Thirteen Etchells Winters and Thirteen Winners

by Rob Kothe on 8 Jun 2009 The first Etchells Winter Championship was conducted in Mooloolaba in 1997 and in the thirteen regattas there have been thirteen different winners.

Dave Rose (1997), Russell Coutts (1998), Ian Johnston (1999), Julian Plante (2000), Michael Coxon (2001), Mark Bradford (2002), Cameron Appleton (2003), Grant Wharington (2004), Rob Brown (2005), Cameron Miles (2006), Skip Lissiman (2007), Graeme Taylor (2008) and now Damien King (2009).

Mooloolaba Event Organiser Tracey Johnstone commented this morning ‘Each year we wonder if one of the past winners might come to the fore.

‘This year we had another top class 54 boat fleet and the runner up from the 2009 Worlds, Damien King, held out the 2008 North American Champion crew Mark Johnson and the 2006 Etchells Worlds runner up and New Zealand Champion Alastair Gair.

‘While we acknowledge that part of the attraction of this event is the good Sunshine Coast winter weather and the popular venue, the quality of the fleet and the hotly contested racing is a major draw card.’

From the perspective of a Southerner, the weather was superb, apparently the best in more than a month; it seemed every recreational fisherman in Queensland was heading out. While the fishermen were obviously happy the sailors would have liked a little more breeze.

The quality of the fleet was certainly great, a tribute to a class that has already run a Summer Nationals and the World Championship in Australia this year. One of the pleasing things was to see the number of crews who were quite new to the class.

Released this week 'Etchells, Capturing the Spirit’ is a wonderful limited edition book about the people, the place and the competition of the Etchells Australian Winter Championship in Mooloolaba from 2004 through to 2008. Photographer Peter Duncan’s images and Tracey Johnstone’s words capture the spirit of Etchells racing.

Etchells sailor and America’s Cup winning skipper John Bertrand AM, (who is one of many top class sailors who has not won the Mooloolaba regatta) in introducing the book talks about the spirit of the Etchells class and the Mooloolaba Mid-Winters event.

'The Etchells class offers the toughest one-design racing in the country, bar none. The best of the best compete in this class. Any higher and you enter the realms of the fully professional scene; the Olympics or the America’s Cup.

'I’ve competed in the Mid-Winters since the early 90s and I enjoy coming back each year to Mooloolaba. The venue is unique; world-class. Racing conditions on the bay and on the ocean are second to none. Organisation of the regatta is world-class.

‘All of that combines to make the Mid-Winter Championship a must attend regatta for the Etchells.’

The full-colour photo book is now available for $50 and can be purchased by contacting Peter Duncan peter(at)questphoto.net or through Boat Books Australia.