German sailor, Gilbert Brietzke, on sailing the Musto Skiff

 With the Musto Skiff Worlds now confirmed for Germany over 21st to 26th June next year, we took the opportunity to interview German class sailor, Gilbert Brietzke, to find out more about his journey into sailing and what he is aiming for in the Musto Skiff class for next season.

now aged 48, gilbert has been sailing since 2011, but prior to this, he had two memorable sailing experiences just by chance. at the age of 17 he was a crew on a 20m yacht from bremerhaven to norway and back with an 11 people crew aged between 17 to 24. then, at the age of 19, he did a 2-week travelling dinghy tour along the water inlets of the german coast on the baltic sea (close by island rügen).

in 2010, some 20 years later, these early experiences in his teenage years inspired him to find a way back to sailing, and now he is not only enjoying his musto skiff but standing for the german class chairman role for the 2022 season.

The Musto Skiff is a boat that is truly challenging to sail. In your first season you are likely to need to dedicate a lot of your spare time for practice. Once you master manoeuvres, in say >15 knots of breeze, it is always thrilling and fun at the same time. But until then, you need to have a certain youthful physical fitness and stubbornness to compensate/overcome your initial challenges - this is especially true if you do not have a skiff background.

My advice is to try to get connected with other active Musto Skiff sailors and the class association. They will give you hints and advice on how to improve your skills. Also, participation in the regatta events provides really high value for a freshman in the Musto Skiff. Sailing on different waters is always a very good way to train since conditions potentially differ from what you are used to. Also, it is safer than when you are on your own.

Certainly, we keep a healthy sportive competition in the events, but at the end of the day, even in competitive international events where the competition is at a really high level, we are more sailing together then 'against' each other. I think for most of us, it is more about sharing the experience, the fun, the sailing moments and also having food and drinks together ashore rather than a merciless competition.

Regarding waters: in my opinion the boat is not that suitable for smaller waters with extremely shifty winds or quarry ponds. Consider choosing larger waters as your training base, it is likely to be worth the potential extra effort and travel time.