Please select your home edition
Edition
Henri-Lloyd 2022 December - YY LEADERBOARD
Product Feature
Crewsaver Coastal Flare Package
Crewsaver Coastal Flare Package

Champion of Champions Endeavour Trophy at Burnham - Overall

by Sue Pelling 9 Oct 2016 21:31 BST 7-9 October 2016

Olympian Ben Saxton and Toby Lewis retain Endeavour Championship title

Tough sailing as Ben Saxton and Toby Lewis win 2016 Endeavour Trophy

Ben Saxton and Toby Lewis (Nacra 17) once again won the Endeavour Championship after some epic sailing hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham-on-Crouch, thus successfully defending the title they lifted in 2015. This win means Toby has been the winning crew a record six times now, which equals Nick Craig's helming record.

Saxton was pleased with the racing and commented after the final race: "It was tricky again today, trying to figure out the tides and the wind. I think we did a good job in the first two races and could afford to try some different, safer options in the last two races. It wasn't any easier though because everyone sailed really hard. Absolutely fantastic racing by everyone."

Lewis added: "The conditions were tough and we had some serious races with competitors like Edd [Whitehead] and Karen [Oldale] representing the RS500s. The course was unpredictable and ever changing wind conditions requiring some serious concentration."

The day started with a fresh northerly breeze of about 14 knots with some menacing clouds on the horizon. Fortunately no major rain fell and the experienced competitors were taking advantage of every gust that came their way, especially on the downwind legs where most of the boats were on the plane.

As the day wore on the winds lightened up slightly but remained northerly at about 10 knots, with the occasional big gust, making it more difficult for the heavier crews to maintain optimum speed. The race for second place quickly became a hot contest between four different teams. The RS200s team, Matt Mee and Joanna Wright, managed to sail a consistent four races to secure second place overall, seven points ahead of Nick Craig and Holly Scott (D One).

RS200 national champion Joanna Wright was happy: "Matt and I have only ever sailed together in this event so today we were getting use to each other and had a solid day's sailing and working together as a team."

"There are many ex-RS200 champions and RS200 sailors in this fleet and we were determined to beat them," added Mee.

Nick Craig came third and was enthusiastic about the racing: "Today was very similar to yesterday for us. The racing was tight but we felt a little sticky, almost not as quick as we could have been. It would have been so much better if we had that 30 knots of wind but it was not to be. Hats off to the other competitors, we really had a great time and some great racing this weekend."

The Merlin Rocket team – Roger Gilbert and James Stewart – who managed to come fourth overall, are not newcomers to this championship as they have, as a team, won the event in 2003 when they represented the RS400 class at the championship. Gilbert was quite frank and jolly about the racing: "It's been a long time since we won, we use to be the fittest and the youngest but that appears to have changed. The conditions were very testing and possibly the wind was a bit too light for us. We are still very pleased with the results."

Christian Birrell and Emma Norris (Fireball) came fifth overall. Birrell was excited about the conditions and the outcome: "We read the tide much better today, we were not all over the place like yesterday. Today we just stuck to what we know and sailed hard to make up places. Two firsts, a second and a third was great sailing for us today."

Niki Birrell, Christian's brother and bronze medal-winning Olympian at the Rio Paralympic Games, was invited to sail in the Endeavour Championship and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. When asked about sailing against his brother he replied: "Yesterday I beat him in three races, somehow today he found his mojo and just took off and left me behind. It has been absolutely fantastic and such an honour to be entered. We found the racing to be tight, hard and very competitive and we are very pleased to have come 11th overall. This event has given me much inspiration to pursue my dream of winning a national championship and I know I will need to learn to sail quicker to achieve this dream."

The weekend was concluded with a prize giving ceremony held at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club before the competitors packed up and went their separate ways. Edwin Buckley – event director and race officer commented during the prize giving: "It is always a pleasure to have such champions on the water competing, they give it all that they have and make this event a true test of skill, endurance and tenacity for each other. We wouldn't have it any other way."

Overall Results:

PosClassHelmCrewR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8Pts
1Nacra 17Ben SaxtonToby Lewis1712115213
2RS200Matt MeeJoanna Wright101127243331
3D-OneNick CraigHolly Scott817114122538
4Merlin RocketRoger GilbertJames Stewart310313567438
5FireballChristian BirrellEmma Norris1181314321139
6RS Aero 7David EllisChloe Martin12315510781055
7CadetJamie HarrisBettine Harris21286816131463
8EnterpriseTim SadlerJeremy Stephens16214361942764
9RS400Paul OakeyMark Oakey21411101389964
1029erCrispin BeaumontTom Darling41520911146766
11SKUD18Niki BirrellJonny McGovern522641411141771
12420Robbie KingMarcus Tressler951923125121274
13GraduateJohn ClementsonJamie Clementson186982715111683
14505Andy SmithAlex Barry132051727320684
15RS VareoDavid JarrettEmma Hivey171825127916887
16RS500Edd WhiteheadKaren Oldale7144192718151592
17RS800Luke McEwenEmma McEwen22910201617101193
18RS FevaWilliam PankFinley Dickinson1513181920241894
192000Fergus BarhamSerena de Nahlik621122419101719104
20SupernovaIain HorlockVictoria Upton1419161617131813107
21TopperSamuel CooperAlastair Rimmer2317221518241921135
22Musto SkiffAlex KnightMegan Pascoe1916232515232120137
23ScorpionChris TurnerAlex Hayman2623212621222224159
24MiracleHannah SmithNick Smith2424242122252322160
25RS Aero 5Archie HainsworthFreddy Wootton2525262220212523161
26LarkStuart HydonRachel Rhodes2027171827272727163

Related Articles

Inaugural Endeavour Trophy for Keelboats
Building on the success and legacy of the Endeavour Trophy for dinghy champions The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, building on the success and legacy of the Endeavour Trophy for dinghy champions, hosted the inaugural Endeavour Trophy for Keelboats in Burnham on Crouch. Posted on 19 Apr
61st Endeavour Trophy overall
Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore win the coveted champion of champions trophy The 2022 Investec-sponsored Endeavour Trophy dinghy champion of champions that took place this weekend at Burnham-on-Crouch (7-9 October) was one of the most interesting on record with the overall winners not being decided until the final race. Posted on 10 Oct 2022
61st Endeavour Trophy day 1
RS800 champs take overnight lead Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore representing the RS800 class have taken the overnight lead of the Investec-sponsored Endeavour Trophy dinghy champion of champions event after four races writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 9 Oct 2022
61st Endeavour Trophy opening day
This year being held in aid of Leukaemia UK The opening day of the 61st Investec-sponsored Endeavour Trophy dinghy champion of champions event kicked off today Posted on 7 Oct 2022
60th Endeavour Trophy at Burnham overall
Olympian Luke Patience and Mary Henderson win After a couple of mixed results on the opening day yesterday, including an OCS, silver medallist Luke Patience and Mary Henderson won the Endeavour Champion of Champions title with two final race wins, writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 11 Oct 2021
60th Endeavour Trophy at Burnham day 1
Thames A Rater champs take overnight lead on a mixed day of results Light winds and extremely strong Spring tides threatened to disrupt the opening day of the 60th anniversary Endeavour Trophy but instead four races took place in challenging, shifty conditions, writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 10 Oct 2021
60th Endeavour Trophy this weekend
Olympians join 30 national champions in special anniversary event The countdown to the 60th anniversary Endeavour Trophy is under way with the first race kicking off at 10.00 tomorrow, writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 8 Oct 2021
60th Endeavour Trophy postponed
Preparations in place for bumper Dinghy Champion of Champions event next year The 60th anniversary Endeavour Trophy event at the Royal Corinthian YC, Burnham-on-Crouch has been postponed until 2021 writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 26 Jun 2020
Endeavour Trophy 2019 overall
Saxton and Lewis reign supreme Ben Saxton and Toby Lewis fought back in today's breezy conditions to secure the overall win of the Investec-sponsored Endeavour Trophy, for the sixth time and a record fifth time in a row, writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 13 Oct 2019
Endeavour Trophy 2019 day 1
Patience and Henderson take overnight Royal Corinthian YC, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex (12 October, 2019): Olympian Luke Patience, and Mary Henderson (470) stole the show on the opening day of the Investec-sponsored Endeavour Trophy, with three wins in the bag writes Sue Pelling. Posted on 12 Oct 2019