The 53rd West Lancashire Yacht Club 24-Hour Dinghy Race (More commonly known as the 2024 Southport 24 Hour Race) was an endurance dinghy sailing race that took place between 21 and 22 September 2024. The event was sailed on Southport marine lake in Merseyside, England. The event was crowned the Royal Yachting Association's "Event Of The Year" at the Dinghy Show in March 2025.

Both Enterprises and GP14 classes were allowed to compete in the event.

The race saw many returning and new clubs and competitors, including Olympian Michael Beckett racing for Looe SC, fifteen-time winners of the event Bolton Sailing Club who finished fifth, and the winners of the previous seven Southport 24 hour races, South Staffordshire Sailing Club.

Background The 2024 edition of the race was the first since 2019, after the event was postponed due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, and was then cancelled for financial reasons in 2022.

A team led by Richard Westlake, commodore of West Lanceshire Yacht Club, Southport Sailing Club and commodore of Budworth SC at the time Bill Kenyon contributed to the event being held this year.

Entry list The following list contains every entered boat in order of their hull number. Past winners are highlighted in bold. Flight NumberFlightTeam NameClassSail Number10 South Staffs SC (A)GP120 Budworth SC (A)GPBUDW A30 West Lancashire YCGPWLYC40 Looe SCEN3241050 Hollingworth Lake SCGPHLSC60 Chase SC (A)GPChase70 South Staffs SC (C)GP1401880 South Staffs SC (B)GP1416890 West Oxfordshire SCENWOSC 1101 Budworth SC (B)GPBUDW B111 Bolton SCGP14217121 Southport SCGP13806131 Wish SC (A)EN23121141 Leigh and Lowton SCEN21221151 Midland SCEN22901161 Royal Windermere YCGP14288171 Winsford Flash SC (A)GP120181 Blackpool & Fleetwod YCGP14023191 St Mary's Loch SCEN20816202 Toddbrook SC (A)GP13733212 Welsh Harp SC (A)GP2222 Derwent Reservoir SCGP13768232 Tynemouth SCGP13838242 Sussex YCEN23042252 South Cerney SCGP13862262 Budworth SC (C)GP13838272 Rudyard Lake SCEN21791282 Chase SC (B)EN19011292 Toddbrook SC (B)EN22325303 Warsash SCGP13953313 Poole YCEN21344323 Banbury SCGP13395333 Hoylake SCEN20860343 Elton SCEN23244353 Scammonden Water SCEN22971363 BUSA ManchesterEN20025373 Welsh Harp SC (B)GP9383 Liverpool YCGP13480393 Ogston SCEN23056404 Wish SC (B)EN21103414 Crosby Marina ClubGP13480424 BUSA LiverpoolEN18729434 Dovestone SCGP13667444 Winsford Flash SC (B)GP1128454 South Windermere SCGP13810464 Glasgow University SCGP13123474 Neilson Active Holidays MastersGP14002484 Pwllhelli SCGP494 Royal Yorkshire YCEN18196504 Sefton Sea CadetsGP13320514 Lancaster & Sheffield Hallam Old BoysEN22863

Race

Start to sunset At 12:00pm, the first flight of boats set off in around 20 knots of wind on an overcast day, with the rest of the flights following in 1 minute intervals. All boats except two started the race, Pwllheli SC and Winsford Flash Sailing Club (B) which merged with their A team due to a lack of sailors. Hollingworth Lake (A) led after the first lap, followed by South Staffs (A), and the Enterprise of Looe SC. Hollingworth Lake (A) went on to win the BBC Radio Merseyside Cup for the fastest first two laps. At 8pm, Budworth SC (A) won their first race within the main event, as they took home the Dog Watch Trophy for the fastest two laps after 20:00 hours.

Sunset to sunrise South Staffordshire SC won the Midnight Cup for fastest next lap after 0000 hours. Heavy winds continued throughout the night with several boats capsizing.

Sunrise to Finish The Stanley Leach Cup for the fastest next lap after 06:00hrs was won by Looe SC, who became the first and only team to win one of a "race within race" while sailing an Enterprise. Budworth and Welsh Harp would go on to win the Coddington Cup (fastest lap next after 08:00hrs) and the Heineken Cup (fastest lap next after 10:00hrs by female helm & crew) respectively. Budworth ended up beating South Staffs by only 3.4 seconds on average per lap, as both would finish with 86 laps sailed.

