Sixteen Teams to fight for British Keelboat League Crown in Cowes

2018 British Keelboat League final © Alex & David Irwin / www.sportography.tv

Following an intense series of qualifying events, sixteen of the best keelboat racing clubs will fight it out for the next three days in the Solent at the British Keelboat League Finals hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

Qualification for the finals began in February with Rutland Sailing Club hosting a sell-out event. Marconi SC and Burnham SC, both clubs who have competed in the Sailing Champions League, earned their spots in the finals with third and second place respectively but it was Solent University who took the top spot and they are coming to the finals with their eyes set firmly on the trophy and the chance for another trip to the Sailing Champions League after their last venture in 2023.

March saw a flurry of BKL Qualifiers kicking off with the School's championship with a massive 21 entries. Ryde School dominated the event, taking all three podium spots and two of their teams will be competing, hoping for home field advantage not only in the Solent but also in the J/70 where they regularly compete. Joining them from the Schools Championship is Royal Hospital School who are back in the BKL finals after a couple of years.

The end of March saw a double header, with events at Port Edgar in the Forth, and Royal Southern in the Solent for the Boysterous Cup. In Scotland, against a sellout crowd of 12 teams, University of Strathclyde showed the others the way with three teams in the top five including first and second place, those teams both making the long trip south this weekend and although neither team have competed in the Finals before, they are hoping that their broad range of keelboat racing experience will help them get up to speed quickly. Dundee University claimed third place at the Port Edgar event and are looking forward to some competitive racing with us on the South Coast.

The Boysterous Cup at the Royal Southern, ten teams were doing everything they could to get their place in the finals. In the end, it was another Solent University team who's second place was enough to secure the coveted invite.

The end of May saw the League return to the Royal Southern once again, this time for the Women's Championship. A lot of familiar faces were on the start line for this fiercely competed event that saw last year's runners up take the win in a tight fought battle ahead of Lymington Town Sailing Club. The LTSC team have recently returned from their second Women's Sailing Champions League and are pleased with the way their results are improving, and they are once again hoping to secure their place in the Sailing Champions League.

The final chance to secure a spot at this year's finals was the David Haw Memorial Trophy at the end of august hosted by Bristol University with the Royal Southern and Royal Thames Yacht Clubs. A record sixteen teams were competing with many teams using it as a warmup for the finals. Dublin University Sailing Club are at the start of their League Racing journey and aiming to get more Irish sailors hooked. A credible 7th at the event has left them wanting more and their aiming high at this year's finals and are looking forward to getting more experience against top class sailors in a challenging environment.

Defending champions, the Royal Thames Academy, are represented by a new team this year and used the David Haw as a warmup event. A solid third place in the David Haw Memorial gives them a good platform to launch their defence from.

Having competed in almost every BKL final in the last ten years, West Hoe Sailing Club earned their Wildcard before they even knew if they'd managed to secure a spot at the David Haw Memorial. The dice didn't roll their way that weekend but with four appearances in the Sailing Champions League and a best placed 2nd in the BKL, they will certainly be bringing their A game to the finals.

Racing gets under way at 1230 on Friday with early starts on Saturday and Sunday to get as many races as possible crammed in. After racing on the Friday, the teams are invited to supper at the Royal Thames Shoreside base in Cowes to pick each other's brains on lessons learned on day one.

To follow the racing, keep an eye on the live results on the KSail website and follow the Royal Thames Yacht Clubs Facebook and Instagram for coverage from the water.

To find out more about the British Keelboat league and sign up for events in 2026, visit www.britishkeelboatleague.co.uk and you too could #RockUpAndRace