Sir Robin Knox-Johnston will present a special sailing accolade to the best club team in the inaugural Thames Trafalgar Race this October.

The ‘Knox-Johnston Cup’ is the first sailing award ever commissioned by the round the world sailor, Little Ship Club president and founder and chairman of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

The event is being staged from 19 to 20 October 2013 and the cup will be presented at the prize-giving, to be held at Little Ship Club, London, on Friday 25 October 2013.

It will be awarded to the yacht club with the three overall highest-placed boats in the race, which is being run under the Byron handicap system. The cup will be held by the winning club for one year.

The Thames Trafalgar Race, organised jointly by Erith Yacht Club and Little Ship Club, is a two-day stage race from Shadwell, through the Thames Barrier, to Erith YC and back to a finish at Greenwich.

It is being held to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar and the race dinner at Erith YC on the Saturday evening will include homage to the Ships of the Line and Horatio Lord Nelson.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston will be supplying a small cannon to fire a salute to mark the historic British Naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Race entries cost £25 and can be made online at: http://littleshipclub.co.uk/thames-racing

St Katharine Docks marina has offered a discounted berthing fee of £100 to allow race entrants to berth from the weekend before, to the weekend after the race.

To take advantage of this rate, entrants must inform St Katharine Docks at time of booking and show proof of entry when paying.

Picture: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, president of the Little Ship Club (left) and Geoff Pigott, commodore Erith Yacht Club, at the launch of the Thames Trafalgar Race