Eddie Warden Owen, Ossie Stewart and Adrian Friend have bought an Etchells to campaign for the 2016 World Championships which will be held in the Solent in September. Eddie, an ex professional sailor and coach to Americas Cup teams is better known for his offshore racing exploits winning the Admirals Cup in the 90’s with British and Italian teams. He is now Chief Executive of the London based Royal Ocean Racing Club who has moved their Race Office to Cowes following the successful merger with the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes. The combined club with over 4000 members is the largest UK yacht club with a third of its members based overseas.
Simon "Ossie" Stewart who is campaigning with Eddie is a seasoned keelboat sailor and won a bronze medal in the Soling class at the 1992 Summer Olympics and the Dragon World Championship in 2014 both with internationally renowned skipper Lawrie Smith. Lawrie has also ordered a new Etchells for the 2016 World Championship from David Heritage Racing Yachts in Cowes so the former team mates will be competing head on.
Ossie developed his sailing skills as a youngster at Thames Sailing Club which is the UK's oldest river sailing club and has a fleet of iconic Thames A Raters which have huge rigs for river sailing. Several of the younger members of Thames Sailing Club alternate their sailing between the Thames A Raters on the river and the Etchells in the Solent. These new-comers to the Etchells, a 30 foot open day boat sailed by some of the best sailors in the world, represent another vote of confidence in the Cowes Etchells Fleet which lost over half of its boats in a boatyard fire in Cowes on 26th January 2016. Replacement boats have been found and will be on the water for the first regatta of the year on 2/3 April when Jud Smith and Simon (stir) Fry will run coaching sessions for the fleet.
The Etchells World Championship is in Cowes in September 2016 and over 60 boats from 11 countries are expected. Many former Etchells World Champions will compete including John Bertrand winner of the America's Cup for Australia in 1983. Steve Benjamin, the current US Rolex Yachtsman of the Year who placed second in the Etchells Worlds in Hong Kong in 2015 will attend and the current Etchells World Champions the US team of Skip Dieball and Jon McClean will fight to defend their title. Jon grew up in North Wales with Eddie Warden Owen so they will resume their long-standing rivalry. It isn't too late to join the Cowes Fleet and enter the 2016 Etchells Worlds.
Contact Cowes Fleet Captain davidfranks80@gmail.com or +44 (0) 7768063868 Or Skype:davids
