The Royal Thames Yacht Club has secured a ticket to the British Keelboat League finals after taking victory in round four of the series at Marconi-Stone on the East Coast.
Seven teams ranging from #rockupandrace BKL regulars to dinghy sailors giving it a go for the first time competed over the weekend (15-16 June 2024) on the Blackwater Estuary in Marconi Sailing Club's fleet of SB20 keelboats.
There was a big breeze forecast for the Saturday but with an expectation that the worst of the weather would be just to the south - and a fantastic effort from the race management and RIB teams - competitors were able to complete one race before 30+ knot gusts sent the fleet back into Bradwell Marina to shelter.
An early start on the Sunday then allowed a further 13 races, with the teams completing eight races each, in glorious conditions. A 15-16 knot breeze gradually eased through the day to a constant 10 knots, complete with sunshine and big fluffy clouds.
Joining the team at this year's BKL finals will be Burnham Sailing Club, who fought a great series to finish second overall on countback, with a scoreline including three race wins, putting them ahead of Frensham SC & Friends in third.
Overall Results: (eight races)
Pos Team Name Total Points Average Points
1 Royal Thames YC Academy (R) 29 3.63
2 Burnham SC (X) 24 3
3 Frensham and Friends (V) 24 3
4 Blackwater SC (Z) 21 2.63
5 Teen Spirit (P) 19 2.38
6 Oxford Improvers (O) 13 1.63
7 MSC Blackwater (M) 9 1.13
All of the on-water activity was provided by Marconi SC with the onshore part of the event - including catering and camping, a social with a live band and the prize-giving - based at Stone SC, with Blackwater SC also supporting with RIBS.
Prizes thanks to Sailing Chandlery were presented by Stone SC Sailing Secretary Phil Longley. The race officer was Bryan Spencer and Chief Umpire was Antonio Dionisio.
Peter added that a key part of the organising team on the water, acting as umpires, RIB transfers and SB20 launching and recovery, were Marconi sailors, all in their mid-20s and some having finished third in the BKL finals last year: "It was great to see all these young sailors giving up their time to give back to the BKL and the club in a massive way to make the event possible."
Next stop for the British Keelboat League 2024 is Rutland SC in the Midlands, where teams will be able to #rockupandrace aboard the club's fleet of RS21s. Look out for entries opening soon and in the meantime, get your team together and save the date!
The top two teams from each event are invited to the national BKL final in J70s at The Royal Southern YC, Hamble, at the end of September, and then have the chance to win a place representing Britain in Europe in the 2025 SAILING Champions League.
Find out more and keep up with all the latest BKL news and events @britishkeelboatleague on social media or at :- britishkeelboatleague.co.uk
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