As I Saw It (and remembered it!)

2025 Etchells Corinthian Cup April 26-28

As the Australian Etchells fleet becomes more and more professional, a large percentage of the regular and weekend club sailors do not have the desire or resources to compete at this level. Brisbane based long time Etchells Class stalwart Noel Paterson had a desire to create a regatta that caters to the non professional side of class. This weekend the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron hosted the inaugural Etchells Corinthian Cup.

With a view to this being an annual event with the focus of fun racing and a social event the Brisbane fleet pulled out all the stops to ensure those goals were met. We had 11 entrants comprising boats from the Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney fleets.

After a wet week in Brisbane, Saturday dawned bright and sunny with a 5-7 kt sou-easter forecast.

Race one saw the fleet get away in 6-7 kt Sou-easterly with a 0.6 mile beat. With the bulk of the fleet fighting for the pin Brad Ginnivan on Aspen and David Healey on Rapscallion went right. ¾ the way up the first beat both were looking comfortably in front before a 40 degree left had shift saw those that had gone left receive a ‘get of out jail’ pass with those on the port lay leading around the first mark. First round was Noel Paterson on Waterloo Too and in the light conditions which saw the rich get richer they held on to fittingly take the maiden race victory of the Corinthian Cup. Todd Anderson on TAG was second with Paul Minter on Crews Control taking 3^rd.

Race 2 saw the breeze back to the Sou-East. With the outgoing tide pushing the fleet down toward the pin, space got tight leading to a number of boats being over and a general recall  being called. The restart was under a U flag. TAG who didn’t learn from their previous start were called over thereby sitting out the rest of the race. Those that went hard left did best with Kane Sinclair on Gen XY and Waterloo Too leading the fleet around first and second. The softening breeze made the runs challenging. Gen XY held on to take the gun with Waterloo Too grabbing second. Dave Smith on The Saint and with a crew about 80kg underweight were quick downwind to grab the final podium spot.

With the breeze just hanging in the RC got race 3 underway. With conditions similar to race 2, the left again was favoured on the first beat. TAG looking to make amends from their previous UFD led from start to finish. A right hand shift on the final beat changed the dynamics slightly but not enough for the chasing pack to catch TAG. Gen XY continued their good form to take a comfortable second from Aspen who were finally finding their feet.

Day one rounded out back at the Etchells hardstand with Chris’ famous BBQ chicken wings.

With a fleet ‘long lunch’ scheduled for Sunday pm it was an early start for race 4 with the start programmed for 9am!! Rumour has it that there were a few sore heads around. A light westerly was forecast. For those in the know, a westerly off RQYS usually means big shifts and narrow bands of pressure. Fortunately, Huey came to the party and gave as a building 8-10 kt reasonably stable breeze with pressure lines across the course.

At the gun the fleet disbursed across the course but as is common in Etchells they all came back together at the top mark. Battling it out at the pointy end were Aspen, Gen XY and Rapscallion. On the final run in run to the finish it was 3 abreast. As Rapscallion and Aspen edged ahead, Gen XY looked to smother Aspen as they approached the line. Aspen took exception to this with a hard luff and yelling and screaming which allowed Rapscallion to cross the line 3 seconds ahead of Gen XY with Aspen dropping back to 3^rd.

Race 5 saw the breeze continue to build to approx 12-13 kts. Once again, the fleet were spread far and wide. A group of 4 including Gen XY, Aspen and Cruise Control went hard left and looked well ahead as they hit the corner. By the time the rounded the top mark they had come back to the fleet. Aspen led around with Gen XY right on their transom and Crews Control 3^rd. At the bottom a softening breeze compressed the fleet thought the leaders managed to get round cleanly as the pack fought to stay in touch. As it was uphill to the marina the PRO had put in an extra leg to give us a beat to the finish. It was nip and tuck as the leading 3 boats duked it out with Aspen holding on for their first win of the weekend. Gen XY took their 3^rd 2^nd of the regatta and Cruise Control held off a fast finishing Rapscallion to grab 3^rd by just 5 seconds.

