15th edition of Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series starts November 2023
by Andy Rice 21 Sep 10:10 BST
Peter Gray & Geoff Edwards win the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2022-23 © Tim Olin /
www.olinphoto.co.uk
The 15th edition of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series starts in two months' time with the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash on 18 & 19 November 2023. It's the first of eight events across the season, culminating with the series prize-giving on the main stage of the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show at the end of February.
Seldén Mast is back for the fifth year as title sponsor of the series which since 2009 has aimed to provide the fairest possible handicap racing for small boats in the UK.
Founder and co-organiser of the Series, Andy Rice, commented: "It's great to have Seldén's continued support for the series which has become a focal point for dinghy racing in the winter months. Steve Norbury and his team at Seldén are as passionate as we are about keeping the competitive fires burning all through the year, even in the cold months.
"Along with the host sailing clubs my co-organiser Simon Lovesey and I are keen to make the events as inclusive as possible, with as many sailors as possible from different ages and backgrounds. Year after year we see many of the same faces return, which must say something about how much they're enjoying the events. So we'd love to see more new faces too. If you've never competed in one of our events before, why don't you give it a go this season?"
MAKE THE SERIES YOUR CLASS WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Some fleets choose to use some of the events as their class championships. "It's a really low-hassle way of keeping your class calendar rolling with almost no effort required by the class association," says Simon Lovesey. "For classes that struggle to muster sufficient numbers for their own standalone open meetings, joining in with the multi-class events in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series is a no-brainer.
"If you're interested in choosing one, some or even all of the events in the Series to construct your own class championships, email me for more details:"
WANT TO BE A CATEGORY SPONSOR?
Every year more than 80 different types of sailboat, mainly monohull dinghies but also some multihulls and small keelboats, come to join in with the Series. Because the events have visibility across pretty much the whole of the UK dinghy racing scene, sponsoring part of the Series is a great way to gain visibility in the market. There are many different categories available for sponsorship in the Series.
If you're interested in becoming a commercial sponsor for one of the different categories (eg. Family/ Lady/ Club/ Youth), please contact:
FACEBOOK UPDATE
Simon Lovesey and Andy Rice will be doing a Series update on Facebook at 7pm on Thursday 28 September.
Entry for the events opens in October at www.sailjuiceseries.com
THE EVENTS:
Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing Club
18 & 19 November 2023
Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club
9 & 10 December 2023
Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey, Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club
27 December 2023
Gill Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water Sailing Club
30 December 2023
Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club
6 January 2024
King George Gallop, King George Sailing Club
20 January 2024
John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club
3 & 4 February 2024
Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club
17 February 2024
Prizegiving at RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, Farnborough
24 February 2024
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
2022/23 - Peter Gray & Geoff Edwards (Osprey)
2021/22 - Roger Gilbert & Ben McGrane (505)
2020/21 - Simon Horsfield & Katie Burridge/ Natalie Johnson (2000)
2019/20 - Simon Horsfield & Katie Burridge (2000)
2018/19 - Simon Horsfield & Katie Burridge (2000)
2017/18 - Alistair Goodwin (Laser)
2016/17 - Matt Mee & Emma Norris (RS200)
2015/16 - Ian Dobson & Andy Tunnicliffe (GP14)
2014/15 - Nick Craig & various crews (Merlin Rocket)
2013/14 - Michael Sims (Solo)
2012/13 - Tom Gillard & Simon Potts (Fireball)
2011/12 - Peter Gray & Rachael Rhodes (Scorpion)
2010/11 - Andy Peake (Musto Skiff)
2009/10 - Olly Turner & Richard Whitworth (Merlin Rocket)
You can find out more about the Series at www.SailJuiceSeries.com