International Etchells 2017 Australian Championship
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club gets ready for 'War of the Worlds' with 46 Etchells racing on PittwaterA high-quality 46 boat line-up is due to contest the Etchells Australian Championship from January 11-15 out of Pittwater.
Run by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club run, the 2017 Championship has attracted five current and former world Etchells champions and multiple national champions in our classes.
Current Etchells world champion John Bertrand (he skippered Australia II to victory in the 1983 America's Cup,ending 132 years of American supremacy) has recruited Bill Browne and Jake Newman to challenge for the series in his boat Triad2.
The trio has achieved their own success in the class, a state title, and second at a previous national title. Bertrand was also Etchells Champion in 2010.
"The Etchells continue to be the hottest one design fleet in the country and I’m really looking forward to the Australian Championship. Typically there’s a very good fleet of world champions and Olympic competitors, plus a whole lot of young people are coming through the class," Bertrand said.
The 2012 Etchells World Champion team of David Edwards and Ivan Wheen will be joined on Edwards’ latest Etchells called Iron Lotus by sailmaker Michael Coxon on the helm plus Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron youth sailor Alex Rozenauers.
"We’ve had a few outings on Sydney Harbour and now we are eager for the heat of battle, though in one design we know it’s not the boat; it all comes down to the people. Our biggest competition will be ourselves," Edwards added.
Peter McNeill (Iris III), Iain Murray (Northern Havoc) and Cameron Miles, who is crewing for Bruce Ferguson (Whisper), are all past Etchells world champions set to hit the water for racing starting Thursday January 12 in southerly winds 15-20 knots turning east to south-easterly 10-15 knots during the day.
On Friday fresher north-easterly winds 15-20 knots increasing to 20-30 knots during the afternoon are forecast to blow, chopping up the sea state and testing crews’ heavier weather prowess.
Two races per day and a maximum eight races constituting the series are scheduled to be conducted in the vicinity off Palm Beach Headland on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, an area known as the Palm Beach [dress] circle. More at Etchells Australian Championship website.
Photo Credit: Stephen Collopy and David Ritchard.
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