Result Budworth SC A won the 53rd 24 Hour Race on the 22nd of September 2024. This was their first win of the event, despite being one of the most prominent sailing clubs in the North West of England and being winners of the 2022 RYA Club of the year. Overall split winners are denoted in bold, and class winners for each flight in italics. +Final ResultsClassClubLaps SailedPenalty MinutesFlightFlight Group1GP14Budw A Budworth SC (A)86016:47.4202GP141 South Staffs SC (A)86516:50.8103Enterprise23410 Looe SC831017:03.2404GP1413733 Toddbrook SC (A)84017:10.22025GP1414217 Bolton SC84017:16.21116GP14WLYC West Lancashire YC842017:22.9307GP14HLSC Hollingworth Lake SC83517:36.6508Enterprise23121 Wish SC (A)79017:49.31319GP14Budw B Budworth SC (B)821017:53.010110GP1413862 South Cerney SC81017:53.525211GP142 Welsh Harp SC (A)81017:53.821212GP1414168 South Staffs SC (B)81017:55.68013GP14Chase Chase SC (A)80018:05.36014EnterpriseWOSC 1 West Oxfordshire SC78018:12.09015Enterprise23056 Ogston SC77518:21.439316Enterprise22901 Midland SC77018:24.815117Enterprise22971 Scammonden Water SC77518:28.535318GP1414002 Neilson Active Holidays Masters78018:34.847419GP1413953 Warsash SC78018:37.730320Enterprise21344 Poole YC761018:42.431321GP1413395 Banbury SC77018:43.332322GP1413838 Tynemouth SC77018:46.423223GP1413806 Southport SC77018:47.612124GP1414018 South Staffs SC (C)77018:47.77025Enterprise22863 Lancaster & Sheffield Hallam OB74018:57.351426Enterprise23221 Leigh and Lowton SC751018:59.714127Enterprise22325 Toddbrook SC (B)75519:00.629228Enterprise23244 Elton SC74519:09.734329Enterprise20816 St Mary's Loch SC73019:15.519130GP1414023 Blackpool & Fleetwod YC74019:36.518131Enterprise20860 Hoylake SC732019:38.833332GP149 Welsh Harp SC (B)741019:47.337333GP14120 Winsford Flash SC (A)731520:06.717134GP1413768 Derwent Reservoir SC71020:19.422235GP1413959 Budworth SC (C)721520:23.526236Enterprise18729 BUSA Liverpool69020:24.442437Enterprise19011 Chase SC (B)692020:37.428238GP1413123 Glasgow University SC70520:45.246439Enterprise18196 Royal Yorkshire YC68520:54.149440GP1413667 Dovestone SC69021:03.643441GP1414288 Royal Windermere YC69521:06.116142GP1413918 Crosby Marina Club67021:31.341443GP1413810 South Windermere SC66521:53.045444Enterprise23042 Sussex YC653022:06.824245Enterprise21791 Rudyard Lake SC652522:10.527246Enterprise20025 BUSA Manchester58024:18.336347Enterprise21103 Wish SC (B)53026:24.240448GP1413320 Sefton Sea Cadets30049:03.650449GP1413480 Liverpool YC23062:19.5383DNSGP141128 Winsford Flash SC (B)DNS Due to lack of sailors444DNSGP14 Pwllhelli SCDNS484

Races within race +TrophyRaceWinnerClassBBC Radio Merseyside CupFastest First Two Laps Hollingworth Lake SCGP14Dog Watch TrophyFastest Lap next after 20:00hrs Budworth SC (A)GP14Midnight CupFastest Lap next after Midnight South Staffs SC (A)GP14Stanley Leach CupFastest Lap next after 06:00hrs Looe SCEnterpriseCoddington CupFastest Lap next after 08:00hrs Budworth SC (A)GP14Heineken CupFastest Lap next after 10:00hrs by Female Helm & Crew Welsh Harp SC (A)GP14 Source:

References