LORD BIRKETT
Published 10:09pm on 15 Aug 2025
A large group of members from Elton headed north over the weekend of 5/6 July for the annual Lord Birkett event held at Ullswater Yacht Club. This event is now in its 63rd year, and celebrates the fantastic work of Lord Birkett who fought to save the reservoir from being claimed by Manchester Water Company to provide drinking water. This would have severely restricted the use of the reservoir for leisure and recreational purposes. You can find more information about the history of the event at https://www.ullswaterycbirkett.org/about-1
The event consists of 2 races, one on the Saturday and one on the Sunday, with each race going down the lake heading south for around 7 miles, rounding a small island near Glenridding and then returning back to the clubhouse.
We had 3 entries from the club, Dave & Joy Read [a last minute entry sailing a borrowed Enterprise], Adam Savage, Rob Gascoigne and Steve Restall in their SB20 class and Ava Scott-Harris sailing an RS 200. There was a large support crew on the shore to watch the racing, with a few people boarding the Spectator boat at Pooley Bridge to follow events on the water.
On day one, over 250 boats of all shapes and sizes converged on the start line for the first race in blustery and sometimes wet conditions. With everyone keen to get a good position on the start line, we ended up with 4 general recalls before the race finally got underway some one hour late! All our Elton boats successfully completed the course, with Dave and Joy over the moon at finishing 92nd. Adam and crew were placed 79th with Ava in 151st place.
That evening people gathered for drinks (lots of!) and take-away pizzas in the houses that were being rented close by on Park Foot Holiday Park. There was lots of banter and shared experiences of the days sailing.
The race on Sunday was due to start in the morning, but was delayed whilst a new course was set as the wind had shifted around. Again the start was plagued with general recalls but eventually the Race Officer let the start go, despite it being obvious that there were many boats on course side. The weather was a lot more pleasant with lighter winds, which made for great sailing and spectator viewing. The sight of 250 boats of all kinds of shape and sizes is truly something quite amazing.
After day 2, Adam and crew finished in 71st position, Dave & Joy were 85th and Ava 139th. Time to pack up and head home to rest weary bodies!
Everyone had a fantastic time and I would highly recommend that you put the date in your diary for next year. The club were fantastic hosts and ran the event extremely well, with lots of food and drinks available, as well as the night time entertainment in the large marquee. Theres also plenty of nearby camping and accommodation. I have already booked for next year.
Last updated 10:12pm on 15 August 2025
