The 74th Wilson Trophy takes place on the Marine Lake in West Kirby this weekend.
West Kirby Sailing Club is hosting the event from Friday 12 May until Sunday 14 May.
A total of 32 teams from the UK, Ireland and the USA will compete for the coveted trophy.
The event is widely regarded as the premier team racing event in the world, and attracts the highest calibre of sailor.
As well as teams from the UK, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club and St Croix Yacht Club, from the USA and Baltimore Sailing Club and Royal St. George Yacht Club from Ireland will be competing.
Locally, West Kirby Sailing Club will be looking for their 20th win and the West Kirby Hawks are always a strong team, coming in as runners up last year.
Races start at 1pm on Friday, and 8am on Saturday and Sunday, with the finals expected at 3pm on Sunday.
More information can be found on the Wilson Trophy website at https://wilsontrophy.co.uk/.
History of the Wilson Trophy
- 1948 – Inaugural event, ‘The North West Firefly Championships’
- 1953 – Renamed the Wilson Trophy, after West Kirby Sailing Club Commodore Billy Wilson
- 1957 – The first win for West Kirby Sailing Club
- 1986 – The use of ‘on the water’ umpiring is pioneered
- 1999 – 50 teams compete at the Golden Anniversary, with a day added for extra sailing