Etchells
The International Etchells Class is a racing class of one-design sailing boats, designed by American Skip Etchells.[1]
 | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | E. W. Etchells |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1966 |
| Builder(s) | Bashford Boat Builders Sydney Yachts Pamcraft Ontario Yachts Robertson and Sons Ltd. David Heritage Racing Yachts Petticrows Limited |
| Boat | |
| Boat weight | 3,325 lb (1,508 kg) |
| Draft | 4.50 ft (1.37 m) |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass |
| LOA | 30.50 ft (9.30 m) |
| LWL | 22.00 ft (6.71 m) |
| Beam | 7.00 ft (2.13 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | fin keel |
| Ballast | 2,175 lb (987 kg) |
| Rudder(s) | skeg-mounted rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| I foretriangle height | 27.60 ft (8.41 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 8.00 ft (2.44 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 32.50 ft (9.91 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 11.50 ft (3.51 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional rigged sloop |
| Mainsail area | 186.88 sq ft (17.362 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 110.40 sq ft (10.256 m2) |
| Total sail area | 297.28 sq ft (27.618 m2) |
Production
The first 36 boats were built by Skip Etchells and the Old Greenwich Boat Company between 1967 to 1969.[2] In the early 1970s Skip Etchells finished hulls which were moulded for him by Tillotson-Pearson.[2]
Since being established as a one-design class, boats have been built by numerous other manufacturers, including Bashford Boat Builders (later known as Sydney Yachts), Pamcraft and Phil Smidmore (trading as Pacesetter Etchells PTY.) in Australia,[3][4] Ontario Yachts in Canada, and Robertson and Sons Ltd., David Heritage Racing Yachts and Petticrows Limited, all in the United Kingdom.[1]
Mold 11 controversy
In 2010, the International Etchells Class Association of Australia was granted permission to build a new mold for the production of Etchells hulls.[5] At the time there were three other molds being used - mold #8 was used by Ontario Yachts; mold #9 by Bashford and then Smidmore; Heritage and Petticrows used mold #10.[5]
The three existing molds were made from the same plug, but 3D scans made by the One Design Technical Committee (ODTC) between 2005 and 2008 showed variations between the hulls they produced, and ODTC had since expressed the desire to standardise on a single hull form which would be used in the production of all future molds.[5][6]
The Australian Association proposed basing the new mold on the Heritage one[5] - this would ensure hull conformity between the two manufacturers, and supposed that Ontario Yachts would adopt the same shape when replacing their mold in the future. Instead permission was granted to produce a mold based on the ODTC's 3D scanning data,[5] an average or composite of the three existing hull forms that made up the majority of the worldwide racing fleets; the existent data was not complete enough for this, and further scanning was required.[5]
The mold was licensed to Pacesetter Yachts and used to manufacture 24[7] or 25[5] hulls over a period of about a decade. Although the ODTC expressed concern about a scan of the second hull produced by the new mold, a report by the Etchells Class Chief Measurer stated "The Etchells made from Mould 11 are in every way an Etchells in accordance with the Etchells Class Rules, Tolerances and Specifications."[5]
It was not until Australian success at the 2019 Etchells World Championship that questions were raised about the hulls produced by mold #11, and in 2021 the newly-elected International Governing Committee (IGC) of the International Etchells Class Association (IECA) declared that boats built with it were "effectively not Etchells Class yachts" and ineligible to compete in the class.[7][8]
The justification for this decision was that mold #11 had never been approved by World Sailing,[7] but it also claimed "It has … been discovered by scans and floatation tests of boats from all three moulds that M11 produces boats which have a longer water line, less rocker, are flatter in the middle and fuller in the ends. The differences are material, far greater than can be explained away by minor variances due to manufacturing tolerances."[9][8]
The IGC statement implied that the Australian Association were responsible for the differences, that mold #11 was "produced … by massaging scan data which came from the official plug, obviating the need to ship the plug to Australia", that "the method approved by the IGC" had not been followed, and that it was a "deviation" from the class rules.[8] The president of the International Etchells Class Association of Australia called this "a distorted, misleading and biased view of the facts… in many material respects grossly wrong."[10]
It emerged that the class association and World Sailing had no records of approval of molds #8, #9 and #10, thus calling into doubt the entitlement of other boats to compete in the class - boats from all current Etchells builders would be affected, including those from Ontario Yachts and David Heritage.[7] On 30 September, owners of mold #11 boats wrote to the International Etchells Class Association demanding they reverse their decision or apply it equally to the other boats.[7]
On 9 October 2021 World Sailing CEO David Graham, in a letter to the International Etchells Class Association, stated that there are clear issues with Mould 11, that World Sailing has no record of any approval of Mould 11, that measurement alone does not make a boat an Etchells, that it appears Mould 11 is materially different from other moulds and plugs, and that all hulls from Mould 11 have in fact been produced by Innovation Composites, rather than Pacesetter Yachts, which means they have been built by an unauthorised builder. Graham also noted that if Pacesetter Yachts had subcontracted the building of the boats, or transferred tooling, to another party, then Pacesetter Yachts was in breach of its licence.
