WLYC Celebrates 54th 24 Hour Yacht Race
Photographs by Patrick Trollope.

THE West Lancashire Yacht Club (WLYC) hosted its 54th annual 24 Hour Yacht Race, that ran from noon on:- 13 September to noon on:- 13 September 2025, on Southport's Marine Lake. Following a period of reduced participation after recent lockdowns, this iconic endurance race has seen a significant return in popularity, solidifying its place as 1 of the world's leading dinghy sailing events.

This year's event introduced a new Firefly boat category, joining the established GP and Enterprise classes. The race presented a formidable challenge for the competitors, overnight, as a massive thunderstorm boomed and flashed overhead, with lightning illuminating the sky and creating dramatic conditions. While we did not capture photos of the night time spectacle lighting display, we would love to see any participants and spectators images of the lightning over the lake, should you have managed to get any. The weather was throughout the race a very interesting mix of conditions, giving crews lots of interesting tactical and physical challenges.

With more than 60 entries and over 800 participants, the race drew a large and enthusiastic crowd. The success of the event was also made possible by the dedication of over 200 volunteers from across the sailing community. The race is considered one of the biggest sporting events on Merseyside, renowned for its test of endurance and teamwork.

WLYC Commodore Richard Westlake expressed his gratitude to everyone involved, noting:- "We hope everyone enjoyed this year's race. This year's race required a huge collaborative effort from the sailing community, including competitors, helped to us not only to continue to revive the race, but also to run it. Without their combined efforts of our volunteers we could not have ensured that the event would run smoothly while remaining a celebration of teamwork, endurance, and community. Your support has helped to make this race continue to be a major fixture in the world's dinghy sailing calendar. We'd also like to thank Sefton Council and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) for helping us to keep this race alive. Our gratitude also goes out to all all the teams and sponsors. Without all of you, we would not have been able to continue to run this amazing race, and we look forward to its return in 2026."

This years headline sponsor was:- International, and the event also had sponsorship from:- Marine Supplies Direct, Rooster, Harken, Allen, SailPics, TEU, and Ocean Plaza.

The winner of the 2025 West Lancashire Yacht Club 24 Hour Race was the:- National Firefly Association's team. They were followed by:- Southampton University Sailing Club in 2nd place, and Budworth Sailing Club in 3rd place.

Looking ahead, the club is already preparing for the 2026 race. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact:- The.Commodore.WLYC@Gmail.Com. For teams interested in competing, more information can be found on the dedicated website:- WLYC.Org.UK.

If you took part in the race this year, please do let us know your memories from it, by emailing our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com, alternatively please send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter.