2023 Etchells Worlds

~April 2023, Miami~ 

Thanks to good sailor and friend Adrian Owles, we competed in the 2023 Etchells winter series in Miami and finished the season off competing in the Etchells World Champs immediately upon returning from Palma, Spain. The Worlds took place from April 16 - 22 for a week of tight racing. 

This was a fun turnaround for us - from one elite fleet to another, we found ourselves once again rounding top marks surrounded by excellent sailors. This time, however, we were traveling downwind around 7 knots instead of 17, and gaining speed through our tacks and gybes and not losing. In non-sailing slang, this is the symbol of difference between a dingy and a skiff. Skiffs go so fast they will lose speed when turned quickly, whereas dinghies increase in speed when turned quickly. 

Although sometimes more fun to sail downwind at 17 knots, the slower, more tactical race course made for excellent practice. Etchells are an old, challenging class led mostly by wealthy professionals with decades of experience. Each boat in the fleet at Worlds had spent countless hours tuning and practicing to nearly perfect their boatspeed on the course. This meant gains were hard to come by, and everyone was tight around the course. 

Most etched in my memory was the practice race before the start of the event. With 65 boats on the line and a short upwind leg, huge crowds of etchells were rounding the top and bottom mark simultaneously. After a tactically strong first leg, we came in to the top of the beat from the left side, looking for a small gap on starboard layline amongst a massive train of boats who had already found it further down the course.

In sailing this is a risky position to be in - despite our strong performance for most of the first leg, we now had to find a spot to round the mark without starboard rights. We found a few inches of space between two starboard tackers and tacked simultaneously with a boat to windward and leeward from port to starboard. We had the choice of rounding with a few inches of space or ducking the majority of the fleet. We chose the former and paid the price. We fouled and had to spin after the top mark. 

Without a moment to lose, we spun and raced to the bottom mark where we found ourselves in a similar situation. We were surrounded by large packs of boats all led by tactically excellent crews. For the remainder of the 5 days of racing, this feeling never left - the thought of knowing one small mistake might cost you 15 boats.

Here’s the big difference between etchells and 49ers - in the etchells class, most of the fleet has set up their boat well and can go fast. It’s more a game of research than physical skill, and speeds amongst top boats are widely similar. Maneuvering the boat is also relatively easy, so there are more decisions to make during the race. In a 49er, speeds can vary quite a lot and big maneuvers can be very costly. This shifts some of the 49er racing focus from tactical choices to boat handling and speed techniques. It was a fun and educational change to compete in the Etchells Worlds and focus on a different and equally important aspect of sailboat racing for a few days.

We finished the last two days of the event well, sailing tactically strong and getting off the line in a good position. We were happy with the improvements in a tough fleet, and look forward to the next Etchells event. 

Last race of the regatta in light air rounding the top mark in a crowded pack.