Design
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.[2][11]
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.[2]
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.[2] The E22 was recognised as an International class by the International Yacht Racing Union in 1974,[12] and the name was changed to "International Etchells" in 1990.[12]
The Etchells is a racing keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, a raised counter reverse transom, a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel. It displaces 3,325 lb (1,508 kg) and carries 2,175 lb (987 kg) of lead ballast.[1]
The boat has a draft of 4.50 ft (1.37 m) with the standard keel.[1]
Designed for racer and day sailing, the boat has a small cuddy cabin without bunks, designed for stowage only.[13]
For sailing the boat has a central control console that gathers many of the sail controls. These include the 8:1 mechanical advantage jib halyard, 4:1 Cunningham, 4:1 mainsheet, foreguy and the topping lift. Other controls are led to the cuddy cabin's aft bulkhead, including the 2:1 course jib sheet, 6:1 fine jib tuner, 2:1 barber hauler and the spinnaker halyard. There is also a 6:1 adjustable backstay and a mainsheet traveler.[13]
Operational history
World Championship
Ref:[14]
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | |
|---|---|---|---|
1975 Marblehead United States26 Boats |
US 152 Randy Bartholomew (USA) |
US 141 George Hinman (USA) William Kelly (USA) |
US 92 Peter Godfrey (USA) |
| 1976 Newport United States 32 Boats |
US 62 - Big Red David Curtis (USA) Bob Danforth (USA) |
US 152 - Noni J.R. Bartholomew (USA) |
KA 16 - Manatee.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bruce J. Ritchie (AUS) |
| 1977 Palm Beech Australia 42 Boats |
KA 68 Frank Tolhurst (AUS) Norman Hyett (AUS) John Stanley (AUS) |
KA 59 Peter O'Donnell (AUS) |
KA 85 Carl Ryves (AUS) |
| 1978 Balboa United States ? Boats |
US 355 David Curtis (USA) Robert McCann Robbie Haines |
US 136 Rick Howard (USA) Jud Smith (USA) John Nystedt |
US 92 Peter Godfrey (USA) Dick Kaseler James Hardenbaugh |
1979 Toronto.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada45 Boats |
KA 98 John Savage (AUS) Steve Wheeler (AUS) Andrew Buckland (AUS) |
US 466 David Curtis (USA) Bob McCann Peter Warren |
US 355 Tim Hogan (USA) Brooks Benjamin Scott Ramser |
| 1980 Brighton Australia 35 Boats |
KA 59 Peter O'Donnell (AUS) |
US 466 David Curtis (USA) |
KA 98 J.Savage (AUS) |
| 1981 Marblehead United States 69 Boats |
US 500 David Curtis (USA) Bob McCann Jamie Hardenburgh| |
KA 59 Peter O'Donnell (AUS) R Coxon R Lawson |
US 125 Don Bever (USA) Richard Lavelli Chris Drake |
| 1982 San Francisco United States 41 Boats |
US 500 David Curtis (USA) Bruce Dyson Jamie Hardenburgh |
US 273 Ben Altman (USA) Russ Silvestri Craig Lyons |
KA 148 Barry Nesbitt (AUS) Phil Smidmore Colin Bate |
| 1983 Rye United States ? Boats |
David Curtis (USA) |
||
| 1984 Sydney Australia ? Boats |
Iain Murray (AUS) |
||
| 1985 Balboa United States ? Boats |
David Curtis (USA) |
||
| 1986 Toronto Canada ? Boats |
US - Firing Line Bruce Burton (USA) Glen Burton (USA) |
||
| 1987 Marblehead United States ? Boats |
Bruce Burton (USA) |
||
| 1988 Newport Australia ? Boats |
John Savage (AUS) |
||
| 1989 San Diego United States ? Boats |
Larry Klein (USA) |
||
| 1990 Fremantle Australia ? Boats |
K Chris Law (GBR)Billingham Hanson |
||
| 1991 San Francisco Australia 38 Boats |
US 873 Dennis Conner (USA) Bill Munster Norm Reynolds |
US 706 Peter Isler (USA) Bob Billingham Bob Fodor |
US 528 Jeff Madrigall (USA) Jorge Lee Jeff Wayne |
| 1992 Larchmont United States 66 Boats |
US 909 - Whip David Curtis (USA) Jamie Hardenburgh Tom Olsen |
