International Etchells South Coast Championship

06/29/2021

Saturday morning dawned sunny and windless as competitors from 17 boats made their way down to the docks. Thankfully, a message from the race committee confirmed the breeze was filling in and the forecasted 8-12kts arrived just in time for Race 1.

CCCA Keelboat Champs 1 15/16th May

06/01/2021

This year’s first Keelboat Champs event run by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, with an excellent race team headed by Jenny Woods, fierce competition and treacherous winds as the five Etchells Youth Academy teams battled it out on the water for the two coveted funded campaigns. The youth teams got a humbling taste of the class as they were joined by 10 other boats on the water. With incredibly challenging conditions all weekend, every team gave a fantastic show on the water

Round up from the UK Fleet

04/23/2021

World J70 Champion Joins the Etchells Fleet

The current J70 World Champion, Paul Ward, has bought a Heritage Etchells to campaign for the Cowes Etchells Worlds in 2022. He follows closely on the heels of two-time World Champion, Stuart Childerley, who launched his new Heritage Etchells last year.

2021 Bedrock Trophy

04/19/2021

The first event of the Cowes Etchells fleet 2021 season was the Bedrock Trophy organised by the Royal Thames Yacht Club held over the weekend of the 17/18th April. All competitors were glad for the opportunity to go racing after months of lockdown and no sailing. A strong entry of 14 Etchells meant that there would be some stiff competition for the first event of the season.

Stars Align for Jolly Roger at British Etchells Championships

11/04/2019

The Etchells British Open and National Champion for 2019 is Jolly Roger sailed by Tom Abery, Bruno van Dyke, Matt Reid, Dom Mortimer and Quentin Bes Green. The 2019 Corinthian National Champion is Audrey sailed by Jon Warwick, Will Bedford, Adele Young and Will Heritage, who have all come through the Cowes Etchells Youth Programme. The first youth team at the championship was the Royal Dart YC team of Miles Jones, Fraser Woodley and James Homes.

The International Etchells South Coast Championship 2019

07/29/2019

Over the weekend 26/27th July, the 2019 Etchells South Coast Championships were held in Cowes and organised by the Royal Thames Yacht Club

Saturday morning’s racing started in a 12 to 14 knot breeze from the north and, while it was forecast to increase, that didn’t happen. Unfortunately as the wind was shifting so much, it took 45 minutes before the first start could actually happen, as the committee struggled to lay a fair line.

International Etchells Cowes Fleet Sir Kenneth Preston Regatta

05/28/2019

This weekend saw the 25th year of the Sir Kenneth Preston Trophy; in memory of the retired Vice Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron and captain of the 1960 British Olympic sailing team. Previous notable recipients of the prize (and who feature on the plaque in the Squadron) are Stuart Childerley and three times winner Laurence Mead.

This year’s event saw fourteen Etchells entered, and three youth teams. This is in keeping with Sir Kenneth Preston's personal aim to support young sailors.

Cowes Etchells Fleet race for the Royal Thames Saida Cup, June 7/8 2014

06/10/2014

Thunderstorms and rain were forecast for the Saturdays Racing, luckily they were all over by 9 AM , so the 12 crews and race officials enjoyed 2 days of Solent in the Sunshine.

To get to the start of Hill Head the SW breeze gave the boats a great Spinnaker run across the Solent for the 11.00 start, only to die away at 10.45 before blowing a 12kt Easterly, but Jamie Clark the RTYC PRO wasn't fooled, waiting till the wind switched back to a 10Kt SW after 30 minutes or so in order to race the fleet in the tidal shelter on the Knoll plateau.

Race 1 saw Peter Rogers Highlife GBR 1331 lead a densely packed fleet to the first mark and hold his lead on the 2 lap course as the first 6 boats all finished in less than 50 seconds behind him, while “first race” boat handling errors and mark rounding incidents stretched the other 6 boats a little further behind.

Etchells Bedrock Challenge Trophy 3-5 May 2014

05/07/2014

Twelve Etchells competed for in the first classic Etchells Regatta of the year. The Bedrock Challenge Trophy is a 3-day 9-race series for a cup presented by double world champion Stuart Childerley. But it took a day and a half to get going as high pressure dominated the Solent. On day one the boats were towed out and then towed in again although there was enough breeze to sail, it was unstable and insufficient to race against the tide.  It was disappointing, but the Etchells were luckier than the many cross- channel racers who were stuck out at sea that weekend with no breeze - at least the Etchells sailors could retire to port and a comfy bed!

Cowes Spring Series Final Weekend Report

04/30/2014

After winning the first of these weekends Shaun Frohlich’s Exabyte, with stalwart crew of David Bedford and Duncan Truswell, scored two firsts, two seconds, and a third to be crowned Etchells Spring Series Champion of 2014.

UK Etchells Youth Selection Trials Results

03/19/2014

After competitive trials involving seven teams racing one design Etchells in the Solent on 15/16 March, three teams of youths aged 18 to 25 have been chosen to race in the 24 boat Cowes Etchells Fleet on fully funded yachts.

This is the third year of these trials backed by the RYA and UKSA British Keelboat Academy which has seen over 90 young and talented sailors race on the boats. The winning teams will race in the active Etchells programme, including the local SCRA races, Cowes Week, and Nationals and Europeans in Weymouth in September as an early build up for the Etchells Weymouth  Worlds in 2016.

RYA & UK Etchells Class promotion of youth keelboat sailors

01/30/2014

With the continuation of a very successful initiative which commenced in 2012, young sailors who aspire to race one design keelboats at the highest level are being given a unique chance to apply to take custody of a number of fully race prepared Etchells, 30ft keelboats, completely free of charge for most of the 2014 racing season.

Etchells at Cowes Week 2013

11/02/2013

You know it's been a tight regatta when 4 boats enter the last race with a chance of winning overall. You know its been a tight final race when 5 boats led at one stage or another and all 4 of the overall leaders were at one time in regatta winning positions and its not until half way up the last beat that the winners can start grinning. So it was with the Etchell class at Cowes Week 2013, one design keel boat racing at its very best. As important for the class was the fact that of the 8 sailors crewing the top 2 boats on the last morning, 7 were under 25 and on the next two boats women had been integral members of the crew throughout the week. 18 entries also made this a strong showing from one of the Solents most competitive one-design fleets.