Etchells
The International Etchells Class is a racing class of one-design sailing boats.
 Class symbol | |
 An Etchells keelboat sailing off North Haven in South Australia. | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | E. W. Etchells |
| Year | 1966 |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 3-4 |
| Trapeze | No |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass |
| Hull weight | 3,324.6 pounds (1,508.0 kg) |
| LOA | 30 feet 6 inches (9.30 m) |
| LWL | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
| Beam | 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | Keelboat |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 188 square feet (17.5 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 103 square feet (9.6 m2) |
| Spinnaker area | 400 square feet (37 m2) |
History
In 1965, Yachting Magazine launched a competition to select a new three man Olympic keelboat. E. W. "Skip" Etchells, a boat designer, builder and sailor, was interested in the competition, but refrained from producing a design until the trials were announced. However, once the details became available, he built the wooden Shillalah, taking her to Kiel, Germany, where the trials were to be held in the fall of 1966.[1] [2]
Shillalah performed well at the trials, winning eight of the ten races. Nevertheless, the judges were unable to agree on a winner, and thus a second set of trials were held in Travemünde the following year. For these trials Etchells rebuilt the boat in fiberglass, using the original Shillalah as a plug. As with the first trials, Shillalah II (as the new boat was named) dominated the races, winning ten out of the thirteen that were held, and only just missing out on an eleventh.[1]
At the completion of the trials the judges chose the Soling over Shillalah II, in spite of her success in the races. However, the boat's performance had won converts, and shortly thereafter the boat entered production with orders for an initial 12 boats. With the formation of a new association the class became known as the E22, and 32 boats were built by Etchells' company by the end of 1969.[1]
Description
The class was known as E22 until the name was changed to Etchells in 1990. Over the years, the Etchells has become increasingly popular and is now raced by members of more than fifty fleets around the world.
The Etchells is a fast, stable racing sloop that can be raced competitively and safely by three or four sailors. She can tack in 70 degrees and is extremely sensitive to subtle adjustments in tuning and trim. She has a sleek hull with relatively little wetted surface area, which allows her to move well in the lightest breeze. In heavier winds, she absolutely flies. Her sail plan includes a main, jib, and spinnaker.
The class's strict one-design principles were established in the late 1960s and are controlled today by a strong, well-managed class association. The class and the International Sailing Federation maintain tight control of the construction of these yachts, ensuring the high quality and uniformity of each Etchells built. The one-design principles help the Etchells hold her resale value exceptionally well.
The Etchells is a fiberglass boat with aluminum spars; it has no electrical systems or auxiliary power. It is trailerable and light enough to drysail. The materials and techniques used in her construction make her easy to maintain and repair.
Events
World Championships
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
1975 Marblehead 26 Boats |
US 152 |
US 141 |
US 92 |
| 1976 Newport 32 Boats |
US 62 - Big Red |
US 152 - Noni |
KA 16 - Manatee.svg.png){kind=small} |
| 1977 Palm Beech 42 Boats |
KA 68 |
KA 59 |
KA 85 |
| 1978 Balboa ? Boats |
US 355 Robert McCann Robbie Haines |
US 136 John Nystedt |
US 92 Dick Kaseler James Hardenbaugh |
1979 Toronto.svg.png){kind=small} 45 Boats |
KA 98 |
US 466 Bob McCann Peter Warren |
US 355 Brooks Benjamin Scott Ramser |
| 1980 Brighton 35 Boats |
KA 59 |
US 466 |
KA 98 |
| 1981 Marblehead 69 Boats |
US 500 Bob McCann Jamie Hardenburgh| |
KA 59 R Coxon R Lawson |
US 125 Richard Lavelli Chris Drake |
| 1982 San Francisco 41 Boats |
US 500 Bruce Dyson Jamie Hardenburgh |
US 273 Russ Silvestri Craig Lyons |
KA 148 Phil Smidmore Colin Bate |
| 1983 Rye ? Boats |
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| 1984 Sydney ? Boats |
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| 1985 Balboa ? Boats |
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| 1986 Toronto ? Boats |
US - Firing Line |
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| 1987 Marblehead ? Boats |
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| 1988 Newport ? Boats |