After 5 races including 1 drop Gen XY had a comfortable lead with just 7 points. 6 points back Aspen and Waterloo Too were tied on 13, TAG on 14, Rapscallion on 15 and Crews Control on 17 so all podium positions were still in play. Bring on races 6 & 7 on Monday!!

The afternoon was dedicated to the long lunch for crews, families and volunteers which allowed for the re-telling of the recent days stories of what ifs and what should have beens in a great social environment. It also saw the official unveiling of the Noel Paterson Corinthian Trophy.

On day 3 we awoke to a 20-25kt westerly that was expected to ease over the morning and down to 5-6 kts by mid afternoon. The final 2 races were programmed for an 11am start, After a quick run out to the start line we all realised the breeze wasn’t dropping as quickly as expected necessitating tightening of rigs and donning of wet weather gear. Just prior to the start of race 6 it was steady mid to high teens gusting low 20’s. Just minutes prior to the start it dropped to mid teens and as the gun went it was down to around 10kts.

Gen XY who just needed a top 3 result to wrap the regatta were OCS but fortunately due to the soft breeze and left over slop they were quickly back in touch with the fleet.

Aspen and Waterloo Too went right off the line had a good first beat benefiting from a right hand shift to be 1 & 2 at the top. Just behind were Crews Control, Rapscallion and TAG. Gen XY were also working back into contention. Aspen and Waterloo remained in a tight battle for the remainder of the race with Aspen taking their second bullet of the regatta to move into second overall. In the pack behind, Rapscallion had managed to get into clear 3^rd by the time they rounded the top mark for final time. Just behind, Crews Control rounded 4th just ahead of TAG with Gen XY now up into 6^th.

As Gen XY bought down a puff it was soon 3 abreast on the final run. Rapscallion managed to keep clear of the wind blanket to take 3^rd while Gen XY sailed through the other two to grab a 4^th with Crews Control 5^th.

It was now all on with just one race left!! Huey was having other thoughts though. The postponement remained hoisted as we waited for the breeze to fill back in. It was looking like a long afternoon as the PRO would start to set a course only for the wind to shift 50 degrees or drop out again. Brad on Aspen now clear in 2^nd place, unlikely to catch Gen XY in first and just one point clear of Waterloo Too, was advocating over the radio for an early finish – nothing like trying to pressure the ref!!! Finally, just before 2pm the PRO relented and sent us home, only for Murphy’s Law to prevail with the breeze filling in as we sailed or were towed home. After a full weekend no-one was really complaining, and a big round of thanks must go to PRO Alan and his team of volunteers for a great weekend of racing in what was often trying conditions.

Congratulations to Kane, Stu and Mike on Gen XY as inaugural winners of the Corinthian Trophy. Just 3 points behind was Aspen (Brad, Scottie and Dane) for a well deserved 2^ndafter a disappointing day 1 and only 1 point further back was Waterloo Too (Noel, Wicko and Will).

Results

5 race winners out of 6 races reflects just how close the racing was. Aside from the excellent racing and race management, there was also great camaraderie ashore amongst the crews in the relaxed environment the RQ Etchells fleet and RQYS is known for.

A big thanks must also go the organisers of this weekend including instigator Noel Paterson, supported by Dave ‘Eddie’ Irvine, Brad Ginnivan, the fleet committee and the registration team. Thanks to North Sails, Muir Marine, Gill, Jim Snow and Moreton Bay Signs for their sponsorship.

This was a superb event and we look forward to having more southerners join us next year either as a stand-alone trip north or tying it in with the Southport or other northern regattas.

That’s All Folks!!

Yours in Etchelling

The Nearly Ancient Mariner

This author accepts no responsibilities for any inaccuracies, distortions of the truth or outright lies.)