Please select your home edition
Edition
Feb-Nov23 Leaderboard Lasdrop2
Product Feature
Allen Medium Aluminium Cam Cleat
Allen Medium Aluminium Cam Cleat

Etchells worlds at Howth Yacht Club - Overall

by Graham Smith 28 Aug 2010 21:37 BST 23-28 August 2010

Another Bertrand super-show seals Etchells world title

Australian sailing legend John Bertrand and his crew Andrew Palfry and Tom Slingsby wrapped up the 2010 Etchells World Championship title in some style at Howth today (Saturday 28th) with his fifth bullet in eight races and without even needing to sail the final race of the series.

The Royal Brighton Yacht Club crew remained totally focused throughout the regatta and five firsts represented a stunning level of consistency at this level. Nearest rival Ante Razmilovic suffered gear problems before the start of the first race of the final day which forced them ashore to effect repairs. Fortunately for them, there was a general recall which gave them time to reach the re-start on time but they had a poor race to finish mid-fleet. With Bertrand taking line honours again, it was all over for the Royal Hong Kong YC team.

For Bertrand, it is the fulfilment of a dream to win a one-design class world championship to add to his Olympic bronze medal of 1976 and his famous America’s Cup triumph 27 years ago. He practised on the race track for weeks before the event and his attention to detail was phenomenal, so the eventual outcome was the result of exceptional planning allied to technique, tactics and sheer sailing skill by the Aussie trio. Crewman Tom Slingsby had to forego the prize-giving dinner since he had to leave for the Laser Worlds at Hayling Island starting the next day.

In the morning race, Britain’s Julia Bailey enjoyed the first beat, leading Bertrand around the top mark in a fresh 20-knot+ northerly but the Australians’ superior downwind speed quickly saw that advantage wiped out. Bailey lost several places on the next leg and eventually finished 9th. Bertrand continued to stretch his lead while others swapped positions over the next two legs, with second place going to a very happy Tim Patton of Bermuda for his best result of the event.

Jud Smith (Eastern YC/NYYC) and Peter Duncan (American YC) filled the next two places, with Smith the leading US entry in 7th overall going into the final race. Best of the Irish contingent was Howth’s Laura Dillon on ‘Lambay Rules’ in 12th spot.

Irish eyes were smiling early and late in the final race, firstly with Jay Bourke of the Royal St.George YC heading the fleet around the windward mark followed closely by Peter Duncan of the USA and Howth’s Dan O’Grady in 6th. By the leeward gate, another American Jud Smith had jumped from 7th to take the lead from Bourke, with O’Grady moving up another place. Smith held the lead to the finish, his win being the best score for a US team in an otherwise average week for American competitors.

By the next windward mark, O’Grady had 3rd spot and by the finish, he had secured second place to record the best Irish result of the week. It was also sufficient to move O’Grady, with crewmen Peter Reilly and Owen Meade, up to 15th to finish top Irish boat of the championship, one place ahead of the Burrows family.

The new World Champion John Bertrand described the event as ‘a superbly organised championship’ and paid tribute to the Organising Committee chaired by Berchmans Gannon who was the first person to congratulate the Australians when they arrived back to the Howth marina.

Throughout the Etchells Worlds, Howth Yacht Club provided comprehensive online coverage of the competition through live racing updates from the water via Twitter, provisional results posted online within 30 minutes of race finishes, and daily news updates with regular image and video posts.

The online coverage generated over 370,000 hits on the official Etchells Worlds website, with daily hits peaking at 59,194 for a single day. Australia, Great Britain and the USA provided the top number of hits although visitors identified from over 50 separate countries emphasized the worldwide demand for online coverage.

Twitter helped incorporate the social networking element into the online coverage and the number of unique daily visitors to the Worlds website has grew by over 55% throughout the week.

Event videos:

Report 1

Report 2

Report 3

Overall Results: (top six)

1st John Bertrand/Andrew Palfry/Tom Slingsby (Australia) – 23 points
2nd Ante Razmilovic/Mike Wolfs/Chris Larson (Britain) – 35 points
3rd Damien King/Simon Cunnington/Andy Butler/James Ware (Australia) – 48 points
4th Eamonn O’Nolan/John Gimson/Kinley Fowler/Rachel Williamson (Britain) – 55 points
5th Jake Gunther/John Collingwood/Ben Morrison-Jack (Australia) – 55 points
6th Jud Smith/Kurt Winklemann/Brad Boston (USA) – 61 points

More information and full results on the championship website.

Related Articles

Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta overall
Perfect Solent conditions and desperately tight racing for the conclusion Picture-perfect conditions of a building 8-18 knots from the south-west, bright sunshine and flat Solent conditions on the flood tide made for a glamorous conclusion to the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta on Sunday. Posted on 16 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 4
Challenging summer Solent conditions test the fleets A brisk south-westerly breeze, with gusts above 20 knots at times, made for challenging top-end conditions for all the fleets on a very busy Solent for the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta. Posted on 14 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 3
Patience rewarded on light air afternoon Conditions more akin to the Mediterranean greeted the 251 entries on day 3 of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta, with bright sunshine and a shut-down of air flow across the Solent racecourses. Posted on 13 Jun
Royal Thames YC 250th Anniversary Regatta Day 2
All seasons in one day as the competition gets serious Day two of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta was described by Principal Race Officer, Tim Hancock, in his morning competitors' briefing as a 'transitional' one with a chilly, rain-filled weather system passing over the Solent. Posted on 12 Jun
Inaugural Eastern Asia Offshore Race start
Seasoned sailors beat through the harbour in super light winds 14 boats set off from Hong Kong's iconic Victoria Harbour in the Inaugural Eastern Asia Offshore Race, taking competitors on a 350nm journey to Tainan, the southwestern tip of Taiwan Island. Posted on 29 May
Jura Scottish Series runners and riders
Fleet are mustered in Tarbert Habour, Loch Fyne, ready to race Competitors at the Jura Scottish Series may not be assured of continued sunshine, the like of which has blessed the north of Britain for the last few weeks, but they should be blessed with breezes which seem set to build progressively. Posted on 23 May
Scottish Series champions will be back to defend
Jura Scottish Series on Loch Fyne starts soon Last year's overall winners of the Jura Scottish Series, Allan Manuel's Etchells 22 Bounce Back, are returning to Tarbert, Loch Fyne over the coming days looking to defend the class title which they won with a convincing scoreline. Posted on 20 May
Etchells North American Championship overall
Luke Lawrence and team win at San Diego Yacht Club The competitors for the Etchells North American Championship in San Diego left the dock Sunday morning for the final two races of the regatta with a lot of work still in front of them to determine the winner. Posted on 19 May
Etchells North American Championship day 2
Three more races held on Saturday The 2025 Etchells North American Championship continued with 3 more races on Saturday. Conditions were more favorable for racing today with wind in the 8 - 12 kt range. Posted on 18 May
Etchells North American Championship day 1
A strong day for Masfen, Cooke and Wilkinson give the NZL team top position Day one of the Etchells North American Championship started off under an AP flag with mostly cloudy skies. After an almost 90 minute delay, Race 1 got under way at 12:55 with a course bearing of 235 with 1.2 nm legs. Posted on 17 May