Budworth Sailing Club

With one of the largest fleet of GP14s in the UK, Budworth SC has always been a strong supporter of the WLYC 24 Hour Race, held over the second weekend in September each year. Since its conception in 1967 Budworth has entered every year bar three.Often known as the Southport 24 hour race, this is the UK’s No.1 dinghy endurance race, hosted by West Lancs Yacht Club. The 24 Hour Race is the premiere opportunity for Sailing Club teams to compete for serious trophies and national status in 2-person dinghy sailing.

The event is only open to GP14, Enterprise and Lark Dinghies as these are evenly matched across the range of wind and weather conditions that prevail at Southport over a 24-hour period. The event regularly attracts entries of 70-80 teams from sailing clubs across the UK, and with at least 10 - 12 members per team, this event is a showcase for sailing clubs to circa 900 sailors.

With the desire to attract new members and to gain national prestige for Budworth SC, in the late 1980’s a consortium of Budworth SC members from across all fleets purchased a GP14 specifically for use at the 24 Hour Race. The objective was to have a dedicated, well-maintained boat that could stand the rigours of racing for 24-hours, through the night, in the hands of demanding sailors, and hopefully win the race. Over the years in excess of 100 Budworth SC members have currently contributed towards this goal.

Recognising the benefits to the club of such an asset the Budworth SC Committee has supported entry fees and boat insurance over the years, and with help from Budworth SC members the boat has been meticulously maintained and regularly updated. To minimise depreciation in October of 2007 the 5th dedicated Budworth 24 hr GP14 was purchased.

The Budworth 24-Hour GP14 is available to any Budworth SC member, from any fleet, with the dinghy sailing talent, experience and determination to compete for a top 10 position in the 24 Hour race. In recent years Budworth SC has achieved a best finish of 7th, has been 9th twice, had one 11th place and finished 13th a number of times. But still the Club covets a top 3 finish if not an outright win.

Whilst each annual entry is coordinated and managed by the GP14 Fleet, over the last few years the team has predominantly included sailors from all the other Budworth SC Fleets. Such is the interest in the event, entries from additional boats have also been supported by the Club including entries by youth teams. For example, in 2008, some 40 Budworth SC members sailed 3 boats in the event.

In recent years the use of the 24-Hour boat was extended for use by Budworth SC’s entry in to the National Junior 12-hour race, hosted on the same Marine Lake by Southport SC in June each year. This event is only open to Junior sailors, but once again provides a showcase of the talents of junior sailors for each sailing club that enters. Budworth SC are proud to have won this event on 2 occasions and have been regular top 3 finishers.

The Budworth 24-hour GP14 is a valuable asset to the club. A dedicated, reliable boat maximises the Clubs chances of winning events, and in doing so attracts new members and enhances the Clubs reputation. Club members across all fleets benefit from the use of the boat in the numerous training session that precede an event, and in doing so improve their sailing skills and experience.

This entry was written on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 4:41 pm and is filed under 24Hr Endurance Race, Club News.
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