2025

BRITISH KEELBOAT LEAGUETHINK Football Champions League
SAIL British Keelboat League

CAN YOU QUALIFY YOUR SAILING CLUB?

10 BRITISH LEAGUES

Each with up to 12 clubs participating.

Teams can enter as many leagues as they like, or choose one best suited to your team.

One Women’s only league. One School League. Winter & Summer Leagues.

LEARN MORE

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1 BRITISH FINAL

Sailed over a 3 day weekend.

1st three clubs in each league will get an invite to compete in the final in J70’s in Cowes, hosted by The Royal Thames Yacht Club in September.

Enter a league to get to the final.

2024 Results

6 CLUBS IN EUROPE

Top four clubs in the final plus highest women’s and youth team will qualify to represent Britain in one of the Sailing Champions League Qualifiers in 2026.

Previous venues, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Poland.

2024 SCL

SAILING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Each British qualifier will sail in one league in Europe with high performers passing through to a final league to become the top European club.

LEARN MORE

BRITISH KEELBOAT LEAGUE2025 LEAGUES

Leagues are organised and run by RYA clubs using a format agreed and authorised by the British Keelboat League. BKL leagues comply with the guidelines of the International Sailing Leagues Association.

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LEAGUE 12024
November
23 - 24th

Host
ROYAL CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB

Open to clubs and University teams.

Unfortunately our first event of the 2025 series had to be cancelled because of gale force wind forecasts.

Cancelled

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LEAGUE 2January
25 - 26th

Host
ROYAL THAMES YC
Queen Mary's Reservoir

Sailed in Sonars on Queen Mary’s reservoir. An ideal start to 2025 for those clubs and university sailors within easy travelling distance of London.

Enter Now

NOR

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LEAGUE 3February
15 - 16th

Host
Rutland SC

Competing in short course league racing on Rutland water in RS21’s.

Entries Open Soon

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LEAGUE 4March
8 - 9th

Host
ROYAL THAMES YC
SCHOOLS EVENT

Details coming

Info Soon

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LEAGUE 5March
22 - 23rd

Hosts
PORT EDGAR YC
Scottish University Sailing

Details coming

Entries Open Soon

Results

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LEAGUE 6March
22 - 23rd

Host
ROYAL SOUTHERN YC
Hamble

Details coming soon

Entries opening soon

LEAGUE 7April
26-27th

Host
ROYAL CORINTHIAN YC

Details coming soon

Entries Opening Soon.

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LEAGUE 8May 31st - June 1st

Host
ROYAL SOUTHERN YC
Women's BKL Event

Part of the Women’s Open Keelboat Championships

Details coming

Info Soon

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LEAGUE 9July
12 - 13th

Hosts
RUTLAND SC

Details coming

Entries Open Soon

Results

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LEAGUE 10August
30 - 31st

Host
ROYAL SOUTHERN YC
Hamble

Details coming soon

Entries opening soon

BRITISH KEELBOAT LEAGUEBRITISH FINAL

3 teams from each league will be invited.

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Sept 19 - 21st

The top clubs from the British Leagues will compete in J70’s in Cowes to become British Keelboat League Champions.

The top four club teams plus women’s and youth teams will receive an invite to travel to Europe to represent themselves and the BKL in a Sailing Champions League event in 2026.

LEARN MOREHOW LEAGUES ARE RACED

Boats are provided so teams simply #rockupandrace.

Fleets of 5 or 6 boats are raced by 10 or 12 teams who rotate around the boats so that every team sails on every boat multiple times throughout the weekend.

Races last no longer than 15 – 20 mins on two lap windward leeward courses. Turn around between races is swift and as many races are sailed as can be fitted in during the day.

The race area will be supported by a hospitality boat or close to shoreside facilities for use whilst a team is between races.

Races are umpired and protests are immediately settled during the race.

A high points scoring system is used and league positions are immediately known.

The team with the highest average score per race wins the league.

JOIN THE CLUB

LEARN MORE

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BRITISH KEELBOAT LEAGUEWHO ARE THE SAILORS

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CLUB RACERS

Put members together from across your club. Youth's, seniors, ladies, mixed.

If you’ve got racers used to handling symmetrical kites, then enter a league that sails a fleet matching your experience.

DINGHY RACERS

If you can race a dinghy, you can race a keelboat. Our fleets are just big dinghies really.

But don’t let that put off your cruiser racers, just make sure they’re hanging on when you pop the kite and get on the plane!

FUN

Arguably the most fun style of sailing available to sailors in the UK.

Tom Low - West Hoe SC

EXCITING

The short format racing was really exciting. I enjoyed it a lot.

Jemma Clarke - Marconi Ladies Team

SIMPLE

The fact that boats are provided makes it dead easy getting onto the startline.

Simple Sailor - No Boats SC

COMPETITIVE

We enjoy sailing against teams from diverse ages, backgrounds, and disciplines and the opportunity to share or gain knowledge from them between races.

Jake Miller - Strathclyde Uni SC

OUR 2024 SAILING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVES

Winning their places to race in leagues in Portugal, Germany and Poland against the top European league clubs.

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BRITISH KEELBOAT LEAGUELATEST NEWS

19Mar

Sailing Champions League Qualifier 1 – 2024

Sailing Champions League Qualifier 1 – 2024 After practice sailing on Thursday, come race day, the fog closed in and wind was zero at Vilamoura Portugal on Friday 15th March. The first of three qualifiers was being sailed in a fleet of J70’s and with the top league racing club teams from around Europe amusing...

18Mar

Scottish Students March Forth to BKL 2024 Finals

Scottish Students March Forth to BKL 2024 Finals Inverkeithing Bay on the Forth was the backdrop for the BKL Forth/Scottish Student Sailing Keelboat Championships over the weekend of 16-17th March, organised by Scottish Student Sailing and Port Edgar Yacht Club. The first day brought excellent conditions with good wind and sunny weather. Race Officer Eilidh...

14Mar

1st Two Teams Qualify for the 2024 BKL finals in September.

Ryde School with Upper Chine travelled from the Isle of Wight with 3 teams of four sailors to compete in the first of the 2024 British Keelboat Leagues. They were joined by 3 teams from the Royal Hospital School, 2 from both Tonbridge and Winchester and 1 each from Claires Court, Cokethorpe, Kim Bolton, Oxford,...

2024 British Keelboat League Gets Under Way this Weekend

04Mar

BKL 2024

2024 British Keelboat League Gets Under Way this Weekend

2024 British Keelboat League Gets Under Way this Weekend March 9th & 10th sees the start of the British Keelboat League (BKL) with the first event being sailed at Queen Mary reservoir in West London. BSDRA Schools Keelboat League This first event, which is restricted to School teams, is being run by the Royal Thames...

MORE NEWS

2026 HOST A BKL EVENT?

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