All set for the Oxford Blue this Saturday
by Brenda Hoult 2 Jan 2014 18:37 GMT
4 January 2014
Winter slow fleet action © Tristan Beckett
Fine weather window for the 4th event of the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series
A lot of new names are joining the series regulars at the Oxford Blue, new to the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series, to be held this Saturday. Amidst weeks of strong winds and more forecast to come, it appears Farmoor Reservoir, home of Oxford Sailing Club, has been granted a weather window of medium airs.
9 of the top 12 placed helms in the series so far are already entered for the event, promising to maintain the high calibre of racing that has been seen at the first 3 venues. The slightly smaller stretch of water sees a change in fleet dynamics to more slower boats, noticeably devoid of any Fireballs in the fleet this weekend. However, the faster singlehanders are still well represented with the largest fleet of Blazes yet seen this winter and strong contingents of Contenders, Musto Skiffs and D-Ones - the resident D-One fleet making Oxford their winter home.
Ben Schooling still looks comfortable at the top of the table and defends his position at Oxford. However Peter Gray & Rachael Rhodes in their Scorpion and previous Contender World Champion Stuart Jones are both holding top 10 positions despite counting a maximum score having not completed all the events in the series so far, quietly consolidating before the discard kicks in (after 4 events).
Oxford SC will be running 3 races back to back with the scheduled first start at 11am on Saturday 4th January. SailRacer will be fitting all the boats with their GPS tracking units so you can watch the racing from the comfort and warmth of the clubhouse or sailing armchair - wherever you are.
On-line entry closes tonight (Thursday) at midnight. Entries will be taken on the day but attract a £10 surcharge so enter now at www.sailjuiceseries.com