KC 54 - Boat Eric Koppernaes (CAN) Larry Creaser Gavin Flinn |
US 790 - Lunkmeyer Larry Klein (USA) Buras Rosenburg |
| 1993 Brisbane Australia 78 Boats |
AUS 326 - The Boat Colin Beashel (AUS) David Hiles (AUS) Richard Urchtritz (AUS) |
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 United States ? Boats |
USA Dennis Conner (USA) Rodi Jarvin |
||
| 1995 Brighton Australia ? Boats |
Australia Colin Beashel Giles Uechtritz |
||
| 1996 Cowes Great Britain 64 Boats |
GBR 117 Adam Gosling (GBR) David Howlett (GBR) Mark Covell (GBR) |
USA 63 Jud Smith (USA) |
AUS 384 Peter Conde (AUS) |
1997 Hong Kong30 Boats |
DEN 1067 Poul Richard Høj Jensen (DEN)Paul Blowers Steve Mitchell (GBR) |
AUS 372 Colin Beashel (AUS) Richard Uechtritz David Giles |
AUS 379 Noel Drennan (AUS) Nick Williams Wayne Johnson |
| 1998 Marblehead United States ? Boats |
CAN 69 Dirk Kneulman Paul Sustronk Alan Harvey |
NZL 300 Russell Coutts (AUS) Brad Butterworth Mat Mason |
USA 1073 Peter Duncan Bill Barton Tom Blackwell |
| 1999 Pittwater Australia 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 United States Boats 74 |
Vince Brun Bill Bennett Rick Merriman |
USA 986 Bruce Nelson (USA) Jon Rogers Mike Dorgan |
USA 706 Peter Isler (USA) Steve Grillion Artie Means |
| 2001 Lymington Great Britain Boats 61 |
GBR 987 Stuart Childerley (GBR) Simon Russel (GBR) Nick Pearson |
AUS 1187 Cameron Miles (AUS) Phil Smidmore (AUS) James Mayjor |
GBR 1195 Poul Richard Høj Jensen (DEN) Paul Blowers (GBR) Steve Mitchell (GBR) |
2002 Gulf Harbour New Zealand98 Boats |
GBR 987 Stuart Childerley (GBR) Simon Russel (GBR) Roger Marino |
AUS 874 [ Mark Bradford (AUS)Mike O'Brien Gary Adshead |
AUS 650 Cameron Miles (AUS) Phil Smidmore (AUS) James Mayjor (AUS) |
| 2003 Greenwich United States 83 Boats |
USA 1262 Ken Read (USA) Scott Norris Karl Anderson |
USA 1221 Jud Smith (USA) Henry Frazer Andrew Wills |
AUS 1271 [Cameron Miles]] (AUS) [ Phil Smidmore (AUS)James Mayjor |
| 2004 Mooloolaba Australia ? Boats |
AUS Peter McNeill (AUS) Paul Turner Greg Torpy |
AUS Cameron Miles (AUS) Chris Links David Sampson |
AUS Glenn Collings (AUS) Steve Young Jake Gunther |
| 2005 Richmond United States ? Boats |
USA Tito González (USA) Bill Mauk Jeff Linton Diego González |
USA Samuel Kahn (USA) Brian Lee Jeff Madngali Adrian Finglas |
AUS Iain Murray (AUS) George Szabo (USA) Andrew Palfrey (AUS) |
| 2006 Fremantle Australia ? Boats |
USA Jud Smith (USA) Dirk Kneulman Andrew Wills Thomas Saunders |
NZL Alastair Gair (NZL) David Ridley Carl Peters Derek Scott |
Ante Razmilovic|GBR} Jez Fanstone Stuart Flinn |
| 2007 Cowes Great Britain ? Boats |
GBR Andy Beadsworth (GBR) Oscar Strugstad Simon Fry |
USA Jud Smith (USA) David McClintock Steve Girling |
GBR Ante Razmilovic (GBR) Jez Fanstone Stuart Flinn |
| 2008 Chicago United States ? Boats |
USA Bill Hardesty (USA) Erik Shampain Steve Hunt Jennifer Wilson |
USA Chris Busch (USA) Chad Hough Chuck Sinks Peter Burton |
USA Judson Smith (USA) Henry Frazer James Porter |
| 2009 Melbourne Australia ? Boats |
AUS Jason Muir (AUS) Matthew Chew Paul Wyatt Bucky Smith |
AUS Damien King (AUS) Simon Cunnington James Ware Andrew Butler |
AUS John Bertrand (AUS) Andrew Palfrey (AUS) Ben Ainslie (GBR) |
2010 Dublin  Ireland 43 Boats |
AUS 1383 - Triad John Bertrand (AUS) Andrew Palfrey (AUS) Tom Slingsby (AUS) |
HKG 1333 - Swedish Blue Ante Razmilovic (GBR) |
AUS 924 - Barry D King (AUS) S Cunnington (AUS) |
| 2011 San Diego United States ? Boats |
USA Bill Hardesty (USA) Steve Hunt Mandi Markee Craig Leweck |
AUS Noel Drennan (AUS) Anthony Nossiter William McCarthy |
USA Vincent Brun (USA) Benjamin Mitchell Bradley Rodi Johannes McElvain |
| 2012 Sydney Australia 75 Boats |
