For thirty years the Etchells class has enjoyed solid and steady growth with over fifty active fleets worldwide. Etchells sailors are enthusiastic and loyal supporters of their boat and class association. The Adelaide Fleet is no exception, there are 17 boats in total and the boats race from the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron.  The Adelaide Fleet is a mixture of old and new boats ranging from boats from 14 months old to 25 years old. The great thing is that the older boats still provide enjoyment and satisfaction to  those sailing them. You don't have to be from the 'top-end' of town to enjoy sailing an Etchells. You can buy a competitive boat for less than $20,000, you just need to know how to sail it!

There is a wide range of experience in the fleet. We have Chris Pratt, twice olympic sailor who also came 6th in the Etchells World Championship in 2005, David Royle ex-national Sharpie champion and many others who have won a ton of silverware in various sailing classes.

At the other end of the spectrum there are novices to the class (and to sailing)  that get an incredible amount of support from their peers. The more experienced sailors in the fleet are supportive and committed to increasing the quality of competition.

So what's so good about One Design racing?
Most reasonable sailors can get 97% out of an Etchells, it's the the last 3% that makes the difference. In last year's TG Flint Memorial Cup run over 25 nautical miles, there was only 8 minutes variation from the front and the back of the fleet. At the National Championships, it is not unusual to have boats rounding the marks six abreast. The Etchells Class is heavily regulated by the International Association down to the level of not allowing individual sponsorship / advertising on individual boats. One of the few sports where large injections of cash is not going to help, it's all down to ability.