Elwood Widmer (E. W.) "Skip" Etchells (July 5, 1911 – December 20, 1998) was an American naval architect, boat builder and world championship sailor. He is best remembered now for the one-design racing boat that bears his name, the International Etchells class, a 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) keelboat that he designed in 1966. One of the most competitive classes in sailboat racing, the Etchells is often the boat of choice for the world's top sailors, including America's Cup veteran Dennis Conner, a three-time world champion in the class.
A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in naval architecture, Skip Etchells worked for the Navy in shipyards on the West Coast during World War II. After the war, he got a job in New York City with Sparkman & Stephens, the yacht design firm, before establishing his own boatbuilding company, Old Greenwich Boat Co., based in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. For more than 30 years beginning in the 1940s, Etchells built some of the fastest Star-class sailboats ever. He and his wife, Mary O'Toole Etchells, also campaigned in Stars for many years, traveling the world and winning regattas in the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. In 1951, they won the Star world championship at Gibson Island, Maryland. Mary Etchells remains the only woman ever to have won the worlds in the Star class. In 1958, they won the Star North American Championships at the Tred Avon Yacht Club.
The International Etchells Class, originally called the Etchells 22 because it had a 22-foot waterline length, was designed as part of a competition to select a new three-man keelboat for the Olympics. Despite emerging as clearly the fastest boat in two sets of selection trials in Germany, in 1966 and 1967, the boat was not picked for the Olympics. However it has become a tremendously popular racing class, with about 1,500 boats built, sailing in more than 50 fleets around the world.
Referencesedit
Encyclopædia Britannica
Yachting.org
Etchells International Association
January 01, 1970
etchells, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, october, 2018, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources E W Etchells news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2018 Learn how and when to remove this message Elwood Widmer E W Skip Etchells July 5 1911 December 20 1998 was an American naval architect boat builder and world championship sailor He is best remembered now for the one design racing boat that bears his name the International Etchells class a 30 ft 6 in 9 30 m keelboat that he designed in 1966 One of the most competitive classes in sailboat racing the Etchells is often the boat of choice for the world s top sailors including America s Cup veteran Dennis Conner a three time world champion in the class E W EtchellsPersonal informationFull nameElwood Widmer EtchellsNicknameSkipNationalityAmericanBorn 1911 07 05 July 5 1911Philadelphia PennsylvaniaDiedDecember 20 1998 1998 12 20 aged 87 Easton MarylandSailing careerClassStarMedal record Sailing Representing United States World Championships 1951 Gibson Island Star class 1945 Central Long Island Sound Star class 1950 Chicago Star class 1962 Cascais Star class A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in naval architecture Skip Etchells worked for the Navy in shipyards on the West Coast during World War II After the war he got a job in New York City with Sparkman amp Stephens the yacht design firm before establishing his own boatbuilding company Old Greenwich Boat Co based in Old Greenwich Connecticut For more than 30 years beginning in the 1940s Etchells built some of the fastest Star class sailboats ever He and his wife Mary O Toole Etchells also campaigned in Stars for many years traveling the world and winning regattas in the U S Europe the Caribbean and South America In 1951 they won the Star world championship at Gibson Island Maryland Mary Etchells remains the only woman ever to have won the worlds in the Star class In 1958 they won the Star North American Championships at the Tred Avon Yacht Club The International Etchells Class originally called the Etchells 22 because it had a 22 foot waterline length was designed as part of a competition to select a new three man keelboat for the Olympics Despite emerging as clearly the fastest boat in two sets of selection trials in Germany in 1966 and 1967 the boat was not picked for the Olympics However it has become a tremendously popular racing class with about 1 500 boats built sailing in more than 50 fleets around the world References editEncyclopaedia Britannica Yachting org Etchells International Association Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title E W Etchells amp oldid 1154832136, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
