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Navigators & General is new title sponsor of the Sailjuice Winter Series

by Andy Rice 23 Jun 07:32 BST
Navigators & General Sailjuice Winter Series 2026/27 events © Sailjuice

After eight successful years, the SailJuice Winter Series bids a fond farewell to Seldén as title sponsor. The support of Steve Norbury and his team at Seldén Mast has helped the Series continue to thrive through some of the most challenging periods in recent memory, including the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic.

The Series is now delighted to welcome Navigators & General as its new title sponsor, with the 18th edition officially named the Navigators & General SailJuice Winter Series 2026/27.

For more than a century, Navigators & General has been at the forefront of pleasure craft insurance in the UK, supporting generations of sailors and boating enthusiasts. The company joined the Series during the 2025/26 season through its support of the SailJuice coaching programme led by three-time Series champion Simon Horsfield, and the partnership will now expand into title sponsorship of the UK's leading winter dinghy racing series.

John Tuckwell, Business Development Manager at Navigators & General, commented: "We're delighted to be title sponsor of the Navigators & General SailJuice Winter Series for the 26/27 season. This series brings together sailors from across the UK and from an incredible variety of classes, making it a perfect fit for Navigators & General as a specialist insurer supporting almost every type of dinghy class on the water."

Seven Events for 2026/27

The 2026/27 edition returns to a seven-event calendar (see details below), following the temporary expansion during the Covid years, when additional events provided resilience against lockdowns and cancellations.

One notable change sees the Polar Chase expand to a two-day event, while the Grafham Grand Prix is no longer included in the Series. Although hugely respected in its own right, the event's three-race course-racing format sat outside the SailJuice philosophy of mass participation handicap racing where the entire fleet races together.

The Navigators & General SailJuice Winter Series continues to offer sailors of all classes and abilities the opportunity to enjoy competitive winter racing at some of the UK's best-known venues, combining close competition, camaraderie and endurance across the winter months.

The following events comprise the series:

  • Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing Club - 21 & 22 November 2026
  • Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club - 5 & 6 December 2026
  • Polar Chase, Chase Sailing Club - 12 & 13 December 2026
  • Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey, Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club - 27 December 2026
  • GJW Direct Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club - 9 January 2027
  • John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club - 6 & 7 February 2027
  • Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club - 13 February 2027
  • Prizegiving at RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, Farnborough - 20 February 2027

You can find out more about the Series here: www.SailJuiceSeries.com

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