Endeavour Trophy 2019

The Endeavour Trophy Championship is one of the most prestigious sailing events in the UK calendar and dates back to 1961. This invitation-only event was created to pick out the “Champion of Champion’s” by gathering the winner’s of various National classes and pitting them against each other in predetermined boats over a weekend of racing in October.

Stakes are high at this year’s Endeavour as last year’s winner Ben Saxton is hoping to improve on his tally of wins and make it five in a row, and six in total. Nick Craig, who currently holds the most wins, will also be competing and looking to take home the trophy for the seventh time.

Liz Adams, Managing director of Allen Brothers, Said “The Endeavour Trophy is such a special event, not only for the sailors good enough to be invited but also for the sailing community of the River Crouch. Having such a historical race taking part on local waters is great for aspiring future generations. Allen has been supporting the event for many years with Tony Allen repairing the trophy and Kim Allen being highly involved as PRO. We are proud to continue our support of this prestigious competition.”

This year the Endeavour Trophy will have live tracking. All available online for anyone to watch HERE. Spread the news and cheers on your class teammate!

See the 2019 entry list here. 

Endeavour History

The history of this event starts at the challenge for the America’s Cup in 1934 by Tommy Sopwith’s J Class “Endeavour”.  After a dispute found him crewless and needing to find a replacement crew at short notice Sopwith contacted ‘Tiny’ Mitchell, the Commodore of the RCYC at the time, he rounded up a bunch of eager members – all of them amateurs – and sent them off to battle the prestigious “Rainbow”.

The series of races between the American defenders sailing “Rainbow” and the Amateur British challengers on “Endeavour” went on to be full of controversy. Endeavour won the first two races but lost the series, the closest the British have ever got to winning the coveted America’s Cup. Some years after the Americas Cup Challenge Robin Judah, RCYC member and GB representative in the International Dragon Class at the Acapulco Olympics had a conversation with Beecher Moore who was part of the Endeavour crew.

Together they worked to establish a series of races for dinghy sailors so that a “Champion of Champions” could be crowned. They agreed that a suitable trophy would be required and after a visit to London Silver Vaults Beecher purchased a replica of the J class Endeavour in silver and donated it to the RCYC. After several years of a victor claiming the trophy and a lack of appreciation from the value of the Silver J Class Replica it fell into a sorry state – sometimes going home rolling around the boot of a car under respective sailing equipment – Tony Allen, Co-founder of Allen Brothers, was tasked with the job of restoring the desirable trophy, and so he built the necessary tools to undertake the refit. The Endeavour trophy now stays in its display cabinet at the entrance of the RCYC clubhouse and the winner takes home a half model instead.