GRAFHAM BELLE SET TO RING THE CHANGES FOR SUMMER SAILING

Enter Here >>>>   The event will run along very similar lines to a typical Winter Series event, with most types of dinghy from Laser 4.7 as the slowest handicap class up to RS800s as the fastest. With a limit of 75 boats, and seeing how quickly the winter events have filled up in recent years, entry is likely to fill up fast!

 

Sailing has already proven itself to be a COVID-safe activity over the past year, including at the successfully-run Datchet Flyer last December, the only event from the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series to have escaped the effects of UK lockdown during the colder months of 2020/21.

 

Co-organiser of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series, Simon Lovesey, has been promoting the continuation of sailing wherever possible within COVID guidelines, via his non-for-profit organisation RestartSailing which he established during National Lockdown #1 in spring 2020. Simon said: “We are working with sailing clubs that are keen to make things happen wherever it is possible to do so in a safe, COVID-compliant manner. While other clubs have not been able to go forward with their planned events, it’s great that Grafham is going ahead with the Grafham Belle. With its long foreshore and multiple slipways, it should be very possible for everyone to launch and recover their boats whilst maintaining good social distancing.”

 

Racing will be run under the Great Lakes handicap numbers which have been developed over the past decade from the Winter Series results, using adjusted numbers from the standard RYA PY handicap scheme.

 

All the boats will carry GPS trackers provided by SailRacer, which help spectators to follow the action both on site and online, and also determine the results from some of the sub-category competitions as part of the Great British Sailing Challenge (GBSC). 

 

Download the Notice of Race here: http://sailingchallenge.org/eventsites/noticeboard.asp?eventid=221124

 

 

 

Prize and Ranking Categories 

 

 

 

SpeedSix Challenge for fastest boat on handicap 

Trident Top Club 

Craftinsure Family Ranking

RestartSailing Top Class

 

 

GBSC Youth, GBSC Junior, GBSC 19-30, GBSC 31-60, GBSC Masters, GBSC Top Lady

 

 

 

GBSC Fast Asymmetric, GBSC Slow Asymmetric, GBSC Fast Symmetric, GBSC Slow Symmetric

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Philpott from Grafham Water Sailing Club commented: “We’re really looking forward to hosting so many different classes at the Grafham Belle. We get so many enquiries from a lot of different fleets and it’s not possible to accommodate all those requests, so a multiclass handicap event like this is a good solution for the club and for visiting sailors as well as our club members.”

 

 

 

Co-organisers Andy Rice and Simon Lovesey are working with title sponsor Seldén Mast to continue to run the 2020/21 edition of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series through to a concluding event at Rutland Water, the rescheduled John Merricks Tiger Trophy on the last weekend of August.

 

“The focus for me and Simon has always been to maximise participation in small boat racing by whatever means we can,” said Andy. “With so many summer regattas and national championships being cancelled already, and the ever-present problem of too many of the smaller classes trying to organise single-class open meetings where they can’t even guarantee a turnout of 20 boats, we’re looking to offer a more sustainable option with the multi-class handicap events throughout the spring and summer.

 

So if you want to find out more, either as a competing sailor, class or sailing club, please contact Simon on: simon.lovesey@sailracer.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

THE EVENTS

 

 

 

 

The following events are in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series (Summer Edition!):

 

 

Grafham Belle, Grafham Water SC, 29-30 May 2021

Bala Long Distance, Bala SC, 19-20 June 2021

Wilsonian River Challenge, Wilsonian SC, 26-27 June 2021

Tiger Trophy, Rutland Water SC, 28-29 August 2021

 

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

 

 

 

Over the winter Simon and Andy have been busy hosting some informative and entertaining Facebook Live sessions looking at the history of dinghy sailing from a number of angles.

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/SeldenSailJuiceWinterSeries

 

 

 

To give you a flavour of these Facebook Live specials, here’s a list of the webinars hosted so far this winter:

 

 

 

 

 

THE FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS HOSTED SO FAR...

 

 

 

 

 

Facebook Live - History of the Tiger Trophy

 

https://fb.watch/3CaKv8q3cz/

 

 

 

Facebook Live - Innovating for Better Racing

 

https://fb.watch/3Cd8SPHLbd/

 

 

 

Facebook Live - History of the Bloody Mary

 

https://fb.watch/3aWorFCHRv/

 

 

 

Facebook Live - Great Lakes Handicap System

 

https://fb.watch/2Ua5cxXeEn/

 

 

 

Facebook Live - Winter Winners, Past & Present

 

https://fb.watch/2Uak0QX6-p/

 

 

 

Facebook Live - History of the Draycote Dash

 

https://fb.watch/2UaefNdGJE/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further Information for media:

 

Please contact Andy Rice

 

email: info@sailjuice.com

 

Phone: 020 8133 9330

 

Website: www.sailjuice.com

 

 

 

 

Photo Credits: Tim Olin

 

 

Notes to editors:

 

 

Previous winners of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series

 

 

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)

 

 

 

SailJuice.com is the ‘how to sail and race faster’ website, with hundreds of articles and exclusive interviews with National, World and Olympic Champions. Professional sailing journalist and editor of SailJuice.com, Andy Rice, came up with the concept of the SailJuice Winter Series (originally known as the SailJuice Global Warm-Up) as a way of increasing participation levels in dinghy racing during the off-season in the UK.

 

 

SailRacer manages event websites and processes online entry for major National, International, Youth and training events, providing online scoring, analysis and advanced sports presentation including GPS tracking and live video.

 

 

Seldén Mast Ltd is the world leader in dinghy spars. More races are won by Seldén Spars than any other brand. Dinghy spars are made using Seldén unique XPS aluminium with CNC cut tapers, automated welding and heat treating resulting in the highest quality and most consistent dinghy spars available. Seldén also produces about 400 carbon masts per year for boats including high performance dinghies and race yachts using state of the art Mandrel Filament Moulding Technology.