Etchells' Atlantic Coast Championship to kick off at American Yacht Club

Etchells' Atlantic Coast Championship 2018 © Paul Moore Studios

This weekend, the Etchells Class kicks off its East Coast Summer season with the Atlantic Coast Championship, the first of the Class' five-regatta Atlantic Series. The regatta is hosted by the American Yacht Club in Rye, New York and Etchells Fleet 1 on May 19-20, on the waters of the Western Long Island Sound.

Twenty-three teams are preparing for the first battle in the series, with a good mix of conditions forecast for the weekend, creating some challenges and some opportunities. Notable Sailors signed up already include 2017's Etchells World Champion Steve Benjamin and Corinthian Champion Senet Bischoff, and Etchells North American Champion Scott Kaufman, and regular podium holder and J/70 World Champion, Peter Duncan.

Duncan, Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, commented, "I am really looking forward to sailing again on my home waters against probably the toughest competition in the Etchells Class. After the North Americans in 2015 and Long Island Sound Championship last year, some of these guys know the [Long Island] Sound here, and it should be a great regatta."

Etchells World Champion and another Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Steve Benjamin said, "It appears we are headed for challenging classic Northeaster: wet and rough conditions on Saturday and lighter conditions on Sunday. For those new to these conditions on LIS in May, it can be very cold, wet, and rough."

Longtime Etchells sailor and Class stalwart, Chris Larson, and William "Doug" Douglass will continue their campaign in their relatively new boat. Larson noted, "We look forward to the ACC's especially with the strong field which has assembled this year. It'll be a lot of fun picking up from where we left off at the end of the winter season."

Two teams that were selected for this year's Etchells Youth Challenge are participating, so the competition will be really hot across all quarters.

The regatta will be held in the same waters where the Class began 50 years ago. Designed as a new keelboat for the Olympics, the Etchells didn't make the cut, despite winning nearly all of her trial races in Kiel, Germany. The Olympic Committee at the time decided on the Soling, but Skip Etchells brought his design to life sailing in the waters of Western Long Island Sound. With the help from fellow members at American Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht, and a few others, the Class was born in 1969 with Fleet 1 in Western Long Island Sound.

More information can be found at www.EtchellsFleet1.org or www.americanyc.org