Please select your home edition
Edition
Rooster 2025

Burnham Week 2024 - Preview: 131 years of sailing on the East Coast

by Petru Balau 13 Aug 2024 14:51 BST 24-31 August 2024

With only a few short days before the start of the Burnham Week 2024, let us take a quick glance at the history of the event.

The 1893 saw the arrival in Burnham-on-Crouch of the London Sailing Club, previously based in Hammersmith, joining the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, which moved there the previous year. By September an inter-club regatta was arranged, the Burnham Week Regatta.

The Burnham Yacht Club (later the Royal Burnham Yacht Club) was established in 1895 and joined the Burnham Week Regatta immediately as did the Crouch Yacht Club after 1907.

With the London Sailing Club and Eastern Yacht Club of England being assimilated into Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, a Joints Clubs Committee was established, formed by RCYC, RBYC and CYC, to organize and promote Burnham Week.

Established on 15th October 1930, for the working locals, Burnham Sailing Club joined the Burnham Week Regatta in the late 1960s.

In later years, the JCC was replaced by Burnham Week Limited, an organization involved not only in running Burnham Week, but also in a number of other projects related to the river, such as Wallasea Wetlands Project.

In the years before year round berthing, the Burnham Week Regatta established itself as the end of the season event, due to the wide availability of mud berths on the river Crouch, remains of which can still be seen today, or even felt, if one pushes too close to the shore to beat the tide.

The event always starts on the August Bank Holiday weekend and ends with the Trophy Day the following Saturday, the day of the Town Cup Trophy, one of the most coveted sailing trophies in the country.

With an eclectic mix of boats, from the cheerful dinghy slow handicap fleet, with the Corinthian Otters racing against BSC Seals, the Squibs and Sandhoppers, Burnham being their spiritual home, the sleek Dragons and the RS Elites, the venerable RCODs, RBODs and East Coast One Design, the fast dinghies, the class 1 and 2 cruisers along with the class 5 local handicap yachts, the regatta is always packed with competition on the water, while the three organizing clubs - RCYC, RBYC and BSC - have social programmes packed full.

There are a few days left until the Early Bird discount expires, at midnight on 18 August.

Event website: www.burnhamweek.com

Related Articles

Burnham Week 2025 Trophy Day
Slingshot wins the Town Cup while Darren Sewell wins the Dinghy Town Cup Nicholas Plank, Slingshot, wins the 2025 edition of the Town Cup, part of Burnham Week 2025, in perfect sailing conditions. Posted on 31 Aug
Burnham Week 2025 Day 6
Sunshine and strong winds made the fleets muster all their technical skills Sunshine and strong winds made the fleets muster all their technical skills on the 6th day of Burnham Week 2025. Posted on 29 Aug
Burnham Week 2025 Day 5
Charlie Matthews wins the John Torrance Trophy Charlie Matthews, sailing a Blaze, won the 2025 edition of John Torrance Trophy, part of Burnham Week 2025. Posted on 28 Aug
Burnham Week 2025 Day 4
Strong winds and sunshine, with a storm passing through Strong winds and sunshine, with a storm passing through, the 4th day of Burnham Week 2025 saw fresh crews refill the ranks as the premier East Coast regatta goes on. Posted on 27 Aug
Burnham Week 2025 Day 3
Town quay was buzzing with activity, with pirates of all ages prowling the streets In what seems like a repeat of last year's Bank Holiday Monday, the third day of Burnham Week 2025 greeted competitors with champagne sailing conditions, while the town quay was buzzing with activity, with pirates of all ages prowling the streets. Posted on 26 Aug
Burnham Week 2025 Day 2
Sunshine and a fancy dress party going on around the 707 fleet Due to an incident on the water, unrelated to the regatta, AP over 1 has been signalled from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club racebox, the coordination center for safety matters for Burnham Week, postponing the Pile House line starts by 2 hours. Posted on 25 Aug
Burnham Week 2025 Day 1
Perfect sailing conditions, with more than 120 boats taking part The weather gods smiled upon Burnham-on-Crouch and the 2025 edition of Burnham Week started with perfect sailing conditions, with more than 120 boats taking part in the first day of racing. Posted on 24 Aug
Burnham Week preview
All comers invited to join in the fun at this premier east coast regatta With one month to go to the start of Burnham Week 2025, preparations are well under way for this premier east coast regatta. The buzz around town and news of entries gives a good indication that this event is gearing up to be a classic edition. Posted on 23 Jul
Burnham Week overall
Storms and sunshine, heartbreak and mast breaks, parties till dawn Storms and sunshine, heartbreak and mast breaks, parties till dawn, series decided in the last race, a regatta of many firsts - Burnham Week 2024 ended with a bang. Posted on 17 Sep 2024
Burnham Week 2024 Day 8
Strong winds, high swell and overcast on Trophy Day Strong winds, high swell, overcast and the inaugural edition of the Dinghy Town Cup - the Burnham Week 2024 final day sees David Evans in Hullabaloo win the Town Cup Trophy for the second year in a row. Posted on 2 Sep 2024