Etchells
 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) |
The International Etchells Class is a racing class of one-design sailing boats.
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 |  Randy Bartholomew |
||
| 1976 Newport | David Curtis Bob Danforth |
||
| 1977 Newport |  Frank Tolhurst |
||
| 1978 Balboa | David Curtis |
||
| 1979 Toronto | John Savage |
||
| 1980 Brighton | Peter O'Donnell |
||
| 1981 Marblehead | David Curtis |
||
| 1982 San Francisco | David Curtis |
||
| 1983 Rye | David Curtis |
||
| 1984 Sydney | Iain Murray |
||
| 1985 Balboa | David Curtis |
||
| 1986 Toronto | Bruce Burton |
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| 1987 Marblehead | Bruce Burton |
||
| 1988 Newport | John Savage |
||
| 1989 San Diego | Larry Klein |
||
| 1990 Fremantle |  Chris Law |
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| 1991 San Francisco | Dennis Conner |
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| 1992 Larchmont | David Curtis |
||
| 1993 Brisbane | Colin Beashel |
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| 1994 Balboa | Dennis Conner |
||
| 1995 Brighton | Colin Beashel |
||
| 1996 Cowes | Adam Gosling |
||
| 1997 Hong Kong |  Poul Richard Høj Jensen |
||
| 1998 Marblehead |  Dirk Kneulman |
||
| 1999 Pittwater | Cameron Miles |
||
| 2000 San Diego | Vince Brun |
||
| 2001 Lymington | Stuart Childerley Simon Russel Nick Pearson |
Cameron Miles Phil Smidmore James Mayjor |
Poul Richard Høj Jensen Paul Blowers Steve Mitchell |
| 2002 Gulf Harbour | Stuart Childerley Simon Russel Roger Marino |
Mark Bradford Mike O'Brien Gary Adshead |
Cameron Miles Phil Smidmore James Mayjor |
| 2003 Greenwich | Ken Read Scott Norris Karl Anderson |
Jud Smith Henry Frazer Andrew Wills |
Cameron Miles Phil Smidmore James Mayjor |
| 2004 Mooloolaba | Peter McNeill Paul Turner Greg Torpy |
Cameron Miles Chris Links David Sampson |
Glenn Collings Steve Young Jake Gunther |
| 2005 Richmond | Tito González Bill Mauk Jeff Linton Diego González |
Samuel Kahn Brian Lee Jeff Madngali Adrian Finglas |
Iain Murray George Szabo Andrew Palfrey |
| 2006 Fremantle | Jud Smith Dirk Kneulman Andrew Wills Thomas Saunders |
 Alastair Gair David Ridley Carl Peters Derek Scott |
Ante Razmilovic Jez Fanstone Stuart Flinn |
| 2007 Cowes | Andy Beadsworth Oscar Strugstad Simon Fry |
Jud Smith David McClintock Steve Girling |
Ante Razmilovic Jez Fanstone Stuart Flinn |
| 2008 Chicago | Bill Hardesty Erik Shampain Steve Hunt Jennifer Wilson |
Chris Busch Chad Hough Chuck Sinks Peter Burton |
Judson Smith Henry Frazer James Porter |
| 2009 Melbourne | |||
| 2010 Dublin | |||
| 2011 San Diego | |||
| 2012 Sydney | Tom King Ivan Wheen Owen McMahon David Edwards |
|
|
| 2013 Italy | Marvin Beckmann Steven Hunt Ezra Culver |
Peter S. Duncan Jud Smith Thomas Blackwell |
Ante Razmilovic Chris Larson Stuart Flinn |
| 2014 Newport | Bill Hardesty Taylor Canfield Stephanie Roble Marcus Eeagan |
Ante Razmilovic Chris Larson Stuart Flinn |
Marvin Beckmann Steve Hunt Ezra Culver |
| 2015 Hong Kong | |||
| 2016 Cowes | |||
| 2017 San Francisco |
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
- 1 2 3 "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.