Endeavour Yachts Memorial Regatta 2011

by Grant Mckellar on 28 Nov 2010 The Botany Bay Yacht Club in Sydney Australia will be holding the Endeavour Yachts National and State Champoinships from the 14th to 16th of January 2011.

Endeavour Yachts range from 19ft to 32ft with the racing classes being the 24ft yacht with over 340 built from 1965 to the mid 1980's, the popular 26ft yacht with over 200 built from 1969 to to the late 1980's and the 27ft Plus class which accepts the remaining 27/28/30 and 32ft yachts. The racing will be held on the great waters of Botany Bay in a mix of windward / leeward and Olympic courses under the club's race management.

The late Reg Gardner, creator and visionary of Endeavour Yachts, sadly past away in September this year aged 84. Many were hoping he would be on the race course to witness the strong support that Endeavour Yachts continue to have at the 45th Championships in 2011.

Reg was a electrical engineer with a family business and a passion for sailing, he built and raced timber dinghys and keel boats before deciding G.R.P construction was the future and with design and trade guidence in the early 1960's the Endeavour 24 was created and raced on his home waters of Botany Bay. Reg studied areas of G.R.P construction in the U.S.A in 1968 on his way to England for the Cpt Cook Trophy for J.O.G. yachts and the 1/4 ton Cup in Holland with his Endeavour 24 'Endeavour '. The name 'Endeavour ' celebrates the HMS Bark Endeavour which Captain Cook' first anchored in Botany Bay in 1770.

Endeavour Yachts began production of the 24 with the main option, supply of hull/deck and structurals with lead keel with owner fitout and completions in all sizes, which was popular and economical, with various other options available through to full factory fitout vessels.

Reg was a founding member of the Botany Bay Yacht Club based at 44 Endeavour St Sans Souci. He and a group of sailing mates grew the club through the 70's and 8o's with the majority of the fleet being Endeavours. That legacy is maintained today.

The Endeavour is a great entry level G.R.P construction, lead keel mast head sloop, which is very seaworthy and fast, with a great inshore and offshore racing history and is today still competitive in mixed fleets against many larger yachts.

The racing boats have many current hardware and sail products onboard with the class association keeping control while promoting fair play through sail measurments and general corinthian attitude to hull form and weight; a testament to Reg Gardner and his build teams. Many yachts are fitted for cruising and passage sailing and are spread around Australia, New Guinea, Guam and the Philipines. Reg Gardiner and Endeavour Yachts was one of Australia's largest yacht production companies; the company also built catamarans from 23ft to 47ft, trailer sailers, Adams 8 and Adams 11 yachts and G.R.P. Dragons (over 600 craft built).

The Botany Bay Yacht Club has a great fleet with some of the best prepared and sailed Endeavours in the country and we wish to issue an open invitation to all Endeavour Owners to race or cruise and to get involved in this 45th Memorial Regatta.

Endeavour web site has Notice of Race available, www.endeavour.asn.au

or contact:
Botany Bay Yacht Club
44 Endeavour St Sans Souci
Ph 0295296152
Colin Cole 0423636396
Warren Eggins 0246559738