The New Zealand team racing Feng Shui of Andrew Wills, Anatole Masfen and Matthew Kelway, has won the 2016 Etchells Open European Championship writes Louay Habib. After two days of tricky shifting breeze in the Solent, the New Zealand Team racing from Royal Akarana Yacht Club scored no worse than a seventh, in the four race series, to win the first regatta of the event, and bragging rights for the forthcoming 2016 Etchells World Championship.
A number of Irish sailors are competing in the event, including one Irish boat, skippered by Richard Burrows of Howth YC. According to the event website, no overall results are available to date. Overalls will be here.
The New Zealand team, who are all from Auckland won the series in a 50–boat fleet of Olympic and America's Cup winners as well as as a multitude of World Champions. Current British National Champion, Ante Razmilovic, racing under the burgee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda ITA, was second. Steve Benjamin's team from the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club Connecticut USA was just a point behind in third. America's Cup winner and past Etchells World Champion, John Bertrand sailing for the Royal Brighton YC, Victoria AUS was the winner of the last race of the series.
Eddie Warden Owen's RORC team of Ossie Stewart and John Greenwood, was top Corinthian Team for the Etchells Open European Championship. “ I first came to Cowes in 1994 racing an Etchells and I fell in love with Cowes and the class.” commented Feng Shui's Anatole Masfen. “Cowes is the 'Disneyland' of yachting, it is where yacht racing began.
I believe this is a very special place and the job that David Franks (Cowes Etchells Class Capitan) and his team have done, to invigorate the class, is very exciting and I am just glad to be part of it.”
Racing at the 2016 Etchells World Championship will start on Monday 5th September and conclude on Saturday September 10th. 58 teams from fourteen countries will be taking part.