AUS 925- Iron Lotus Tom King (AUS) Ivan Wheen Owen McMahon David Edwards |
AUS 947 - Magpie Graeme Taylor (AUS) |
AUS 1383- Triad John Bertrand (AUS) |
2013 Italy41 Boats |
USA - The Martian Marvin Beckmann (USA) Steven Hunt (USA) Ezra Culver (USA) |
USA - Raging Rooster Peter S. Duncan (USA) Jud Smith (USA) Thomas Blackwell |
GBR - Swedish Blue Ante Razmilovic (GBR) Chris Larson (USA) Stuart Flinn (GBR) |
| 2014 Newport United States ? Boats |
USA - Line Honors Bill Hardesty (USA) Taylor Canfield (ISV) Stephanie Roble (USA) Marcus Eeagan (USA) |
GBR - Swedish Blue Ante Razmilovic (GBR) Chris Larson (USA) Stuart Flinn (GBR) |
USA - The Martian Marvin Beckmann (USA) Steve Hunt Ezra Culver |
| 2015 Hong Kong 43 Boats |
USA 1372 Skip Dieball Jon McClean Jeff Eiber |
USA 1262 Steve Benjamin (USA) George Peet Luke Lawrence Meihan Cheung |
AUS 947 Graeme Taylor Grant Simmer (USA)Steve Jarvin |
| 2016 Cowes Great Britain 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 United States 51 Boats |
USA 1427 Steve Benjamin (USA) Dave Hughes Ian Liberty Michael Menninger |
AUS 947 Graeme Taylor James Mayo Steve Jarvin |
USA 1349 Senet Bischoff Ben Kinney Clay Bischoff |
| 2018 Brisbane Australia 94 Boats |
AUS 1449 Martin Hill (AUS) Sean O'Rourke Julian Plante Mathew Belcher (AUS) |
HKG 1406 Mark Thornburrow (AUS) Mike Huang Alexander Conway Will Ryan (AUS) |
AUS 864 Matthew Chew (AUS) Brian Donovan Ben Vercoe Ashley Deeks |
| 2019 Corpus Christi, Texas United States 37 Boats |
AUS 1461 Havoc Iain Murray (AUS) Colin Beashel (AUS) Richard Allanson (AUS) |
AUS 1447 Magpie Graeme Taylor (AUS) James Mayo Tom Slingsby (AUS) |
USA 1427 Stella Blue Steve Benjamin (USA) Michael Menninger Ian Liberty Jonathan Goldsberry |
Famous Etchells sailors
References
- McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Etchells Class sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- "A Brief History of the Etchells Class". Etchells (International Association). Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- "A Brief History of the Etchells Class". sail-world.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- "Former World Champ secures Etchells Pre-Worlds". 2018etchellsworlds.org. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
Iron Lotus (AUS 1442) is one of the new Pacesetter Etchells built by Australia II crew member, Phil Smidmore.
- Mark Roberts (1 February 2021). "NEWS - Information about the Etchells Mould 11". etchells.org.au. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- One Design Technical Committee. "Hull Documentation and Specification Project" (PDF). etchells.org. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- John Curnow (8 October 2021). "Etchells – Just which one is the cheater boat now?". sail-world.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- Cumming, Andy (22 January 2021). "Message From Class Chairman, Andy Cumming". etchells.org. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- "Future of Etchells Class in the balance". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- Mark Roberts. "An important message from the President of the Australian Association" (PDF). sailingscuttlebutt.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- "Etchells Class in Australia". International Etchells Class Association of Australia Inc. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- "Etchells". boatgen.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 134-135. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65239-1
- International Etchells Class Association (2021). "World Champions". etchells.org. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
External links
Media related to Etchells at Wikimedia Commons