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24 Hour Race at West Lancashire Yacht Club
15-16 September 2007By Neil Croston 21 Sep 2007 07:51
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Jeans for Genes triumph in the West Lancs 24 hour race
Photo © Alasdair McQuire
Wild conditions during the West Lancs 24 hour race
Photo © Dennis Shevelan
Adam McGovern & Chris Robinson sail 24 hours non-stop in support of Sail4Cancer in the West Lancs 24 hour race
The weekend of 15/16 September heralded the 41st annual 24 Hour Race held on the Marine Lake Southport for GP14, Enterprise and Lark. Teams started arriving Friday afternoon and settling into the campsite. After the entertainment of Friday night, Saturday morning brought a bright sunny day with a good breeze from the south. The course was set as in previous years with two marks at the south end of the lake and the third mark in the far north, the course being sailed clockwise with the start and finish line in front of the club house.
Seventy boats were entered by teams from Sailing Clubs, Universities and Class Associations from across the country. For the first time this year one boat was to sail the full 24 hours with a single crew, sailing for the ‘Sail4Cancer’ charity.
The boats got away in seven flights started by the Mayor of Sefton at 12 noon in front of a large crowd of spectators.
The Lark Class Owners Assoc. (A) was fastest over the first two laps and took the first race prize. The excellent weather continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening being thoroughly enjoyed by sailors and spectators alike, with close racing across the fleet. Navigation lights were required from 8pm with the start of the dusk race won by Hollingworth Lake S.C. (B).
The race continued close overnight with Blackpool & Fleetwood Y.C. winning the dawn race. The good conditions continued during the morning with the wind freshening periodically, causing problems for some crews with a number of capsizes. The finish gun sounded at 12 noon on Sunday with another freshening wind period seeing several crews capsize between the last mark and the finishing line.
With the results in the GP14 from Bolton S.C. (A) had won the overall race sailing for the “Jeans for Genes” charity with 84 laps, closely followed by GP14 from Hollingworth Lake S.C. (B) sailed by Adam McGovern and Chris Robinson who had sailed the full 24 hours with a single crew into 2nd place, what an achievement. A very lively prize giving followed with a standing ovation for Adam and Chris plus a special achievement award.
The weekend was a great success for both the sailing and the social event, not forgetting the funds raised for charity.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat Type | Sail No | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | GP14 | 2 | Bolton S.C. (A) |
| 2nd | GP14 | 13956 | Hollingworth Lake S.C. (B) |
| 3rd | GP14 | 13924 | Burwain S.C. (B) |
| 4th | Lark | 2499 | South Staffs S.C. |
| 5th | Enterprise | 23170 | Hallamshire S.C. |
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The Notice of Race for the forty third 24 Hour Race for GP14, Enterprise and Lark Dinghies has been posted on the West Lancashire Yacht Club’s website.
24 Hour Race at West Lancashire Yacht Club - 17 Sep 2008The race started 12 noon on Saturday with 70 boats starting in flights of 10. The weather was bright and sunny excellent for the many spectators but with light winds, although not as light as forecast.
Jeans for Genes triumph in West Lancs 24 hour race - 18 Sep 2007Over the weekend of the 16th/17th September, in support of the fantastic charity ‘Jeans for Genes’, Bolton Sailing Club assembled a team to compete in the 41st 24hr race.
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West Lancashire Yacht Club 24 hour race - 13 Sep 2006The weather was kind for this year’s annual West Lancashire Yacht Club 24 hour race, with beautiful sunshine for the spectators and wind conditions to challenge the 70 teams participating, which was fitting as this was the event’s 40th anniversary.