National 12 Fixtures 2014 launched!

Action from Burton Week 2013 in Brixham © Gareth Fudge / www.boatographic.co.uk

The National 12 Owners' Association is delighted to be able to announce our fixtures for 2014. As ever a highlight of the year will be Burton Week, the 4-day national championships including the prestigious Burton Cup race, first held in 1936. In 2014 we will be hosted by Pevensey Bay Sailing Club from 23rd to 26th August. Burton Week 2014 promises to be a great event with a winning combination of classic championship sailing and a friendly host club with camping on site.

Burton Week is also part of the GUL Series, the premier national series for the 12s. The series moves into its second year of sponsorship from GUL, who provided generous prizes throughout the fleet as anyone who was at Northampton will know, and a grand prize of a surfing weekend in Cornwall! As well as Pevensey Bay, in 2014 we'll also be visiting Burghfield, Annandale (for the Scottish Champs), Salcombe, Shoreham, Ripon, and Northampton for our GUL Series finale, this year including a joint dinner with the Larks.

Of course it's not just the GUL Series that the 12s will be competing for in 2014. Sailors near the Thames and South coast will have 9 open meetings to choose competing from for the Thames Area series. In the Midland Area there are 8 open meetings with a focus on "rivers and ponds" with the odd very big pond. The Northern Area goes from strength to strength and in 2014 will feature 9 opens including the ANEYC Northern champs at Burwain in Lancashire. There are 3 open meetings on the growing Scottish Area series in 2014 and the Border Trophy will be awarded for the best results in the most southerly Scottish event at Annandale and the most northerly English event at Tynemouth (October meeting). 2014 also sees the start of a mini-series for Four Plank 12s – watch this space for further details!

If that wasn't enough for you there are some massive one-off events for the 12s in 2014. Our junior championships will be held at Hykeham on 26th April and the popular Vintage Championships for clinker-built 12s returns at Burton SC on the 28th and 29th of June. We also have a once in a lifetime opportunity to race our 12s outside the UK at the multi-class European Event in Carnac. This promises to be a spectacular event at the world renowned venue in Brittany and will be held over 4 days on the May Bank holiday weekend. We'll be joined by the Scorpions, Larks, Merlins and Enterprises and the event will include an inter-class handicap race on the Saturday. With the racing and the socials it will be a real celebration of British 2-handed dinghy sailing!

You can check out the event website at carnac2014.org and all the National 12 fixtures at: www.national12.org