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Etchells North American Championship at Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead

by Kate Somers 15 Oct 09:32 PDT October 11-13, 2024
Etchells North Americans at Marblehead © Bruce Durkee

Dramatic finish with just two points separating the podium

The 2024 Etchells North Americans wrapped up this past weekend in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with intense competition and tricky conditions testing both race officials and sailors. After three days of racing, the event culminated in a thrilling final race that determined the top three finishers, with just two points separating them.

The final day's winds were unpredictable, keeping PRO Shannon Bush, the Race Committee, and competitors on their toes. Despite the challenging conditions, the fleet managed to get in a fourth race, which proved to be decisive. John Dane, from Mississippi, and his crew aboard DanEgerous USA 1427 secured a bullet in the final race, narrowly edging out California native Jim Cunningham and his crew on Lifted USA 1504 by just one point. Luke Lawrence and his team on Cruel Jane 2.0 CAN 1501 claimed third place, also by a single point, making it one of the tightest finishes in recent memory.

Reflecting on the win, John Dane said, "The main contributing factor was my crew of Bill Hardesty and Eric Doyle. They were fantastic on the last day, picking the correct side to be on for the first beat. Going left early got us more wind and helped us have a nice lead at the first mark. Then, it was about staying with our competitors for the balance of the race. It was a great regatta, with four boats being within three points going into the last race."

In the Corinthian division, Fleet 4's own Ed Barker, sailing Magic Dragon USA 1071, emerged victorious, finishing 10th overall in the 31-boat fleet. He was followed by Andrew Cumming on Blackadder II CAN 1451 in second place and fellow Fleet 4 sailor Stein Skaane on Destiny USA 988 in third. Barker reflected on the achievement, saying, "Winning in your hometown is the best, particularly when you beat a few professionals along the way. Some great sailing conditions too. I share the joy with my teammates, James Pinder and Meehan Irose. Marblehead has such a special community, and we're fortunate to have regular Saturday racing and a growing fleet. We had 12 local boats on the line, including Tomas Hornos. Congrats to Stein Skaane on his first Etchells podium in his first regatta—quite the achievement!"

Jim Cunningham, who finished second overall, praised the high level of competition, noting: "The regatta was full of excellent sailors from Olympians and America's Cup veterans to multiple World and Continental Champions. The fleet was relentless, with hard-fought battles on every leg of every race. Going into the final day, four boats were within three points of each other, making it anyone's regatta. In the end, the top three boats finished within two points of each other. You couldn't ask for a closer competition. Congratulations to John Dane, Bill Hardesty, and Eric Doyle on a well-earned victory. They flipped the script on us after we edged them out by one point at last month's US Nationals. This was such a fun regatta, and we can't wait to get back on the water."

The regatta faced its share of challenges, including strong gusts of over 30 knots on Day 2, which forced the Race Committee to cancel racing for the day. However, the fleet enjoyed excellent conditions on Day 1, with three races completed, and the final day allowed for one more, bringing the total to four races over three days.

Co-chairs, Michael Jobin and Paul McLaughlin want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all competitors, Etchells Class officers, Class Secretary Alli Bell, the Corinthian Yacht Club, PRO Shannon Bush and the Race Committee, Judges, and the many volunteers who made this event possible. They also like to give special recognition to Bruce Durkee, whose photography captured the essence of Marblehead's deep-rooted passion for sailing.

Looking ahead, Marblehead's Etchells fleet is gearing up for more action, and excited to welcome everyone back in 2025 for the New England Championships at the Boston Yacht Club.

Overall Results:

PosBow NoSail NoYacht NameSkipper/CrewClubRRRRPts
127  USA 1427DanEgerousJohn Dane IIIPCYC128112
24  USA 1504LiftedJim CunninghamSFYC / NYYC / BRYC251513
31  CAN 1501Cruel Jane 2Luke LawrenceOntario YS / Coral Reef YC / BYC / EYC713314
46  USA 1506OatmealPeter DuncanAmerican Yacht Club5421122
519  USA 1419RebelScott KaufmanSI/ NYYC897226
693  GBR 1493VengeanceDavid HuckAtlanta Yacht Club3841328
759  USA 959AFRICA E SquadJud SmithEastern YC9311629
853  USA 1453Big ERick MerrimanNYYC/SDYC6752240
946  BER 1467RenegadeDavid VeraGHSC16139442
1071  USA 1071Magic Dragon (Corinthian)Edmund BarkerBYC131118951
1151  CAN 1451Blackadder II (Corinthian)Andrew CummingRoyal Canadian Yacht Club1117101654
1260  USA 1060Free BirdBen WilkinsonStorm Trysail Club/Mystic River MudheadsDPIDPIDPI2554.3
1337  GBR 1490TiburonDirk Kneulman / Andrew LawsonRoyal Thames YC101622856
1416  USA 988Destiny (Corinthian)Stein SkaaneEastern Yacht Club2315131061
150  USA 1500MariannePeter E. ShumakerBAYVIEW YC171920763
1678  USA 1378The MartianMarvin BeckmannHouston YC1423141465
175  CAN 1305It's A(nother) Conspiracy (Corinthian)Adrian HanleyOakville Yacht Squadron2114231270
1817  USA 1198USA 1198 (Corinthian)David EsseksShelter Island Yacht Club296152171
1968  USA 1368Vertigo IIChristopher LanzaCoral Reef Yacht Club1225122978
2077  USA 1177BobDaan GoedkoopEastern Yacht Club1518292082
2197  USA 979Jester (Corinthian)Jim Da SilvaEastern Yacht Club2520251585
2226  USA 1126Jah Boat V (Corinthian)Ramsay KeyEastern1821192886
2398  USA 1398Privateer (Corinthian)Michael JobinCorinthian Yacht Club2212282789
248  USA 1308Peders Parade (Corinthian)Andrew KingstonCorinthian Yacht Club2829161891
2567  USA 11673 Monkeys (Corinthian)Seamus HourihanEastern Yacht Club2730171791
2621  USA 1221Mustapha DanceHugh GrevilleBoston Yacht Club1926272496
2788  USA 1388ANNIE (Corinthian)Gary GilbertNYYC20272431102
2812  USA 1012GREY BULL (Corinthian)Brian GibbsJubilee Yacht Club31222130104
2928  USA 928Menace (Corinthian)Mark LuckesCorinthian Yacht Club26243123104
3011  USA 1111Fast Mermaid (Corinthian)Chloe HolderSt Francis YC / New York YC30312619106
3179  USA 1078Senior Moment (Corinthian)Don BrushLCYC24283026108

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