The Etchells World Championship in Melbourne this coming January will have a new focus as it drives amateur and youth participation in the class.
Club Corinthian has been introduced by the Australian Etchells Fleet this season specifically out of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron to celebrate amateur and youth sailors who take great interest and pleasure in competitive fleet racing. HillPDA Sailing Team is supporting a youth team with the aim of increasing participation at the upcoming World Championship and within the class.
Club Corinthian founder, Martin Hill’s overall goal is to promote youth sailing, as well as providing a pathway to encourage more Corinthians back into club racing.
Speaking on its conception Hill remarked, “nostalgically, I also look back to the glory days of the Admiral’s Cup, Kenwood Cup, and Southern Cross (1960s to mid-1990s) with all those talented Corinthian sailors. Those same sailors, many as youth, took on winning world championships in Etchells, Solings, J24s, and more. That style of Corinthian sailor, both at an international and club levels, has taken a back step in the last few decades,” Hill noted.
Corinthian sailors, which includes youth, are very much enthusiasts, and their attendance at all regattas, big and small, is driven by the love of the sport.
“During Cowes Week in 2018, I saw the UK Etchells fleet promoting a youth squad including a pathway for disadvantaged youth to compete. Later, at the Etchells Worlds Championship in Corpus Christie 2019, those UK youth teams competed against the USA youth teams. It was a race within a race. They had a ball, and I was proud of their friendly spirit curbed with competitiveness. They did it for the love of sailing,” Hill observed.
Martin took note and it gave him the inspiration to do something similar for those in Australian sailing, starting with the HillPDA Sailing Team and the Club Corinthian – For the Love of Sailing program.
Club Corinthian is an initiative to specifically highlight and support the efforts of amateur and youth sailors on the world stage. Throughout the 2024-2025 season, this initiative offers coaching opportunities both on and off the water, will provide team resources, and award additional prizes.
“I gave the challenge to Jack Abbott to form a competitive youth team for the Melbourne Worlds in 2025 and he took it up with zeal,” commented Hill.
Jack Abbott is a youth sailor who has been working towards the Etchells World Championships 2025 thanks to the support of Martin Hill, who was impressed with Jack’s competitiveness and character.
“We have four sailors in the team on the day but there are many who contribute to the HillPDA Sailing Team. Martin Hill is heavily supporting our campaign and has given us the opportunity to further our Etchells journey. We are being guided by legends in the class and thank them very much for their support,” said Abbott.
“We’re doing every event this season to support local fleets and further our own experience. Our crew has only been sailing Etchells for just under two years, there’s much to learn and we are putting ourselves out there in the hope to inspire similar crews to participate in the Etchells class,” commented Abbott.
The team’s dedication and ability was highlighted recently, winning first place in their class at the Mick Hole Regatta held in Pittwater in July.
Featuring the outcomes of the Club Corinthian program on a global stage at the 2025 Etchells World Championships will showcase the dedication and involvement of youth and amateur sailors, from local club regattas to major championships, hoping to inspire the next generation of sailors across Australia and the world.
Nicole (Nic) Douglass
Media Manager – International Etchells Class Australia
Fast Facts
- Olympians, America’s Cup racers and the top of the sport line up in this one-design class, which really pegs the skill of sailors against their fellow sailors.
- John Bertrand AO, skipper of Australia II, chooses to race an Etchells for some of the toughest, and closest racing that you will see in sailing and is an entrant for this World Championship, Royal Brighton Yacht Club is his home club.
- The Etchells class was originally designed as a three-person keelboat with the potential of being an Olympic class, but it was never selected. The designer, Skip Etchells could have never dreamed of the class that he would create when they were first launched in 1966.
- It is 22 feet long and features a high-performance design with a sleek hull, a fixed keel, and a large sail area.
- The boat’s strict one-design rules ensure that all Etchells boats are nearly identical in terms of design, weight, and equipment, placing a premium on skill and tactics rather than equipment.
- The racing is what is referred to as “around the cans” racing in sailing. The fleet will start over an imaginary start line, do a specified number of laps, and then cross the finish line.
- The place that you finish, is the number of points that you get, and at the end of what will hopefully be eight scheduled races, the boat with the lowest score will be crowned the World Champion.
- The Etchells World Championship is a highly regarded event in the sailing community, showcasing the skills of top sailors from around the world.
- Consistency is king, and no doubt the fleet will put on a fantastic show for locals.
