Etchells Fleet 15

Welcome to Shelter Island Etchells Fleet 15.

Since 1978, the Shelter Island Yacht Club has hosted Etchells Fleet 15 for summer racing in the waters of eastern Long Island. The fleet includes a lively group of high-performance one design sailors who compete on the local, national, and international level. With regular summer breeze and several nearby flat-water racing venues, the fleet offers a 25-race summer series each Saturday afternoon from June to Labor Day as well as a variety of local, regional and nationally sanctioned regattas. The fleet boasts 15-20 boats depending on the weekend and has been growing in recent years. Shelter Island Yacht Club is proud to have the 2023 Etchells World Champion as a member of our Club. 

The Etchells is a triple-handed keelboat designed by boatbuilder and yacht designer, Skip Etchells, of Old Greenwich, CT. Originally proposed as part of a design competition for a new fiberglass Olympic keelboat in 1966, the Etchells-22 was passed over in favor of the Soling. However, because of its beautiful lines, ease of handling and tuneability the boat took off in North America, eventually growing to include active one-design fleets around the world. During the 1980’s the class grew in popularity as a number of America’s Cup sailors, including Dennis Connor, Russell Coutts, and Jud Smith found their way into the boat as an excellent opportunity to sharpen their skills against high-level competition (and to test innovations they’d bring back to the cup). Currently built in Canada (Ontario Yachts), Great Britain (Petticrows) and Australia (Pacesetter), over 1400 hulls have been launched since the first one found its way into the waters of Long Island Sound.

The fleet welcomes racers from throughout the East End who are interested in tactical, in-shore competition.

If you would like to learn more or get involved, please send an email to: [email protected]