E. W. Etchells
Elwood Widmer (E. W.) "Skip" Etchells (July 5, 1911 – December 20, 1998) was an American naval architect, boat builder and world championship sailor. He is best remembered now for the one-design racing boat that bears his name, the International Etchells class, a 30 ft keelboat that he designed in 1966. One of the most competitive classes in sailboat racing, the Etchells is often the boat of choice for the world's top sailors, including America's Cup veteran Dennis Conner, a three-time world champion in the class.
E. W. Etchells
- Name
- E.
- Nationality
- American
- Born
- 5 July 1911
- Birthplace
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
- Died
- 20 December 1998
- Place of death
- Easton, Maryland, US
- Occupation
- engineer · architect
- Education
- University of Michigan
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Elwood Widmer (E. W.) "Skip" Etchells (July 5, 1911 – December 20, 1998) was an American naval architect, boat builder and world championship sailor. He is best remembered now for the one-design racing boat that bears his name, the International Etchells class, a 30 ft keelboat that he designed in 1966. One of the most competitive classes in sailboat racing, the Etchells is often the boat of choice for the world's top sailors, including America's Cup veteran Dennis Conner, a three-time world champion in the class.
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Biography
Biography
For more than 30 years beginning in the 1940s, Etchells built some of the fastest Star-class sailboats ever. He and his wife, Mary O'Toole Etchells, also campaigned in Stars for many years, traveling the world and winning regattas in the U.S, Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. In 1951, they won the Star world championship at Gibson Island, Maryland. Mary Etchells remains the only woman ever to have won the worlds in the Star class. In 1958, they won the Star North American Championships at the Tred Avon Yacht Club. The International Etchells Class, originally called the Etchells 22 because it had a 22 ft waterline length, was designed as part of a competition to select a new three-man keelboat for the Olympics. Despite emerging as the fastest boat in two sets of selection trials in Germany, in 1966 and 1967, the boat was not picked for the Olympics.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — E. W. Etchells • Full Name — Elwood Widmer Etchells • Nickname — Skip • Nationality — American • Classes — Star • Born — 5 July 1911 • Birthplace — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US • Died — 20 December 1998 • Place of death — Easton, Maryland, US • Medal Templates — Sailing World Championships
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1911
E. W. Etchells born at Philadelphia.
1998
E. W. Etchells died at Easton.
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Philadelphia.
Birth place
Easton.
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reference work
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Secondary witness
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The identifiers under which E. Etchells may be traced in institutional catalogues.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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