an epic day.
Although the boats looked excited to get off their trolleys, the sailors looked a touch more nervous seeing the wild conditions that were to greet them. Luckily, Danny Boatman was there to offer some friendly encouragement and nudged those sailors off the slip way.
Race 10 started, and it was blowing! I started down the pin and headed out left. It turned out that the right was paying big time, and I was way down the pan. Nonetheless, it made for good fun trying to pull back through the fleet dodging the hordes of capsized boats.
Races 11 and 12 were more of the same with the middle right seeming to be the way to go up wind and the gybe set being the preferred option downwind. Matthias was in full send mode and won all three races today. Sailing around in the early teens for most of the day, I saw plenty of fine acrobatic skills as sailors were getting launched from their boats. By the end of race 3, the wind had started to die. The race officer tried for a 4th race; however, this was quickly abandoned as the morning breeze died off.
All in all, a big morning out. Now to look forward to many a beer and the Gala Dinner before doing it all again tomorrow morning. There are now just two more races to go in the schedule before the Championship concludes and the 2023 World Champion is decided.
At the close of Day 4 of the ACO 12th Musto Skiff 2023 Worlds, the top 3 places are:
1st - Matthias Houvenagel (AUS 408)
2nd - Sam Pascoe (GBR 636)
3rd - Bill Maughan (GBR 637)
Full results at www.circolovelatorbole.com/it/regatta/detail/263
Follow the daily races for the ACO 12th Musto Skiff 2023 Worlds in real-time in partnership with SailRacer GPS Tracking.