Tango (Chris Hampton) wins Etchells Europeans at Cork Week
by Michael McCann 15 Jul 01:53 PDT
6-10 July 2026
Tango wins the Etchells Europeans at Cork Week 2026 © Rick Tomlinson / RCYC
Tango, helmed by Chris Hampton of the Royal Brighton YC in Australia, crewed by Charlie Cumbley and Sam Haines, won the 2026 Etchells Europeans held recently during Cork Week counting 6 firsts and a third place to win by a considerable margin.
In second place was Exabyte (Royal Southern YC), helmed by Shaun Frohlich and crewed by Duncan Truswell and Ezra Culver.
Third place was taken by local Royal Cork YC boat Knot on Call, helmed by Michael Crosbie and crewed by Stephen Quinn and Andrew Crosbie. Knot on Call also took the best Corinthian crew.
Three excellent days' racing were provided by RO Ciarán McSweeney and his crew in a variety of conditions just off Roches Point with racing on Thursday abandoned due to lack of wind.
The three races on Monday were held in ideal 14-16 knots with a steady wind just west of south. Tango won all three with Exabyte 2nd in two and Knot on Call 2nd in the last race of the day.
Tuesday's racing was a little bit lighter at 10-12 knots but from a similar direction. Tango scored 1,3,1. With Knot on Call taking the middle race and Doris (Jay Bourke) making an appearance on the podium in the first race of the day.
As is traditional for Cork Week, Wednesday was the Harbour Race which did not count for the Europeans. Two intrepid teams went to sea but only one (Doris) persevered due to delays caused by a sea mist which is unusual for this time of year.
There was no racing on Thursday despite the best efforts of the race team. The wind was never strong enough or sufficiently consistent to get good quality racing, so the sensible decision was made to abandon for the day.
Two races were scheduled on Friday and much lighter easterly conditions prevailed. Tango won the first and was able to pack up and return for shore with the championship in the bag. Second place was taken by Exabyte with two podium places on the last day. Rocketman (Rob Goddard) won the last race and nearly snatched third overall from Knot on Call who prevailed on countback.
The was the first time that the Etchells have been to Cork Week since 1990. Five boats came from Cowes for the event, with three from the Clyde joining the three Irish boats for what is hoped will become a more regular feature on the Etchells calendar.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat Name | Sail No | Owner | Club | R1 | R3 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Tango | AUS 1466 | Chris Hampton | Royal Brighton YC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | (DNC) | 9 |
| 2nd | Exabyte | GBR1459 | Shaun Frohlich | RSnYC & RORC | 2 | 2 | (DSQ) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 19 |
| 3rd | Knot on call | IRL 1251 | Andrew Crosbie | Royal Cork YC | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | ‑6 | 2 | 23 |
| 4th | Rocketman | GBR1439 | Rob Goddard | Cowes Corinthian YC | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 23 |
| 5th | Bounce Back | GBR 1227 | Allan Manuel | RYA | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | ‑10 | 7 | 34 |
| 6th | Spica | GBR 1437 | Jason Losty | Cove SC | 7 | 6 | 5 | ‑10 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 40 |
| 7th | Jing An | 1434 | Sul Sahota | Royal Thames YC | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | ‑9 | 3 | 5 | 43 |
| 8th | Doris | 1038 | Jay Bourke | CNC | (RET) | DNC | 6 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 52 |
| 9th | Eccentric | GBR1005 | Colin MacDonald | Royal Gourock YC | 8 | ‑10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 58 |
| 10th | Don't Dilly Dally | IRL952 | Michael McCann | Royal Cork YC | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | ‑11 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 59 |
| 11th | Lock 'n Load | IRL 972 | Peter Judd | Royal Gourock YC | 9 | 9 | 8 | ‑11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 64 |
| 12th | Colin | GBR1520 | David Heritage | Cowes Corinthian YC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 98 |
| 12th | Ada | GBR 1517 | David Maclean | Royal Thames YC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 98 |