Cowes WINTER NEWSLETTER 2010

Happy New Year! Another sailing year, whilst not just around the corner is at least on the distant horizon!!! 
With that I hope you will be thinking about sailing your Etchells again (or for the first time in a while if you didn’t get out much in 2009!!!) as the class has a great season ahead of us and this is an important year, as we rebuild with a new round of owners in the class. 
We had a very good season in 2009. Although we were short of boats on some race weekends, every key one-design weekend was well attended and very hard fought, with 3 regatta’s going down to last race deciders. Big winners were Stephen Bailey, Graham Bailey and David Heritage sailing Arbitrator (GBR1352) who won most of the Solent fleet racing and for their trouble took home the Fortitude Trophy, kindly donated by Ted Fort and scored under a system devised by Hong Kong Etchell sailor Jamie McWilliam which scores every race of the season, and every regatta under a weighting formula. For the 4^th year in a row Arbitrator took the title of Cowes Week winners as well and they remain the Solent hot shots!
Further north we were delighted to see a Northern Area Championship on our class schedule again and this will be repeated in 2010. Last year this regatta was sailed immediately before the European Championships which were held in the same venue. In 2010 the Europeans are in Italy and being run with great enthusiasm by Marco and his team. The point is that YOUR class has a circuit of events both nationally and internationally and remains one of the best quality one-design classes in the country / world. Let’s make sure that we all support these regattas as much as we can, as a strong class is one that is sailed nationally and internationally and the Etchells is one of the very few one-design keelboats which can still make that claim. We need to retain that position and to do so your class needs your support. Last year we also had 5 UK boats in Melbourne for the Worlds with 2 top overall 10 finishers (Stuart Childerly in 5^th and Laurence Mead in 9^th) and 2 individual race wins for Rob Goddard from the Solent fleet (The writer would love to have won one!!!!). Your class in the UK is very competitive in a very strong international class, let’s keep it that way!!!
The other big regatta of the year for us was the British National Championships which was won by Laurence Mead, Phil Lawrence and Oscar Mead in Freelance (GBR1339). We had several Irish boats in attendance, a couple of crews from the Mersey fleet and some new blood to the class in the form of Star sailor John Gimson. All in all, a great 2 weekends racing and the format will be repeated this year so that we can fit in the worlds in Dublin and the Europeans in Italy.
Our first four places for the 2010 Dublin worlds were secured by Stephen Bailey, Laurence Mead, Ante Razmilovic and John Gimson in qualifying races through the 09 season.

Onto key dates for 2010! 

First, your class is having its AGM at the Royal Thames YC in Knightsbridge at 1800 hours on Tuesday 12^th January. Please attend if you can or call me beforehand if you can’t make it but have points you would like made in your absence. After the Cowes and British AGM’s there will be food available at RTYC for those that wish to stay on, contact Jan Ford if you would like to take up this option.
Second, the remaining world’s qualifier dates for the Dublin Worlds this summer. The remaining Solent places will be sailed for over the 2 Bank Holiday weekends in May. We don’t yet know how many places we will get but all of them will be sailed for over those 2 weekends. There should be a total of 12 races over those 2 weekends (if we get them all in) and it will be your best 6 to count.  
The third key date is the first weekend of racing in 2010. The Spring Series at RCYC in Cowes is April 10^th and 11^th with the second weekend a fortnight afterwards. This year we are only going to aim for 4 races a day (down from 5 last year) so that we can make the races marginally longer, they will remain short and sharp but just a tad less frantic than last year we hope! These will be the only 2 warm up weekends before the first weekend of the world’s qualifiers so make the most of the sailing opportunity!!!
The calendar this year hasn’t worked out quite as well as we had hoped, because some of the Red Funnel weekends don’t fall quite fortnightly between our one design regattas. Our goal is to have fortnightly racing in Cowes so that we become a class that people sail all the time, not just on key one design weekends. The Red Funnel racing is perfect Etchells sailing, windward leeward courses in the middle of the Solent and it should become part of our regular racing calendar. I know that some people will say it already is, and we do get boats out, but if we can get a good number of boats out for most Red Funnel days then we really will have a class that is once again a stalwart on the Solent scene. Once we achieve that I believe we will start to get lots of new owners as they see our class out regularly and delivering great club racing.  

Where possible, we are going to try and make Saturday starts later in the day and Sunday morning starts earlier so that Saturday arrival into Cowes for the travellers is less stressful and Sunday finishes earlier as this makes the getaway easier and / or will hopefully allow time to be with families after racing. There is a feeling from some competitors that 3 races a day is too much so this is something to talk about at the AGM as well.

There you go, 14 weekends of racing plus Cowes Week. Ideally the Red Funnel weekends would be slightly differently scheduled but I think it still works well as a season’s great racing. PUT THEM IN YOUR DIARY NOW!!!!!!!  select here for download
On that note I am delighted to welcome Steve Tucker to the class, Steve has bought Take 2 and is looking forward to his first foray out in April. 

