A YACHT club in Burnham will be hosting a brand new nationwide event to find the UK keelboat champion of champions.

This September, the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club (RCYC) and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) will be hosting the inaugural Keelboat Endeavour Trophy.

The event, which will run on September 22 and 23, will be run in a similar format to the long-running and successful Endeavour Trophy for dinghies, which is held on the tidal waters of the River Crouch and Roach at the end of every year. It is an invitation only, three day event, with the guest-list hand-picked from National Champions of selected recognised fleets.

A modern keelboat is any sailboat with an attached keel – a fin-like structure protruding from the bottom of the boat along the central line.

Using up to six of the RCYC’s fleet of 707 sailboats, the Keelboat Endeavour Trophy will be run in a British Keelboat League-style knock-out format with more than 25 races over the weekend, and with RYA on-the-water umpires keeping an eye on proceedings.

The team behind the RCYC and RYA joint venture, including RCYC director Edwin Buckley, RYA racing services manager Bas Edmonds and RYA keelboat development manager Jack Fenwick have spent three years planning the new event for Burnham.

Mr Edmonds said: “It has been a long time coming but we are now in a position to run an event that we believe will become as significant as the dinghy Champion of Champions’ Endeavour Trophy.

“The launch of this event couldn’t have come at a better time because we are really noticing a bit of ascendancy in keelboat racing at the moment. Certainly the smaller day-boats are seeing a resurgence.”

He added: “Overall, I think it is a really good time for keelboat sailing and I can confirm the Royal Corinthian at Burnham, and the RYA are pretty excited about having an opportunity to showcase keelboat sailing at its best.”

Mr Buckley said: “This is also another step in history of the Endeavour and I know that the original founders of the dinghy event that celebrates 58 years this year, would be delighted to see the Endeavour Trophy evolve by expanding the event from dinghies to keelboats.”

A total of 24 keelboat teams are expected to contest the title, which will take place over short, windward/ leeward courses on the tactical, tidal waters of the River Crouch and Roach.

Anyone wishing to enter to represent their keelboat class at the event should email endeavour.trophy@royalcorinthian.co.uk.