Now in its fifth season, this Winter Dinghy Handicap Championship will test sailing skill and sheer persistence across eight of the biggest events of the chilly season. With eight events in total, the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series kicks off with the Draycote Dash on the weekend of 23/24 November 2013....

Here are some facts about the Series:


BIG NUMBERS
Participation in the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series has grown massively year by year. Last season we saw a 20% increase in entries, with 783 boats representing 91 different racing classes. And it has got more competitive each year, with a much wider spread of winners from many different classes. The Series gathered a massive following last winter, with more than 42,000 visitors to the Series website, www.SailJuiceSeries.com


FOUR OUT OF EIGHT
Two brand new events - the Datchet Flyer and the Oxford Blue - feature in this year’s line-up, along with the six that made up last year’s Series. This season you must count your best four results from these eight events. Of course, you’re welcome to enter and compete in as many events as you like - all eight if you’re mad and bad enough to take on the challenge! This will give you more shots at getting a set of four good scores to put on the board.

THE EVENTS

        The following regattas constitute the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series 2013/2014:
       
        Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing Club
        Saturday 23th & Sunday 24th November 2013
       
        Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club
        Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th December 2013
       
        Brass Monkey, Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club
        Friday 27th December 2013
       
        Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water Sailing Club
        Sunday 29th December 2013
       
        Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club
        Saturday 4th January 2014
       
        Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club
        Saturday 11th January 2014
       
        Steve Nicholson Trophy, Northampton Sailing Club
        Saturday 25th January 2014
       
        John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club
        Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd February 2014

 


GREAT LAKES HANDICAPPING
Historically, handicap racing has had its ‘bandit classes’ which run away with the prizes more often than perhaps they should. Part of the aim of this Series is to iron out the imbalances and create fairer competition, rewarding the best sailors regardless of which class they are racing. It’s an imperfect science, but our Great Lakes group of handicapping experts have spent the past four years analysing historic race data. There are a few changes to handicap numbers,  but nothing like as big as we were seeing a couple of years ago. Why? Because the Great Lakes analysis is year by year homing in on the most accurate and fairest numbers for the many different classes that race in the UK. The proof? We’re seeing a far wider spread of classes taking individual race wins and overall regatta victories.


AMALGAMATED ENTRY
SailRacer has done the number crunching to calculate the points scores for the past few years of the Series, and now for the second year Simon Lovesey and Brenda Hoult are running the online entry process for all eight events, as well as playing a big role in the running of the two new events at Datchet and Oxford. SailRacer’s online entry system means you can enter anything from one through to all eight events and make a single payment, saving you time and guaranteeing your place in advance. A number of the events were oversubscribed last year, and we’re expecting the same again this year. Enter early!



IS YOUR BOAT ELIGIBLE?
However! Please note that each of the events has its own criteria for what kinds of boat and class are eligible. You are responsible for checking that you are eligible to compete at each of your preferred events in the Series before submitting your entry online. A broad rule of thumb: If you’re planning to race a monohull dinghy that’s as fast or faster than a Topper, but no faster than a 49er (Big Rig), then you’re probably OK. International Moths, keelboats and multihulls should be careful because they are likely to be eligible for some, but not all, events in the Series.



LIVE TRACKING
For the Datchet Flyer and Oxford Blue events -  SailRacer will be providing GPS Tracking, analysis and live updates from the race course for those wanting to follow the action in real time, and allow sailors to replay their races when they get home.

PRIZES FOR COMPETITORS, CLASSES & SPECTATORS
Thanks to generous support from Series sponsors, once again we have some great prizes for competitors, but also for spectators. More details to follow in the coming weeks...
In addition to title sponsor GJW Direct Insurance (www.gjwdirect.co.uk/dinghy), the UK’s largest direct boat insurer, our silver-level sponsors are:
Gul - Experts in Performance Apparel http://www.gul.com/
Trident - The Dinghy & Yacht Shop on the Web http://www.tridentuk.com/
Overboard - The Leaders in Waterproof Bags & Cases http://www.over-board.co.uk/
and we also have prizes from one of the Series’ longest-standing supporters: Holt, renowned for their dinghy and catamaran marine hardware.

ENTER NOW!

Notes to editors
GJW Direct, the UK’s largest direct pleasure craft insurers, launched their online, all-inclusive Dinghy insurance in 2012. Taking Dinghy insurance to a new level, they have packaged together a wide range of benefits such as new for old on all parts, full racing risk cover and no limits on the age of the boat or the user. Best of all, GJW Direct offers the cover at a highly competitive premium and getting an online  quote takes less than 30 seconds.  www.gjwdirect.co.uk/dinghy.

More recently GJW Direct have added a Multi Dinghy scheme offering all the benefits of just one policy and one renewal date and the promise of even further savings. (Call 0151 473 8000 for details.)

Media contact:
Glen Wallis
0151 473 8077
 

Article Author Andy Rice 19/10/2013 11:53