Musto Skiffs battle it out at Stone Sailing Club's Essex Sailing Championships 2026
by Eddie Bridle and Brennan Robinson 5 Sep 06:53 BST
29-31 August 2026
The Musto Skiff fleet descended on Stone Sailing Club over the August Bank Holiday weekend for three days of racing as part of the Essex Sailing Championships 2026. With the Blackwater estuary providing its usual mix of challenging breeze and strong tide, the fleet was treated to a varied weekend that tested both speed and decision-making.
The four scheduled races were completed over the three days, in a social and (pleasantly) different format of racing to what the class is used to.
Ben Clegg ultimately emerged as the dominant force, winning three races and finishing second in the opening race to take the overall victory. Gareth Davies finished second overall, with Eddie Bridle third. Ben Harden and Richard Smith rounded out the Stone weekend in fourth and fifth respectively.
Here's how the races shaped the final leaderboard across the three-day event.
Day 1 - A long distance battle
The opening race was a long-distance affair, giving the fleet plenty of time to settle into the conditions and making consistency and boat speed crucial.
At the front, Eddie Bridle and Ben Clegg enjoyed a close battle, swapping places repeatedly as the race unfolded. Neither sailor was able to break clear, with the two keeping the pressure on each other.
Gareth Davies had a more difficult start to the race, being OCS, but showed impressive determination to fight his way back through the fleet with a good recovery to third place.
Richard 'Dickie' Smith, sailing the X-Sail, once again showed the impressive speed in the breeze, Dickie was able to demonstrate plenty of pace and remain competitive against the rest of the fleet.
The Southerly breeze posed a challenge for the race-committee, having limited runway in the north-south direction. As such, the course naturally involved a lot of beam-reaching - a point of sail which Musto Skiff sailors do their damnedest to avoid. The extensive reaching around all but finished off even the hardest of sailors.
When the fleet finally crossed the finish line, Eddie took the opening race win from Ben Clegg, with Gareth completing the podium.
On Saturday night the Club put on a tasty meal and a stand-up comedian for entertainment, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Day 2 - Clegg finds his rhythm
Saturday's long-distance racing was replaced on Sunday by a more traditional windward-leeward course, with the fleet starting from the club line and heading up towards the No.2 mark.
Ben Clegg made the most of the conditions. Starting from the middle of the line, Clegg got away cleanly and showed the pace to keep his lead the whole way round. With the Musto Skiff UK Nationals coming up, it was a timely demonstration of form.
Behind him, the conditions proved less straightforward for some of the fleet. Gareth Davies, Ben Harden and Eddie Bridle found themselves further inshore and struggled to escape the lighter breeze created by the lee of the shore.
Clegg went on to win Race 2, with Eddie in second. Brennan arrived for day two and kicked off his event with a third place.
Race 3 the wind shifted, Brennan made sure people knew he had arrived by leading the fleet around the windward mark. An afternoon shift in the wind changed the previous run into a tight kite leg. Brennan struggled to hold his height, Clegg and Eddie managed to go over the top, with Clegg extending away and holding this lead for the remainder of the race. It was a great opportunity to hone the skill of making a marginal downwind lay-line in breeze. The Brightlingsea boys demonstrated the technique excellently.
If you're wondering about Brennan's DSQ in race 3, it's because he didn't pass through the start-finish line on one of the laps. Truthfully, we all expected better of him.
After two wins from two races on the day, Clegg had established a clear lead at the top of the leaderboard, while Eddie and Gareth remained firmly in the fight for the podium.
For the second night in a row, Stone SC outdid themselves in providing great food and entertainment - this time in the form of a live band. Fun was had by all - particularly those who opted to camp on the club grounds.
Day 3 - A tale of wind and tide
For the full span of time allowed for racing, the tide was going to be coursing into its spring height. In the opposite direction, a stiff breeze in the high teens to low twenties established itself. Together, these forces of nature kicked up a formidable chop. Dickie Smith rigged up his Mainsail-X for the occasion - a wise choice. Eddie decided that he'd had enough fun and had obligations that kept him from racing - leaving second place wide open.
The shore-based race committee got race 4 under way as the fleet thumped their way up to the top mark. A few seasoned Musto Skiff sailors experienced some difficulties, which led them to dropping out of the race. Interestingly, some of the newer faces in the fleet were those who stuck it out the longest. James Crook was showing some excellent form, and Ben Harden (who only joined the class earlier this year) safety-gybed his way into a very respectable second place in race 4.
Ben Clegg took the honours in this race, followed by Ben Harden, Tom Scott and Gareth Davies.
A special mention must be made for Stone Sailing Club who put on a wonderful regatta. The fine gourmet food, the lively entertainment and the friendly atmosphere shone this homely, unassuming club in a very positive light.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Entrant | Sail No. | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Ben Clegg | 657 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2nd | Gareth Davies | 615 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| 3rd | Eddie Bridle | 655 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 16 |
| 4th | Ben Harden | 294 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 20 |
| 5th | Richard Smith | 632 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 26 |
| 6th | Andrew Whittle | 588 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 28 |
| 7th | Finbar Anderson | 310 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 29 |
| 8th | Brennan Robinson | 561 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
| 9th | James Crook | 138 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 34 |
| 10th | Tom Scott | 639 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 36 |