The Challenge has been set, Get your Fireball ready for some winter sailing!
Just when you thought it was too cold to get out of bed, the SailJuice Global Warm-Up has arrived to give dinghy sailors an extra boost to get on the water, starting this weekend with the big winter classic, the Bloody Mary.
The SailJuice Global Warm-up brings together four of the biggest winter handicap racing events into a unified series, to find out just who is tough enough to race their way through Britain’s toughest winter in more than 15 years. The four events of the Series are:
Organised by Andy Rice, Yachts & Yachting dinghy columnist and editor of SailJuice.com, this is a no-discard series with the prospect of big prizes for those who are tough enough to race their way through the Series. “We’ve made the SailJuice Global Warm-Up a no-discard series because we want to reward the most tenacious sailors who make the effort to race their boats, come rain or shine, or more likely sleet and snow! You can still qualify for the series by doing just one event, but to stand any chance of getting the prizes you’re most likely going to have to do all four.”
There are some big incentives on offer, with a total prize value in excess of £1,500 to be distributed to the winner, the runners-up and other competitors picked at random. “It’s right that the winner gets some of the spoils,” says Rice, who will be competing in a Devoti D-1 this weekend, “but equally we want to reward those who were dedicated enough to haul their way round the series, regardless of how high they finished in individual events. So the winners of many of the prizes will be picked out of a hat.”
Prizes include a two-day ‘Learn to Fly’ sailing course in Spain. This is not just any sailing lesson, but an opportunity to learn how to sail a foiling Bladerider Moth at Pro-Vela’s spectacular Performance Sailing Tuition centre in Mar Menor, Spain. Rooster Sailing is supplying £300 from its technical sailing clothing range, and Holt is offering £300 of gear from its High Performance Hardware range. Hyde Sails is offering a voucher for £200 worth of sails or accessories. Yachts & Yachting is providing annual digital subscriptions to the UK’s leading performance sailing magazine, and SailJuice.com is giving annual subscriptions to its ‘How to Sail Faster’ website.
Andy Couch won last year’s Bloody Mary in his Phantom in icy conditions similar to the ones expected this year said: “I was going to drive down from Manchester to bring back the trophy, but looking at the forecast I wasn’t totally sure about competing again this year. It’s going to be another cold one! But I think this series is an absolutely fantastic idea, and the thought of five days' sailing to give you two days’ sailing in Spain is very tempting! I think I might be sailing after all.”
To find out more about the SailJuice Global Warm-Up, including the Notice of Series, How to Enter, and more about the prizes on offer, click here.
To find out more about this weekend’s Bloody Mary, go to Queen Mary Sailing Club’s website.
Sponsors of the SailJuice Global Warm-Up
Pro Vela: www.pro-vela.com
Rooster Sailing: www.roostersailing.com
Holt: www.holt.eu
Hyde Sails: www.hydesails.com
Yachts & Yachting: www.yachtsandyachting.com
SailJuice: www.SailJuice.com
