The Sir William Burton Cup:
For those not familiar with Burton Week, the Burton Cup is the Holy Grail of National 12 Sailors! The first Cup was presented in 1936 by Sir William Burton during the first Burton Week held in Poole Harbour. The current cup was then presented by Sir William Burton the following year and is the premier challenge trophy in the class.
The Burton Cup Race 2009
The race was held on Monday 25th May with a start time of 11.30am. The forecast for the day was for 12-14knts of wind from the east and as the competitors went out to the stat line on a run from the beach the wind slowly increased. By the time many competitors had reached the starting area a front had come up and the wind was gusting up to Force 7. Many struggled just to stay in the start area as they planed around whilst trying to heave to! As the race got underway with a fleet diminished by about 20 boats (who had returned to shore) the first lap proved to be a battle of wills against the elements.
Kevin Iles took the lead on the first lap but by lap two Tom Stewart had come to the front and was leading by a fair margin. As the race continued, so the wind abated and as the front past through , the sun came out, but the wind also died away to virtually nothing, leaving an uncomfortable chop in which the competitors finished the race. Jo Richards and Sohpie Mackley, who had been going well throughout, finally managed to pass Tom on the final reach and took a well deserved win, leaving Tom is second. The race was sailed in all weather imaginable and it was a testament to the competitors that they all managed to finish.
Each year the Burton Cup race is set along the same format, three one mile legs, a beat followed by two broad reaches. Four laps of the course are set and a final beat with the total distance as the crow flies of thirteen miles! There is no shortening of the race and if it is not completed due to inclement weather then it is re-run on another day.
