hosting a ‘youth’ qualifier for under-
25s, while the Scottish event moved
to the Royal Northern & Clyde YC
in Helensburgh. At the Finals, the
Itchenor Sailing Club team, led by
Nacra 17 World Champion Ben Saxton,
came out on top, ahead of one of two
RORC teams, with Wessex Sailing Club
winning a tie break with Cambridge
University and Queen Mary Sailing
Club for third. Aboard eight J/70s, 18
teams each competed in 16 races.
FRIENDLY FORMAT
Oddly, given its potential popularity,
the British Keelboat League hasn’t
had much puff. “I heard about it
because of the HISC team, which
won it the year before,” admits Ben
Saxton, who only decided to compete
about two months out from the last
qualifier. “I thought I could sail with
my brother and some good friends.”
In the British Keelboat League
there are no limitations on pros, but
crew must be bona fide members of
the yacht club they are representing.
While he grew up sailing on Grafham,
Saxton is a member of Itchenor, as this
is where he socialises and has spent
most time campaigning his RS200.
In the Finals, he and Charlotte Dobson
were the only obvious pros, among
many top amateur sailors. “It was good
because pros, like me, can come and
we can take out people who aren’t full
time sailors,” Saxton says. However if
the circuit develops as it should, the
number of pros competing is certain
to increase as clubs up their game.
Competing in the British Keelboat
League, Saxton had the distinct
advantage of having won the J/70
Nationals and finished ninth at the
Worlds, albeit on mainsheet and
tactics, rather than helming. As a
result the Itchenor team dominated
the BKL Finals, from start to finish.
Saxton says he likes the format:
“Because the races are so short, it stays
close and is hard to distance people. To
get it right, you have to make your move
now because you don’t have much time
left!” Otherwise: “There were loads of
people there and because the J/70s were
provided, it was easy to do as a sailor
- there is not much organising: Just
get your team together and turn up.”
The Royal Ocean Racing Club fielded
two teams in 2017, one of which was a
youth team, part of the club’s initiative to
nurture its younger sailors. In fact it was
the youth team, skippered by 23-year-
old Dutch Laser-turned-keelboat sailor
and RORC member Wouter Sonnema,
that finished second to Itchenor in
the Final. The team had earned its
place in the Final through winning
the Under 25s Qualification event.
In the Final, Sonnema admitted
they were outclassed by Itchenor and
their star helmsman: “The first day we
scored only bullets, but we didn’t race
Ben [Saxton] then. We saw him on
day two and three and it was hard to
stay up with him, plus we made some
small mistakes and we got a penaltyin a situation with him. But it was
nice – we didn’t expect to do so well.”THIS SEASON AND BEYOND
For 2018, the British Keelboat League
has a similar format to 2017 with the
Final once again taking place out of
Cowes. While 20 clubs were involved
in year one, this increased to 31 in 2017
and similar growth is expected going
forwards. As RYA Keelboat Development
Manager, Jack Fenwick explains: “We
have a lot of individuals who embrace
it – it is about trying to get the clubs to
do so too. The sailors love the racing – 15
minute races, short and sharp, turn up
and play – there is nothing difficult about
it at all. It’s like match racing; if you get
beaten, you shake it off and move on.”
However another facet to the British
Keelboat League is that it doesn’t end
there. The top teams earn themselves
a berth in the Sailing Champions
League. In 2017 this had Qualifying
events in St Petersburg, Russia and
St Moritz, Switzerland culminatingin a final in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
All sailed in J/70s, the Finals saw 32
teamscompeting–15fromeachof
the Qualifiers, plus two from the host
club. Ultimately the local Yacht Club
CostaSmeraldateamwascrownedthe
2017 Champion, finishing just ahead
ofOstLegalSailingfromRussiaand
the Societe Nautique de Geneve.
In 2018, the same three venues will
be used for Sailing Champions League,
but this time Qualifiers will be in Porto
Cervo and St Petersburg with the Finalin St Moritz at the end of August.
Teams have already been announced
for the Qualifiers. These comprise 26
clubs that have qualified via their own
domestic national sailing leagues, plus
fivewildcardsandthehostclub.
At the Porto Cervo Qualifier in
Maytheline-upwillcomprisetwo
teamsfrom13nations:Austria,Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Lithuania,
Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovenia,
Sweden, Switzerland plus a wildcard
from the USA. Representing GBR in
this will be Wessex Sailing Club and
Port Edgar Yacht Club, the sole British
team to make it through to the Finals in- Then, heading for St Petersburg
in August, will be two further teams
from these countries, including Itchenor
SailingClubandtheRORCfromBritain.
Again races in the Sailing Champions
League are typically short, fast and
furious two lap windward-leeward
courses, akin to match racing or team
racing, with fleets of eight J/70s
FEATURE KEELBOAT LEAGUE
The first day we scored only bullets... but it
was nice – we didn’t expect to do so well
Above
Fast and furious
action is a key
feature of league
racing, with plenty
of short racesMarch 2018 Yachts & Yachting 61