Entries open for inaugural women’s keelboat team racing championship

Entries are live for the first ever UK Women’s Keelboat Team Racing Championship.

The inaugural event will be co-organised and hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club at London’s Queen Mary Reservoir over the weekend of 15-16 June 2024.

Designed to showcase the strength of women’s team racing in the UK, entries are open for up to 12 teams to compete for the Lochan Cup.

Racing in the Royal Thames YC’s fleet of nearly new Sonar keelboats, teams will comprise two boats, each with a crew of four identifying as female.

The women’s event follows on from the sold out and hugely competitive RYA open two-boat keelboat team racing championship, the Carmela Cup 2024.

The aim is to build on the growing success of women’s racing, including the RYA/BUSA Women’s Team Racing Championships, Marlow Ropes RYA Women’s Match Racing, and the Women’s Open Keelboat Championship and British Keelboat League events.

Jack Fenwick, Sailing Development Manager at the Royal Thames YC, commented: “The latest edition of the Carmela Cup showed us how much team racing talent we have in this country and we are really looking forward to hosting another high-level event.

“We do a lot of team racing at the Royal Thames and we have many outstanding female sailors competing regularly, so it seems only natural that we should introduce the Lochan Cup to offer a two-boat keelboat championship for women.”

Entry is £800 per team with online sign up open until 23:59 Sunday 2nd June. Read the Notice of Race and enter a team on the Royal Thames YC events hub.

Richard Moxey, RYA Keelboat Development Manager, said: “Following the same exciting format as the open event for the Carmela Cup, including symmetrical spinnakers, it will be non-stop around the course for crews with a premium on teamwork and boat handling as well as inter-boat tactics.

“The RYA is pleased to be working with the Royal Thames Yacht Club to deliver this new event to put talented female sailors and women’s team racing in the spotlight.”

Enter now or contact Jack Fenwick, Sailing Development Manager at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, for further information.