The Lord Birkett, next leg of the Sailjuice Challenge, has hit its entry limit of 230 boats for this weekends race.
There’s a huge array of dinghies and keelboats lining up to compete at this weekend’s Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy, sponsored by Magic Marine.
Hosted by Ullswater Yacht Club, the two-day event is going to be busy on and off the water with 230 boats entered.
They range from singlehanded dinghies and doublehanded hiking boats and skiffs through to a range of sportsboats and keelboats, all racing against each other under the Great Lakes handicap numbers.
An International 14 – sailed by Robin Steavenson and Ewen Stamp from Tynemouth – won the first edition in 1963. And the most recent winners from 2024 were another Tynemouth duo also sailing an International 14 – Adam Ovington and Stuart Keegan.
While the faster boats often fare well in the Lord Birkett, the weather will doubtless play a big part in the outcome of this year’s event as it always does in handicap competition.
A Snipe hiking dinghy won the Magic Marine Daffodil Regatta back in April, so perhaps it could be a year for the slower boats.
2025 Sailjuice Challenge
26/27 Apr 2025 Magic Marine Daffodil Regatta
5/6 July 2025 Lord Birkett, Magic Marine
6/7 Sept 2025 Loch Lomond Challenge
27/28 Sept 2025 Dalgety Challenge
21 Feb 2026 Prize Giving
