The Return of the West Lancashire Yacht Club 24 Hour Race - the Full Story
by Louise Halliwell 26 Sep 12:08 UTC
21-22 September 2024
The WLYC 24 Hour Race made its return to the yachting calendar with a bang on the 21st and 22nd of September after an over-long break, with fireworks on and off the water. The healthy entry of 51 clubs sailing Enterprises and GP14s had more than a smattering of star sailors vying for the prizes.
Friday evening was balmy weather and as in the past, the eve of the race was a night for old friends and new from all over the country to party into the early hours in the club's lounge and bar. By Saturday morning everyone was up and ready for a more serious but still convivial affair.
The day dawned grey and chilly with a moderate north easterly wind which, unusually, remained in the same general direction for the entire race providing a good beat on the triangular course for the first leg to A Mark and a spinnaker run for the GPs down the back of the islands to B Mark. Some continued to carry their spinnakers down the close reach to C Mark.
Easterly winds often sweep down the streets of Southport providing gusty and sometimes trying conditions with plenty of opportunity to be caught off guard and provide spectators with a display of varying capsizing techniques.
By the start of the race the sun was shining again over Southport. The WLYC 24 Hour Race start is seeded into flights with flight 0 crossing the starting line at 12 noon. Adam and Tim McGovern, sailing the Hollingworth Lake SC GP14, came out in front winning the BBC Merseyside Cup for the fastest first 2 laps, followed by the South Staffs A's GP14 and the Enterprise of Looe SC.
As the race continued, Hollingworth's fortunes dwindled with South Staffs A's GP14 taking the lead, chased by the GP14s of Toddbrook and Budworth A. At dusk the Dogwatch Trophy for the fastest lap next after 20.00 hours went to Budworth A followed by South Staffs A and Looe.
It's a special feature of the WLYC 24 Hour Race that boats do not do penalty turns, which could result in collisions during sailing especially at nighttime, and if the waters are congested. Instead, infringements are acknowledged by leaving D Mark to starboard so that the appropriate time penalty can be applied. This established procedure was readily applied by competitors familiar with the race.
During the course of Saturday evening, following an incident near A Mark, South Staffs passed D Mark to starboard to acknowledge their infringement and receive a 5 minute penalty making Budworth A the leaders on the scoreboard. The difference turned out to be decisive - only a few minutes separated the group leaders at the end of the race.
The Midnight Cup for the fastest lap next after midnight went to South Staffs A followed by the GP14s of Toddbrook A and Welsh Harp SC. At dawn Budworth A remained in the lead but the Stanley Leech Cup for the fastest lap next after 06.00 hours went to the Enterprise of Looe followed by the GP14s of West Lancs YC and South Staffs A.
At 08.00 hours the signal was made to indicate the start of the race for the Coddington Cup, for the next fastest lap. First was Budworth A followed by South Staffs A and Bolton. The final special race was for the Heineken Cup, for the fastest lap next after 10.00 hours sailed by a female helm and crew and judging by the eagerness of competitors to know the details of the outcome, it's one of the most closely followed.
It was won by the Street sisters from Welsh Harp SC in a GP14, followed by the GPs of South Staffs B and Budworth B.
The moderate wind conditions remained throughout the night and the volunteer safety boats and first aiders reported relatively few incidents. Those capsizing learned that the Marine Lake is shallow enough to stand in, making the righting of boats easier and safer.
Positions on the water among the leading boats remained remarkably close right up to the finish with 1st place going to Budworth A, South Staffs A second, Looe third, Toddbrook A fourth and Bolton fifth. The full results are being posted on the WLYC website.
The 2025 WLYC 24 Hour Race will be held on the Saturday 13th to Sunday 14th September 2025 when it is planned that Fireflys will join the GP14s and Enterprises. With the enthusiasm shown by this year's competitors and many promises to return in 2025 with bigger and better teams, an even more challenging event can be expected.
Entries for 2025 are now open for all three classes via the GP14 website gp14.org/events/wlyc-24-hour-race