We have been updating the website and are thinking about what we can use the site for in the coming year. As part of that we want to have a detailed database of email addresses and contact phone numbers, please email to ROBG@ADRIS.CO.UK your details so that we can check our information. 

 Best regards, Laurence Mead, Cowes Fleet Captain.

British Nationals 2009

Tension filled the air even before the crews gathering for the 2^nd weekend of the Etchells British National Championships had come together on the dock on Saturday (October 17^th).  National Championships rightly raise the pressure bar a notch and this one was raised!

After four races on the first weekend Ante Razmilovic, Brian Hammersley and Stuart Flynn already had their eyes on the title, having scored three bullets and a 3^rd. Assuming a discard then the team on “Swedish Blue” were in total control. However, the 3rd place result was part of a "yacht materially prejudiced” claim from Razmilovic after a protest that he had been impeded by the race committee boat during race 2. That had been a 5^th on the water before he was granted re-dress. The pressure started to rise when, on Friday night before the 2nd weekend Razmilovics' nearest challenger, Laurence Mead, had managed to counter protest and had the case re-opened. Were Razmilovic to be put back to 5^th, and if he were to score a result outside of the top ten in any of the last 4 races, then anything was possible. Lots of “if’s”, but the forecast for the 2^nd weekend suggested light and shifty breezes on the Saturday, and perhaps a drift off on the Sunday in beautiful English Autumn sunshine. All to play for perhaps?

Race 1 of the weekend (race 5 of the 8 race series) saw both Razmilovic and Mead start cleanly but by half way up the first beat in a 7 to 12 knot northerly, Richard and David Burrows from Dublin, sailing with Bonny Moody on the bow had moved into the lead from the middle right of the course, while Graham Sunderland (standing in for David Franks on “Elvis”) was coming across the starboard tackers bows from the left corner. The breeze was puffy and shifty, hard to read and seemingly impossible to predict. Andrew Cooper / Mark Powell and Freddie Hall came out of the middle left to be 3^rd with Robert Elliot / Mark Cartwright / Sam Richmond on “Bedrock” also playing the shifts nicely on the left to be 4^th. There wasn't a favoured side, more a need to be on the correct shift at the right time. The top 2 overall were well back, Mead in late single figures, Razmilovic in the tens. Sunderland and Burrows battled round the course with Elvis always just ahead and playing a nice tidal game on the first run to win.

Race 6 got away with the majority of the fleet wanting the right where there was possibly a little more advantageous tide at the bottom of the beat, but it was still primarily a “sail the shifts” race. With 40 seconds to go the fleet were bunched towards the windward end of the line but Razmilovic was a little out of position and found himself to windward of the starboard tack layline and trying to squeeze in between the bunch and the committee boat. Under him was Andrew Cooper fighting for a top 3 overall position to qualify for the 2100 worlds in Dublin, and, with nowhere to go Razmilovic ended up forcing Cooper to let him at the boat with much shouting and hollering from the team on “China White”.

Further down the line Laurence Mead / Phil Lawrence and Oscar Mead on “Freelance” were away cleanly, as were Graham Sunderland, Robert Elliot and Julia Bailey. Towards the leeward end John Gimson was away at good speed (and not going right this time!!). Up the beat, this group were well clear, and it was yet another Etchells master class of trying to find a lane with clear air which left the freedom to tack when the next shift came in. As the lanes got tighter people got popped out the back but at the top mark they were all still in contention and were joined by Chris Torrens / Ron Thompson and Peter Williams sailing “Best Mate” who came in from the right. Razmilovic was in the early teens again after a difficult first beat.

Down the first run it was all about sailing the angles and watching behind for the next puff. Mead got half way down and threw in two quick gybes to keep in pressure and he led at the bottom. Gimson was second and went left at the bottom mark, Elliot third and he went right. Mead tried to cover up the middle by sailing the lifted tack….it was a plan at least!  Rounding well back Razmilovic went hard right and was a speck on the horizon so far to the right hand shore was he. However, this is the where the championship really got tense as a 20 degree right shift bought him back to the leaders in a big way. He was almost crossing the leader at one stage and that surely would have locked up the regatta for him. For about 90 seconds the race leader was in real trouble and Razmilovic looked to be wrapping a tighter hand around the title, but for two things….. First the right hand shift died back and Razmilovic got back to 6^th but not higher. Second, Cooper had flown a red flag for the start line incident and, were he to lose that protest, the championship leader would have to count a 10^th which would hurt significantly.  Tensions were raised again. Mead closed out his covering plan successfully to win from Team Gimson / Eamon O’Nolan on “Take 2” with Elliot adding a 3^rd onto his scorecard to move up the leader board in the battle for Worlds 2010 qualification places.

Race 7 was added to Saturday’s program by PRO Bob Milner on the basis that Sunday night not be race able and the fleet got away in a still very shifty 8 knot northerly. This time Razmilovic aced it from the pin starting nicely at speed. Mead was middle of the line in a lot of space and David Bedford (standing in for Stefano Sabatini) was middle right, also in clear air. Once the fleet was all on port, Bedford had good height on Mead and sailed up to his line despite the breeze clocking left 20 degrees. Razmilovic looked great inside the lift but was always in less pressure and the right hand boats started to extend forward on him. It was one of those days when the boats to leeward and ahead had better pressure and the puffs rolled round the headstays of the boats to windward so that the leeward boats were also sailing higher. With all sailors dream combination of “higher and faster” fully locked in, Bedford led. Mead had no choice but to sail in a high and slow mode to avoid being forced to tack off a 20 degree lift which let Gimson and Burrows roll up to him from the left. This pack were clear of Razmilovic who circulated in 5^th but never looked like he was going to get any higher and Julia Bailey who was nicely on the pace again. Once they rounded the leeward mark Mead tacked quickly onto starboard and proceeded to give Bedford a dose of higher and faster of his own and sailed up to his line and ahead. Gimson had also lost out at the bottom of the beat and Mead was now ahead in the battle for 1^st. Burrows eventually took a slender lead from the right but it was very tense with big holes in the breeze, one of which at the last top mark allowed Mead to round second only a few feet behind Burrows with Gimson just a boat length behind. Mead went for the win, gybing as soon as he had set his spinnaker while Burrows and Gimson stood on a bit before gybing and it was the latter strategy that was correct, as at the end of the run, with the finish line approaching, Mead had fallen back to 3^rd. Bedford finished 4^th with overall leader Razmilovic in 5^th.

Quick maths on the sail back to the dock suggested it was very close at the top. Razmilovic would be leading by one point were he to win the YMP rehearing, Mead would be one point ahead were he to lose and the fly in the ointment was the start line incident which had the potential to give Mead a 3 point advantage were the team on Swedish Blue to lose that protest.

The class annual dinner and prize giving followed that night and needless to say was delayed while the protests went on, and on and on…..and on. After nearly 2 hours the first ruling came back. Razmilovic would keep his 3^rd in race 2. He held his one point overall advantage with 1 race to go. However, after another long hearing “Swedish Blue” was disqualified from race 6 for barging at the windward end of the start line and Mead would lead by 3 points going into the last race on Sunday morning.

October in England can often be nice and sunny; it can often be wet and windy. This year Sunday October 18^th was a glorious sunny day, with a light, and dropping, 6 knot northerly over the course in the morning, so the fleet headed off for an on time start but it was not to be. The breeze died away before a start could be held and the fleet returned ashore to wait a possible light and late sea breeze. It never came and at 1330 hours the fleet was stood down with Laurence Mead, Phil Lawrence and Oscar Mead being crowned National Champions for 2009. Razmilovic finished 2^nd with Richard Burrows in 3^rd. 4^th and filling the final slot on offer for the 2010 Worlds in Dublin was the new Etchells team of John Gimson / Eamon O Nolan / Ed Greig / Olie Dickens. The balance of the Cowes fleet places for the 2010 worlds will be contested in May next year and the fleet will be back on the water for the spring series on April 10^th and 11^th.

For full results go to www.rcyc.co.uk or for a video report go to www.cowes.co.uk/zonexml/video?story_id=7429

A Brief summary from Laurence Mead of racing at the Etchells Worlds 2009, Melbourne, as they finished late after 2 races that finished at 1900 hours!

Race 1 delayed as no wind all morning, started at 2pm with a 12 to 14 knot sea breeze. Locals said it would be 25 by mid afternoon and would go left. Fleet split. All the fleet were on starboard but the wind flicked right (as practise race!), nobody wanted to tack and bank a loss so we sailed on with Judd Smith to windward of me but we had clear wind and John Bertrand to windward of him. At the top mark it was all on with not a lot of difference in positions. From 1st 2nd and 3rd our group of was about 15th. Stuart Childerly who had been teens was top 0 after getting right soon enough to bank some gains. All the mark roundings are on the Etchells Worlds 2009 website.

 At the end we were 8th, Stuart Childerly 4th.

 Race 2 started at 1700 hours in a lightening breeze which we thought would go further right. We started upper middle of the line, several boats started just below half way and popped out to look good. We weren’t quite as clean as we had hoped but we got ourselves into the top 15 by half way up only to get bounced left by starboard tackers every time we tried to get right. We then get locked into an area of light breeze under the top mark. The port lay line guys rolled us and the starboard layline guys had the shift and got us to. John Bertrand was bow to bow with us at that stage but over stood on the port layline and got round about 15th. We got round 30th (ish) Mark T was just behind having never got out of the left hand side. Stuart Childerly was in deep trouble as well but David Franks was flying and was top 10 all the way up the first beat. He went on to finish 12th.

