Etchells 22s racing in the Solent Oil on canvas, 36 x 42 inches, 1993 The Etchells 22 is a well-known classic racing dayboat, fleets of which are found all over the world. This scene is set very much in home waters for me – the Solent off Cowes, the inevitable Royal Yacht Squadron visible between the tacking boats. I have never raced seriously, preferring my boats to belong to that sort where you can easily make a cup of tea if you want to, but I can see the
appeal, both in the competitiveness and in the pleasure of getting the very best out of your boat. It is a fearsome thing to crew for a keen racing skipper and on the only occasion I crewed aboard an Etchells I felt not so much like the third hand as the fifth wheel.
THE SEA PAINTER’S WORLD 39