Bala cancelled, but full steam ahead for Medway Marathon
by Andy Rice 13 Jun 2021 07:37 BST
19 June 2021
Dinghies racing at Wilsonian © WSC
The Bala Long Distance has been cancelled for its July date after Bala Sailing Club had run out of time waiting for approval from Snowdonia National Park. However, the next event on the extended Selden SailJuice Winter Series is still going ahead, and that's the Medway Marathon taking place next weekend on Saturday 19 June.
A 26-mile long distance event on the historic Medway River, recent years have seen a range of winners:
2019 - Chris Saunders - Blaze 778
2018 - Richard Stone/Catherine Gore - Wayfarer 10974
2017 - Andrew Peake - Musto Skiff 568
Other boat classes to perform well in recent years include the Alto, RS600, RS800, Streaker, K1, Solo, V3000, Sonata and 2000.
The Medway Marathon is set on a stretch of water of great historical significance during several wartime moments. The Roman invasion of Britain was named Battle of the Medway, and the Second Anglo-Dutch War in June 1667 was called the Raid on the Medway. Charles Dickens used to live nearby, and the river has even featured in Hollywood movies such as The Mummy and Les Miserables, as well as the TV series Call the Midwife.
Where most events in the Selden SailJuice Winter Series are fast and frantic spins around a hectic short course in the middle of winter, the midsummer Medway Marathon is a 26-mile long distance departure from the norm.
Dinghies with a Great Lakes handicap PY of 1315 or less are eligible to compete alongside the local keelboat fleets of International Dragons, National Sonatas and National Squibs. The event is not open to kiteboards, sailboards, multihulls or foiling boats.
For the under-23s, the 13-mile Half Marathon is a shorter option, although challenging nevertheless.
The Medway Marathon is a very recent addition to the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series which has been extended from last winter through to the final event which is the rescheduled Tiger Trophy, due to take place at Rutland Water on the final weekend of August.
To enter the Medway Marathon (or the Half Marathon if you're under-23) and compete in an event that's very different to your average open meeting, visit www.sailjuiceseries.com
The Events
The following events will count towards the scoring of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2020/21:
- Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water SC, 6-7 December 2020
- Grafham Belle, Grafham Water SC, 29-30 May 2021
- Medway Marathon, Medway YC, 19 June 2021
- Bala Long Distance, Bala SC, 10-11 July 2021 CANCELLED
- Tiger Trophy, Rutland Water SC, 28-29 August 2021
You can find out more about the Series at
www.SailJuiceSeries.com