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| 1989 San Diego ? Boats |
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| 1990 Fremantle ? Boats |
K Billingham Hanson |
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| 1991 San Francisco 38 Boats |
US 873 Bill Munster Norm Reynolds |
US 706 Bob Billingham Bob Fodor |
US 528 Jorge Lee Jeff Wayne |
| 1992 Larchmont 66 Boats |
US 909 - Whip |
KC 54 - Boat Larry Creaser Gavin Flinn |
US 790 - Lunkmeyer Buras Rosenburg |
| 1993 Brisbane 78 Boats |
AUS 326 - The Boat |
AUS 294 - Golden Parachute Ian Brown Barry Watson John Dorling |
AUS 348 - Two Saints and a Magpie John Bertrand Bill Browne Ernest Lawrence |
| 1994 Balboa ? Boats |
USA Rodi Jarvin |
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| 1995 Brighton ? Boats |
Colin Beashel Giles Uechtritz |
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| 1996 Cowes 64 Boats |
GBR 117 |
USA 63 |
AUS 384 |
1997 30 Boats |
DEN 1067 Paul Blowers |
AUS 372 Richard Uechtritz David Giles |
AUS 379 Nick Williams Wayne Johnson |
| 1998 Marblehead ? Boats |
CAN 69 Dirk Kneulman Paul Sustronk Alan Harvey |
NZL 300 Brad Butterworth Mat Mason |
USA 1073 Peter Duncan Bill Barton Tom Blackwell |
| 1999 Pittwater 68 Boats |
AUS 420 Cameron Miles James Mayo Andrew Palfrey |
AUS 424 Ian Walker Nick Williams Matt Wenke |
AUS 337 Peter McNeil Bill Wawn James Mayjor |
| 2000 San Diego Boats 74 |
Vince Brun Bill Bennett Rick Merriman |
USA 986 Jon Rogers Mike Dorgan |
USA 706 Steve Grillion Artie Means |
| 2001 Lymington Boats 61 |
GBR 987 Nick Pearson |
AUS 1187 James Mayjor |
GBR 1195 |
2002 Gulf Harbour 98 Boats |
GBR 987 Roger Marino |
AUS 874 [ Mike O'Brien Gary Adshead |
AUS 650 |
| 2003 Greenwich 83 Boats |
USA 1262 Scott Norris Karl Anderson |
USA 1221 Henry Frazer Andrew Wills |
AUS 1271 [ James Mayjor |
| 2004 Mooloolaba ? Boats |
AUS Paul Turner Greg Torpy |
AUS Chris Links David Sampson |
AUS Steve Young Jake Gunther |
| 2005 Richmond ? Boats |
USA Bill Mauk Jeff Linton Diego González |
USA Brian Lee Jeff Madngali Adrian Finglas |
AUS |
| 2006 Fremantle ? Boats |
USA Dirk Kneulman Andrew Wills Thomas Saunders |
NZL David Ridley Carl Peters Derek Scott |
Ante Razmilovic|GBR} Jez Fanstone Stuart Flinn |
| 2007 Cowes ? Boats |
GBR Oscar Strugstad Simon Fry |
USA David McClintock Steve Girling |
GBR Jez Fanstone Stuart Flinn |
| 2008 Chicago ? Boats |
USA Erik Shampain Steve Hunt Jennifer Wilson |
USA Chad Hough Chuck Sinks Peter Burton |
USA Henry Frazer James Porter |
| 2009 Melbourne ? Boats |
AUS Matthew Chew Paul Wyatt Bucky Smith |
AUS Simon Cunnington James Ware Andrew Butler |
AUS |
2010 Dublin  43 Boats |
AUS 1383 - Triad |
HKG 1333 - Swedish Blue |
AUS 924 - Barry |
| 2011 San Diego ? Boats |
USA Steve Hunt Mandi Markee Craig Leweck |
AUS Anthony Nossiter William McCarthy |
USA Benjamin Mitchell Bradley Rodi Johannes McElvain |
| 2012 Sydney 75 Boats |
AUS 925- Iron Lotus Ivan Wheen Owen McMahon David Edwards |
AUS 947 - Magpie |
AUS 1383- Triad |
2013 41 Boats |
USA - The Martian |
USA - Raging Rooster Thomas Blackwell |
GBR - Swedish Blue |
| 2014 Newport ? Boats |
USA - Line Honors |
GBR - Swedish Blue |
USA - The Martian Steve Hunt Ezra Culver |
| 2015 43 Boats |
USA 1372 Skip Dieball Jon McClean Jeff Eiber |
USA 1262 George Peet Luke Lawrence Meihan Cheung |
AUS 947 Graeme Taylor Steve Jarvin |
| 2016 Cowes 58 Boats |
AUS 1383 John Bertrand Paul Blowers Ben Lamb |
USA 1262 Stephen Benjamin Michael Menninger Ian Liberty George Peet |
SIN 1333 Noel Drennan Brian Hammersley Andrew Mills |
| 2017 San Francisco 51 Boats |
USA 1427 Dave Hughes Ian Liberty Michael Menninger |
AUS 947 Graeme Taylor James Mayo Steve Jarvin |
USA 1349 Senet Bischoff Ben Kinney Clay Bischoff |
| 2018 Brisbane 94 Boats |
AUS 1449 Sean O'Rourke Julian Plante |
HKG 1406 Mike Huang Alexander Conway |
AUS 864 Brian Donovan Ben Vercoe Ashley Deeks |
| 2019 Corpus Christi, Texas 37 Boats |
AUS 1461 Havoc |
AUS 1447 Magpie James Mayo |
USA 1427 Stella Blue Michael Menninger Ian Liberty Jonathan Goldsberry |
An up-to-date list of Etchells World Championship winners is available at: http://www.etchells.org/racing/champions
Famous Etchells sailors
- Jack Etchells English Sailor
- Dirk Kneulman
- John Bertrand
- Dennis Conner
- Gary Jobson
- Peter Coleman
- Russell Coutts
- Dave Curtis
- Poul Richard Høj Jensen
- Jud Smith
References
- "A Brief History of the Etchells Class". Etchells (International Association). Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- "Etchells Class in Australia". International Etchells Class Association of Australia Inc. Retrieved 16 April 2010.