Please select your home edition
Edition
Craftinsure 2023 LEADERBOARD

Invitation to National 12 class 80th Birthday Dinner at Brightlingsea

by Tom Stewart 26 Jun 2016 15:07 BST 21 August 2016
N12 Burton Week 2011 © Jeremy Carey

1936 to 2016

National 12 Sailors past and present are invited to the class's 80th Birthday Dinner at Brightlingsea Sailing Club on the 21st of August.

In 1935 the YRA - now the RYA - recognised the need for a simple to sail boat to encourage dinghy sailing for the masses. The legendary designer Uffa Fox drew the lines of the first boat Uffa King and 200 sets of plans were sold and some 175 boats built in the first year.

In the past 80 years the class has developed from clinker hulls and wooden masts to high tech winged wonders with carbon spars and self-draining hulls. The class has held a Nationals and the Sir William Burton Cup race every year excepting for during the Second World War.

These days the class celebrates all aspects of 12 sailing with a strong vintage scene, an older boats division as well as the state of the art modern fleet.

The class will celebrate its birthday at the National Championships which will be held at Brightlingsea Sailing Club from 20th to 23rd August with the big race itself held on the Sunday the 21st.

Following the Burton Race there will be the Burton Dinner and Prize Giving which will double as the class's birthday party. All 12 sailors past and present are invited to the dinner and of course where possible to bring a boat and enter the Sir William Burton Cup.

Entry forms and the NOR are available now. For dinner bookings please contact Janet Bloor at

Related Articles

National 12 Dinghy Shack National Series overall
44 boats take part in seven events A grand total of 44 N12s took part in the Dinghy Shack 2024 Series which consisted of seven events. The competitors came from clubs spanning the country from Salcombe in the West to Royal Tay and Loch Tummel in Scotland and Harwich in the East. Posted on 17 Nov
Craftinsure National 12 Inlands at Northampton
Drizzly forecast fails to dampen enthusiasm in the National 12 fleet What a great event at Northampton Sailing Club. Despite the light and drizzly forecast, 24 boats travelled from as far as Loch Tummel in the North, Salcombe in the South and Ipswich in the East - no dampening of enthusiasm in the National 12 fleet. Posted on 5 Nov
Yeadon National 12 Open
Short Beats and Wind Shadows The forecast for National 12 Open Meeting on 6th October at Yeadon Sailing Club didn't offer much SE winds - 8 to 23mph, 10 deg C and overcast/grey. Posted on 9 Oct
Yorkshire Dales National 12 Open
Cloudy in the hills, but visibility was actually better at 'sea level' The cloud was down as I drove over the tops to Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club for the National 12 Open but as we have found before the reservoir sits in a bit of a hollow so visibility was actually better at 'sea level'. Posted on 17 Sep
Ripon National 12 and Singlehander Open preview
All welcome, plus it's a Vintage and Northern Series event for the N12s Ripon Sailing Club will be hosting its annual open meeting for National 12s and Single Handers on Saturday 5th October. Posted on 14 Sep
Allen Sailing National 12 Burton Week 2024
The club prove again they are experts in providing a top notch championship event It was the National 12's turn to visit Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club in Suffolk again for a National Championship this year, following on from a very successful N12 Nationals at FFSC in 2022 and the Firefly Nationals in 2023. Posted on 26 Aug
National 12 Burton Week 2024 Runners & Riders
Less than a week until the event at Felixstowe Ferry There is now less than one week until the pinnacle of National 12 sailing is about to unfold at Burton Week – the National 12 National Championship. This year's edition of Burton Week takes place from 18th to 21st August 2024 at Felixstowe Ferry SC. Posted on 14 Aug
National 12 Dinghy Shack Series at Royal Harwich
Smugglers' Trophy includes too much rain and some strong gusts The N12 fleet once again joined in the annual Smugglers' Trophy at Royal Harwich Yacht Club over the weekend of 6th & 7th July. Posted on 12 Jul
100 Years of Jack Chippendale
One of the greats behind the golden era of the UK's domestic dinghy scene Regular readers will hopefully have enjoyed the recent 'Fine Lines' series of photos, times to coincide with the centenary of one of the greats behind the golden era of the UK's domestic dinghy scene, Jack Chippendale. Posted on 13 May
'Fine Lines' Top Ten part 10
With a full history of master boatbuilder Jack Chippendale This, the tenth and final Fine Lines in this series ends up with a real example of what the thinking is all about, that near perfect fusion of style and function. Plus a more detailed look at Jack's life and his boats. Posted on 1 May