The Feng Shui racing team from New Zealand comprising of Anatole Masfen, Matthew Kelway and Andrew Mills has lifted the 2016 Etchells Open European Championship. All the members of the New Zealand Feng Shui racing team were from Auckland and it looks like their chemistry was brought to the fore on the tricky and breezy conditions in the Solent.
This race has over 50 fleets participating that include World champions, Olympians as well as American Cup winners. The British National Champion, Ante Razmilovic, came second in the race and the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club Connecticut, USA team under Steve Benjamin came in a close third. The last race of the series saw the former Etchells World Champion and the current America’s Cup winner John Bertrand winning the race.
Anatole Masfen was thrilled to have won the Etchells championship. He said that he loves coming to Cowes and calls it the ‘Disney of Yachting’. This is where yacht racing took shape and believes that Cowes is a very special place for everyone in yacht racing – in much the same way that Scottish yacht charters from Largs have a very special place in his heart. The sailor says that the job done by David Franks, the class captain of Cowes Etchells is top class and he has to be lauded for his sincere efforts. He has done everything to strengthen the class and he is very happy to be part of all this.
The supporters of the Etchells Pre-world European Championship, Velocitek, made the race event even more fun by offering complimentary cold beers to every sailor who took part in the race. The 2016 Etchells World Championship is not far behind and is slated to start on the 5th of September, 2016. It will come to an end on 10th September. There is going to be a solid participation from 14 different countries and the total team registered for the event is 52.
