The 2024 Etchells National Championships welcomed twenty boats to Cowes Yacht Haven for what was set to be the most exciting regatta of the season so far.
The championship was hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club, with race officer Peter Taylor leading the team from the Royal London. Conditions for the event were set to be tricky, with light and fickle winds forecasted over the three day event. But with such a great turnout, there was a promising buzz around Cowes Yacht Haven, as sailors spent the Thursday training, and registering for the event.
Day one for the Etchells Nationals had the forecast not looking too promising, with no gradient breeze forecasted until 3pm, the hope for getting out on the water for the opening day of the regatta was completely reliant on the build of a decent sea breeze. After a long postponement, the decision then correctly came in to abandon racing for the day, with the race management team to try again for the next day.
Day two saw a more promising forecast, with an initial attempt at getting out on the water late morning, however there was not quite enough breeze. The fleet then headed back to Cowes for a further delay, and after another patient wait, the fleet got the call from Peter and his team to head out to the race track to begin the regatta into the late afternoon and early evening! Chris Hampton and co started the regatta extremely well, with two race wins, defending national champions Andrew Lawson on No Dramas also had a good opening day with a 2nd and a 3rd, Ante Razmilovic and his Etchells, Swedish Blue, started very strongly as well with a 3rd and a 2nd, to make the top 3 after day one to get in two decent races. Racing on day two of the regatta was tight in light and tricky conditions, where the fleet remained to be compressed throughout the race to provide close competition between one another. With the delayed start, the social for the evening was held at the Royal London Yacht Club, and delayed slightly to allow sailors for a quick turnaround.
The final day of the regatta saw the best conditions of the event forecasted, the first half of the day was a 8-12 knot North Easterly, with a slow decrease in the middle day to then swing round the South West later on in the day. The plan was for Peter and his team to squeeze in 4 races to build up into a more reliable series. Race 1 of the day saw some of the early regatta leaders use their discards in the first race of the day, with Shaun Frohlich on Exabyte taking the win, and then with a 4 boat photo finish at the line after a tricky and shifty downwind, the rest of the podium was made up of Louise Racing led by Ted Blowers, and David Maclean on Ada. Race 2 saw early leaders Chris Hampton take the win to add their 3rd bullet of the regatta, followed again by Andrew Lawson, and Ante Razmilovic. The third race of the day again also saw some big shifts and pockets of pressure distribute it’s way down the race course to make the downwind legs tricky, and open up the passing lanes for trailing boats. The top three remained the same once again with No Dramas, Swedish Blue, and Tango. Before the final race of the day, there was a short AP whilst the wind switched to a more South Westerly, with the final race set to finish at the top of the 3rd beat. For the first two laps, the wind direction held steady from the South West, with the final upwind again providing tricky conditions, briefly switching back to a North Easterly with gusts coming down through from Southampton Water. Tango managed to keep their dominance in place, winning the last race of the regatta and securing 4 out of 6 race wins.
The prize giving was held after racing at the Pontoon View. with Chris Hampton on Tango taking the open national championships, Andrew Lawson on No Dramas in second but securing the British National Championships, and the podium made up of Ante Razmilovic on Swedish Blue. The top youth boat was secured by Ted Blowers on Louise Racing, and finished 5th overall. Corinthian honors were also secured by British Etchells National Champions, Andrew Lawson on No Dramas.
Everyone at the Cowes Etchells Fleet would like to thank the Royal London Yacht Club for their race management in tricky conditions, the Pontoon View for their hospitality before and after racing each day, and Patrick Condy for running the media and event coverage. Shaun Frohlich on Exabyte remains at the top of the Champions of Champions league table, but with Tango hot in their heels with a few event wins under their belts. We look forward to seeing everyone at the South Coast Championships during the 31st August – 1st September!
