Please select your home edition
Edition

Keelboat Endeavour 2025 at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club

by Petru Balau 25 Mar 11:59 UTC 22-23 March 2025
Keelboat Endeavour 2025 © Petru Balau Sports Photography / sports.hub47.com

Joe Cross, Russell Wheeler, Matt Hitt and Tim Lees, representing the Sonata class, won the 2025 edition of the Keelboat Endeavour, hosted by Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, in Burnham on Crouch, Essex, over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd of March.

Six teams lined up to the start of the 2025 edition of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Keelboat Endeavour, to compete for the Robin Judah Trophy, commissioned in memory of Robin Judah, one of the founders of the original Endeavour Trophy for dinghies, an Olympic sailor in the Dragon class in 1968, and stalwart of the club.

The wind proved to be a tricky customer on Saturday, making the choice of side instrumental, with the slightest change in wind direction making or breaking a race, while the clubs fleet of five 707s, recently refurbished by Allen Brothers, the global supplier of performance sailing hardware, based not far from the club and with new running rigging supplied by Robline evened the playing field.

Despite the light conditions, with race 8 being very close to being cancelled due to time limits, Edwin Buckley, the Race Officer, squeezed twelve races in the first day, with each team competing in ten.

The Sandhopper sailors, Peter Thompson, Howard Warrington, Alex Warrington and Clara Hunter, back after missing the 2024 edition, narrowly missed beating the sister class, the Squib, by only 3 points and finished the day in sixth place.

The day started perfectly for the Squib champions, Micky Wright and Alex Porteous, with help from Chris Agar and Dave Hyde, with a win in the first race, yet the wind conditions proved to be a bit trickier to handle and they had to wait until the last race for another win, finishing the day in fifth place.

Quentin Strauss, Sarah Burgess, Philip Catmur and Richard Tucker, the Dragon class representatives, needed a few races to get a handle on the 707 spinnaker system, but after the issue was solved, they finished just outside top three, by only 3 points, with a win in the sixth race.

The day didn't start well for the Flying Fifteen class, represented by multiple world champions Graham Vials and Chris Turner and complemented by Andrew Lawson and Chris Waples, which suffered a few breakages, swiftly remedied by the race bosun Nick Milton, had to pick up the pace and finish the day in third place, with wins in races 3, 5 and 11.

The K6 crew, Laurence Crispin, James Bennett, Bertie Barker and Harry Barker, showed enough consistency to finish the day above the Flying Fifteens, by only 1 point, a huge improvement from the last edition and with great hopes for the next year.

Yet, the clear winners of the day were the Sonata sailors, Joe Cross, Russell Wheeler, Matt Hitt and Tim Lees, runners up of the 2024 edition, which not only scored an impressive 6 out of 10 wins, but also never dropped below second place in the overall results table throughout the day.

The day ended with the customary delicious curry prepared by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club chefs and a few drinks in the club's bar area.

Sunday morning brought dead calm, with the wind almost filling, but not quite and the race officer had to cancel the day of racing at noon.

The Sonata representatives were awarded the Endeavour Keelboat Trophy, a half hull model presented by Robin's daughter, Catherine.

This year's Endeavour Keelboat Trophy was sponsored by Allen Brothers and Robline, while Ksail provided the live results platform.

While many of the competitors travelled from all over the country to attend the event, special mention needs to go to the competitor who was stuck in Spain on Friday afternoon, with no plane to Heathrow and had to take a flight to Paris, an Eurostar train to London, for a quick late night turnaround to collect his kit, before a dash up to Essex, with the Club's breakfast saving the day.

Overall Results:

Rank Team Name Num RacesTotal PointsAvg Points
1Sonata10414.1
2K610333.3
3Flying Fifteen10323.2
4Dragon10292.9
5Squibs10242.4
6Sandhopper10212.1

Related Articles

Time to nerd out a bit
Possibly a big bit, as it turns out. Historically we know I am up for it, but how about you? Possibly a big bit, as it turns out. Anyway, historically we know I am up for it, but how about you? Right oh. Unequivocally, the greater electrification space is not just THE hot topic presently, it also changes at a prodigious rate. Posted on 3 Apr
Top 10 baits from the Harris Chain
While many anglers didn't rely on whole tackle box, a lot of different baits worked for the field The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division event at the Harris Chain on March 27-29 was dominated by two things: Dylan Quilatan and Lake Apopka. Posted on 3 Apr
Bayliss Boatworks new construction updates
Big Deal is reaching significant milestones Big Deal is reaching significant milestones, starting with a major exterior update. Posted on 2 Apr
Nautically inspired jewellery from Angela Lago
Beautifully made nautical-inspired jewellery There's something we all seem to share as true lovers of the sea—especially those of us drawn to the nautical world. It's a deep connection with authenticity, nature, and the undeniable pull of freedom. Posted on 2 Apr
Maritimo M50 Flybridge Motor Yacht Reveal Trailer
Maritimo M50 Flybridge Motor Yacht, a masterpiece that seamlessly combines luxury and innovation Discover the allure of the Maritimo M50 Flybridge Motor Yacht, a masterpiece that seamlessly combines luxury and innovation. Drawing inspiration from Maritimo's flagship models, this yacht offers a unique blend of elegance and functionality. Posted on 1 Apr
Marine Auctions: April Online Auctions
Bavaria 32 sailing yacht, Williams 36 motor cruiser and much more Up for auction: Bavaria 32 sailing yacht, Williams 36 motor cruiser, Mustang 2800 powerboat, Cobalt 243 cuddy cabin, Monterey 270 cruiser, Arber 9 sailing catamaran, and much more. Posted on 1 Apr
New IGFA Junior Line & Tippet Class World Records
Expanding youth records to celebrate skill, ethics, and conservation IGFA is excited to announce the launch of new Junior Line Class and Junior Tippet Class World Record categories, giving anglers aged 16 and under even more opportunities to be recognized for their achievements on the water. Posted on 1 Apr
Caleb Kuphall's go-to Spinnerbait and Jig Rods
Spinnerbaits and jigs are two of the top presentations in bass fishing Spinnerbaits and jigs are two of the top presentations in bass fishing. Bassmaster Elite and NPFL angler, Caleb Kuphall, discusses the specific Victory and Legend Tournament Bass rod models he relies on for these staple techniques. Posted on 28 Mar
Sailfish techniques for catching mahi mahi
They are found world-wide in temperate offshore waters Dolphin fish, commonly referred to using their Hawaiian name "mahi mahi" to avoid confusion with dolphin mammals ("Flipper"), ranks as one of the most popular fish in the ocean. Posted on 26 Mar
Top 10 baits from Lake Chickamauga
Minnows were the name of the game at Chick, but there were other big players The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division tournament on Lake Chickamauga was a big success, with heavy weights and lots of fish caught. Posted on 26 Mar