61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater Yacht Club

With an impressive display of boat handling in conditions that defeated many, brothers Matty and James Lyons sailing a 49er, won the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater Yacht Club on July 1st & 2nd.

The iconic long-distance event was established by the club in honour of Lord Norman Birkett who died in 1962, two days after making a successful speech in the House of Lords preventing Ullswater from becoming a reservoir, which would have restricted public access.

Adam Ovington and Stu Keegan during the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

It has become more than just a race but a Festival of Sailing attracting entries in a wide range of different dinghies, keelboats and cruisers from all over the country.

The club's Commodore, Kathryn Hall, welcomed the 208 entries from the race box balcony as a moderate breeze that threatened considerably more, blew across the lawn. Sean Brooks the Principal Race Officer set a 12mile course to Norfolk Island, back to Pooley Bridge and then finishing in front of the club. The fleet massed for the 1pm start, only to be brought back under a general recall. Only on the third start under a black flag did the fleet get away cleanly, into a building breeze.

Nathan Batchelor and Ian Turnbull during the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

30+ knots met the fleet as they rounded the Narrows and headed for the Island. Plenty of drama followed, keeping the Safety Officer, Edmund Clarke and the safety crews occupied.

The 49er of Matty and James Lyons lead the fleet, chased hard by the 505 of Nathan Batchelor and Ian Turnbull. Both having to pick their way back through the fleet of beating and capsized boats. The 49er finished in 1hr 9mins mins and 18mins ahead on the water, but the 505 took the Saturday win on handicap in front of the 49er in second. The Fireball of Graham Newton and Mark Stevens from Staunton Harold SC, finished third on corrected time. Further back in the fleet, several classes experienced close racing, especially the Fireball, RS400 and Flying Fifteen fleets, who were thriving in the heavy weather.

Russ and Ali Cormack finish 6th overall in the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Sunday brought more westerly to the breeze, making for a difficult start in front of the clubhouse and again it was only on the third asking under a black flag, did the fleet get away. The fleet beat to Norfolk Island in an unsteady breeze that again built to over 30 knots, before turning around the Island for an exhilarating ride home, via the leeward mark off the Ullswater Steamers pier at Pooley Bridge.

Once more, the 49er of Matty and James Lyons lead the fleet round the Island, with the 505 chasing them down. Also in the mix was the Musto Skiff of Mike Mathews.

Sunday's start in the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Both the safety crews and photographers were again kept busy as competitors battled the challenging conditions. It was the 49er again first home and then the wait for the 505 with the clock ticking by. But unknown to Matty and James, the 505 had broken its mast and was sailing back under a jury rig. However, the race was still on with the Musto Skiff of Mike Mathews who took second, the RS400 of Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman from Bassenthwaite SC in third and the Fireball of Russ and Ali Cormack from Budworth SC in fourth, all pushing hard to close the gap.

Matty and James Lyons win the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

When all boats were safely ashore, the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy was awarded to the previous 2016 winners, Matty and James Lyons in a 49er, from Ullswater Yacht Club. Second was the Mike Mathews in a Musto Skiff and third was Graham Priestley, crewed by Josh Moran and Dylan Noble in a VX One.

Special mention goes to the first juniors, 13 and 11 year old brothers Thomas and Daniel Whitehead from Filey SC who finished an impressive 25th overall in their RS Feva XL.

The Whitehead Brothers finish as first Juniors in the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

The weekend's main sponsors were Waitings, the civil engineering contractors and plant hire experts and David Allen, IT Solutions. Also supporting the event were Ullswater Steamers, Dalemain Estates and Ullswater Sailing School.

The club thanks all the volunteers who worked so hard to make the 61st Birkett possible. And a huge thank you goes to every sailor who took part in the racing to make the Birkett such an amazing event. The 62nd Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy will be held on 6th & 7th July, 2024.

Full results and galleries can be found at the event website www.ullswaterycbirkett.org

All the prize winners in the 61st Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy at Ullswater - photo © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Overall Results: (top ten)

Class Prizes:

Individual Trophies: