NEWS

The overall winner of the 2017 Etchells World Championship, hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, is Steve Benjamin (USA), representing the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, with crew of Dave Hughes, Ian Liberty, and Michael Menninger. Benjamin, a past Olympic medalist, 505 World Champion, and 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, finally claimed the championship after numerous attempts. He also wins the Senior (helm over 60 years of age) and Masters (helm over 50 years of age) trophies.

Remarkably, at the end of the fourth day of racing in the Etchells World Championship, each of the eight races have been won by eight different teams. Thirty of the 51 competitors have had at least one top ten finish, demonstrating the amazing depth of the talent in this regatta.

Racers were greeted by typical San Francisco conditions for races seven and eight. As the race committee, headed by PRO Jeff Zarwell, set the line, wind readings were in the 17 – 19 kt range in a waning ebb with big chop.

Racers were overly eager as racing kicked off on the third day of racing in the 2017 Etchells World Championship. Unlike the previous two days, a consistent 8 – 10 kt westerly had filled in by noon and racing started on schedule – except for a general recall in race five, the first of the regatta. Racers were still pushing hard at the restart, with ten boats hailed OCS, and only seven returning to restart.

Day two racing began much as day one, with a two-hour postponement, although today the call was made to hold the racers on shore. When racing began at 2:20 pm the wind had filled in at 16-17 kts from a typical San Francisco Bay westerly direction of 225 degrees.

The first day of racing for the 51 International Etchells teams got off to a slow start with a 2.5 hour postponement on glassy water. When race one finally began at about 2:30pm, the wind had built to a consistent 8 – 10 kts.  By the second race, the breeze freshened slightly to 14 - 15 kts. “The race committee, led by PRO Jeff Zarwell, did a great job completing two races in a short time window, getting everyone back to the dock before sunset,” said race co-chair Steve Fentress, and seconded by many racers.

The 2017 Etchells World Championship, hosted by The San Francisco Yacht Club, kicks off on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 with the first of five days of racing on San Francisco Bay (9 races are scheduled). Fifty-one teams representing ten countries will be competing in the area known as the Berkeley Circle. This is the fourth time that the Etchells World Championships are being held in San Francisco Bay.

All competitors should monitor the Race Headquarters section for information on arrival, measurement, etc

For full details on the procedure for arrival at San Francisco Yacht Club, read on.

The focus of the International Etchells Class shifts west this summer as the North American Championship and World Championship are being held in California in 2017.

Early registration rates end on June 22 for The 2017 Etchells Worlds, sailed this year on San Francisco Bay and hosted by The San Francisco Yacht Club.  The Worlds events kick off on September 22 and run through September 30.