2022 International Etchells Class Pre-Worlds at Cowes - Day 1
by Louay Habib 10 Sep 2022 13:45 PDT
10-12 September 2022
The start of the International Etchells Pre-Worlds was delayed today with a 21-gun salute at the Royal Yacht Squadron. The salute was fired for His Majesty The King, to coincide with the formal proclamation of His Majesty King Charles III by the Accession Council at 11:00 BST.
Following Royal Navy flag etiquette, Ensigns at the Royal Yacht Squadron were raised to Full-Mast prior to The Salute. At 13:00 on Sunday 11th September Ensigns are to be Half-Masted and remain so until 08:00 on the day after the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen.
The Skippers' Briefing for the Etchells Pre-Worlds was held at Cowes Yacht Haven, Laurence Mead welcomed the competitors from around the world on behalf of the Etchells UK Fleet and PRO Paul Jackson briefed the attentive sailors. 33 teams have entered the Etchells Pre-Worlds, including the glitterati of the international one-design class, as well as passionate Corinthians and aspiring youth teams.
Find the 2022 Etchells Pre-Worlds Entry List here...
A light north westerly breeze was the gradient wind for the first day. There were five attempts to start Race One. Even the U-Flag, and eventually a Black Flag, was not enough to deter the over-eager fleet, resulting in a succession of general recalls. Racing was abandoned for the day when the light breeze dropped below five knots.
While no racing on the first day is never a favoured outcome, five 'practice starts' showed the intense competition expected for the Etchells Pre-Worlds and the 2022 Etchells World Championships to follow.
The intention is for racing to resume tomorrow, Sunday 11 September, with the first warning signal scheduled for 10:55 BST.