Victory of Burnham

12 K 21

Victory of Burnham (Victory 83 K-21)

Britain’s First “Victory” 12 Metre

Victory of Burnham (K-21) was the first of two 12 Metre yachts commissioned by British banker and businessman Peter de Savary for his ambitious challenge for the 25th America’s Cup in 1983. Designed by Edward Dubois and launched in 1982 by William A. Souter & Son at Cowes, she represented the Royal Burnham Yacht Club.
De Savary approached the campaign not as a pastime but as a full-scale professional enterprise. He employed a fifty-person team, organized a rigorous training regime likened to a “military drill,” and earned the crew the nickname “Killer Bees” for their yellow-and-blue striped rugby shirts and relentless work ethic.

Design and Construction

Dubois’ design for Victory of Burnham reflected the evolving thinking of late-era Twelves. Built of aluminium alloy, she measured roughly 19.8 m (65 ft) overall with a beam of about 11 ft 10 in, and was optimised through tank testing at the Wolfson Unit of the University of Southampton. Despite promising performance trials, the hydrodynamic results proved less competitive than hoped. Consequently, de Savary commissioned a second, more advanced hull — Victory ’83 (K-22) — designed by Ian Howlett.

The 1983 America’s Cup Campaign

Under the Victory Syndicate, Victory of Burnham (K-21) served as the development and trial platform for the British challenge. She was campaigned intensively through 1982 and early 1983, contributing valuable data for her successor, Victory ’83. The latter would ultimately reach the finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, losing to Australia II, whose winged keel made yachting history.
Although K-21 did not compete in the final rounds, her role was pivotal in shaping the British team’s technology and strategy — a bridge between the classic Twelves of the 1970s and the advanced alloy racers of the 1980s.

Later History and Restoration

After the Cup campaign, Victory of Burnham changed hands, her ownership through 1983–1993 recorded in Falmouth, UK. In 1993, she was rediscovered by Roy Hart in sound but neglected condition. Hart purchased and restored her, returning K-21 to her former elegance and renaming her Victory of Burnham once again.
Since her restoration, she has been based in Benfleet, Essex, actively maintained and raced in classic 12 Metre events. In 2001, she competed in the America’s Cup Jubilee at Cowes, placing third in her division — a testament to the quality of her design and rebuild.
By 2010 she was listed for sale at €139,000, representing a rare opportunity to own a historic British Twelve with direct ties to an America’s Cup challenge.

Enduring Legacy

Today, Victory of Burnham (K-21) remains one of the most distinctive British Twelves — the prototype and foundation of Peter de Savary’s 1983 campaign. Her story captures the spirit of British determination in international yachting and stands as a tribute to the design innovation of Edward Dubois and the craftsmanship of William A. Souter & Son.
As a living link to the high-stakes world of the 1980s America’s Cup, she continues to embody the elegance, experimentation, and drive that define the later era of the 12 Metre class.