After 2 races nobody has two races in the top 10. John Bertrand is winning with a 3 and 11 but others were all up and down with Laurence Mead in 25th overall on 8 and 52, Chris Busch from the US on 2 and 60th, Stuart Childerly on 4th and 59th so ALL to play for.

For more detailed results click here


Etchells Worlds 2009 World Championships Practice Race

If they weren't favourites to win the 2009 Etchells World Championships before today’s practise race, Americas Cup winner John Bertand and triple Olympic Gold medallist Ben Ainslie picked up that mantle with a display of "cool" in Melbourne today. They put down their marker as they watched the 84 other competitors sail out to the practise race, before leaving their boat tied to the dock and retiring to the Royal Brighton Yacht Club for a cappuccino!!!

The other 84 competitors had a day straight out of the brochure. Bright sunshine, a good straight course with 2.5 mile legs and 11 to 18 knots of breeze in Melbourne Bay. After a couple of general recalls the black flag was bought out and on the third start the fleet got away nicely. Visitors who had been tuning up at last weekends pre-worlds suggested that the left hand side of the first beat was worth protecting. This led to a big split, with half of the fleet hard left, a few up the middle and a good group out to the right. The right started to look better and better, and those that could, dug out of the left against a few lulls and the right hander, but the leaders all came from the right. Local skipper Jeff Rose led and by a big margin. The rest of the fleet poured round but the wind was lightening somewhat. Of the British boats Stuart Childerly and Laurence Mead were best placed, both in the top 15 with Childerly getting the jump on Mead by staying right from half way up the first leg.

Down the first run the wind was still lighter to the left hand (looking upwind) shore side and half way down the run there was a prolonged lull with the wind down to 8 or 9 knots. By the bottom mark a 20 degree shift to the left made the right hand leeward gate heavily favoured and signalled to arrival of a new a solid sea breeze. Alaistair Gair from Auckland, lurking in 2nd and proven fast in a breeze, took off in the new sea breeze to close down the leader and go on to win handily. Thereafter a lot of boats dropped out as the wind built, many protecting brand new sails which will have to be at their best for Races 1 and 2 of the World Championships which kick off tomorrow.

The team at RBYC led by Jake Gunter have laid on a great regatta and 85 boats will hit the water tomorrow, including the now hot favourites to win, John Bertrand, Ben Ainslie and Andrew Palfry!

Of the UK teams,

Stuart Childerly picked the right hand side on the first beat and was top 10 all the way round. Laurence Mead was top 6 on the first beat but got a little to far left and was 17th at the top mark but got back to 8th before retiring to save his new sails on the last run but was the black flagged anyway. Rob Goddard was happy with his speed as was Geof Gibbons. David Franks was there or thereabouts (top 30 on the first beat) although he suffered minor damage in a collision that weren't his fault. Andrew Cooper was mid fleet and Mike Till has his chartered boat going well.

Races 1 and 2 Monday......more to follow.

Follow the full Etchells Worlds by clicking here

Ben Ainslie
Etchells fleets - watch out Ben is coming. Australian America's Cup hero John Bertrand helmed to victory in the Australian Etchells Championship, with 4 times Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie and Australian Star Olympian Andrew Palfrey as crew. Sailing Triad, the helm and crew beat out some terrific competition in the run-up to the 2009 Worlds to be held in Melbourne during March. 

The Etchells keel boat is one of the most competitive keel boats to sail in, and, being a responsive boat it rewards crews who trim, tweak and work the boat hard - all skills that will improve performance sailing in any other big boat fleet or small boat class. The Etchells has fleets around the World and in the UK at Cowes, Lymington and Merseyside with a fleet in the Hamble in the making. The fleet is active in Europe, and, in November, a number of boats from the UK and Irish fleets headed for winter sailing in Italy at the European Championships. With the 2010 World Championship held in Howth, Ireland, this year provides a great time to join the Etchells fleet to get started, and, with good boats available for less than the price of a 45ft’s 3DL mainsail, it is a credit crunch beater as well.

The Etchells is a fast, simple, stable, and sleek racing sloop that can be sailed competitively and in comfort by three or four sailors. It can tack in 70 degrees and has a low wetted surface hull form that keeps moving in the slightest breeze. In 20+ knots it absolutely flies. The strict one-design principle of the class was established from the outset and is controlled by a strong, established and well-administered class association that keeps the sailing tactical, rather than on those who can best afford to keep up with the latest design changes. Control of construction by the class association and the ISAF ensures quality and uniformity of boats, and often its older boats winning as much as new ones. The Etchells is trailerable, easy to maintain and light enough to dry sail. The fleets in the UK want you to get involved!