Keith Wilkins
British dinghy sailor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Keith Wilkins (born c. 1945) is a British sailor and sailing coach, who competed in the Laser class. He won the men's title at the 1976 Laser European Championship in Torquay, England;[1] and has won the ILCA Masters World Championships thirteen times.[2]
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| Born | c.1945 (age 80–81) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Regional finals | 1976 European Championships: Laser – Gold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 14 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sailing career
Wilkins began sailing aged 29 years and less than two years later won the European championship. He was not coached and taught himself.[3] Wilkins sailed for Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club, in Bristol, which listed him among notable former members of its Laser fleet;, and later raced and coached with Chelmarsh Sailing Club in Shropshire.[4][5][6]
After competing is World Championships titles during the 1970s and 1980s, Wilkins turned his attention to the World Masters Championships in 1988 and became one of the most successful competitors in the Laser/ILCA Masters scene.[3] Between 1991[a] and 1996, Wilkins was undefeated as World Masters Champion. He was placed third in the 1997 World Masters held in Algarrobo, Chile.[7] In 1999, Wilkins won the World Masters Championship, held in Melbourne, Australia;[8] repeated in the following year, in Cancún, Mexico;[9] and again in 2002, in Hyannis, where it was reported that he defended his title.[10][11]
Following his 65th birthday, at the 2010 Laser Masters World Championships held in Hayling Island, Wilkins was required to race in the Laser Radial Great Grand Master fleet. He won the division and was reported as taking his eleventh Laser Masters World Championship title.[12][13][14] He won his 12th World Masters Championship in San Francisco, USA, in 2011;[15] and he was described as a 12-time world champion during the 2012 Laser World Masters in Brisbane, Australia.[16] He continued to feature at Masters level, including a podium in the Radial Great Grand Master division at the 2015 Laser Masters Worlds, in Kingston, Canada;[17][18] and in 2025, he was described as a 13-time world-champion.[2]
Earlier in 2010 he also claimed titles at the Open Asia Pacific Laser Championships, held at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, winning the Great Grand Master category and placing third in the Radial fleet overall.[19]
During his career, Wilkins has coached British sailors, including Ben Ainslie, and internationally in Canada, China, India, Korea, Pakistan, and the United States.[3]
Notes
- Masters World Championships were not held in 1992.