The eighth and final event of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series takes place on Valentine’s Day, with more than 60 entries signed up for the Oxford Blue.
They’ve already got four wins on the board, but the unstoppable Merlin Rocket duo – Tom Gillard and Rach Gray – are gunning for another victory this Saturday. It’s the final event of this season’s Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, which has been dominated by the Merlins, and so no surprise to see the class out in force this weekend. There are eight currently signed up, with Arran Holman and Tom Pygall among those looking to get one over Gillard and Gray.
Simon Hiscocks is looking to blast his way around the track at lightning speed on his Switch foiler, competing against the International Moth of Joe Adams. There’s keelboat representation in the K6 fleet, and a whole spread of boats competing on a busy race track on Farmoor Reservoir near Oxford.
While Gillard and Gray are looking unbeatable for the overall season title, Ben and Sam Pascoe (2000) have jumped nine places to second overall, and the battle behind them is heating up, with the Snipe of Matthew Wolstenholme and Lloyd Roberts currently holding third place. With the rest of the leaderboard tightly packed, it’s shaping up for a thrilling showdown at the Oxford Blue.
Magic Marine extracted rankings
These category rankings are based on results from every race, with a discard every third.
Old-Boats :
1st: Enterprise, Paul YOUNG & Ig BAKOWSKI, Midland Sailing Club (26)
2nd: ILCA 6 / Laser Radial, John CANT, Erith Yacht Club (40)
3rd: Scorpion, Steven MCCARTHY & Delyth HOPKINS, The Chase Sailing Club (46)
Junior :
1st: 2000, Benjamin PASCOE & Sam PASCOE, Castle cove (74)
2nd: ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7, Toby TURNER, Draycote Water Sailing Club (178)
3rd: ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7, Faith TURNER, Draycote Water Sailing Club (189)
Youth :
1st: 2000, Benjamin PASCOE & Sam PASCOE, Castle cove (120)
2nd: ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7, Toby TURNER, Draycote Water Sailing Club (305)
3rd: ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7, Faith TURNER, Draycote Water Sailing Club (317)
19-30 :
1st: Snipe, Matthew WOLSTENHOLME & Lloyd ROBERTS, Bough Beech SC (40)
2nd: 2000, Jack BARRETT & Abigail SKEITH, RNSA (129)
3rd: ILCA 6 / Laser Radial, Hugh LEACH, Reading Sailing Club (166)
31-60 :
1st: Merlin Rocket, Thomas GILLARD & Rach GRAY, Sheffield Vikings SC/ Staunton Harold SC (18)
2nd: RS200, Alistair HODGSON & Ella SPAIN, Draycote Water Sailing Club (146)
3rd: ILCA 6 / Laser Radial, John CANT, Erith Yacht Club (239)
Masters :
1st: Osprey, Roger BLAKE & Jamie BLAKE, Great Moor SC (68)
2nd: Hadron H2, Gavin FLEMING, Grafham Water / Hunts SC (71)
3rd: Enterprise, Paul YOUNG & Ig BAKOWSKI, Midland Sailing Club (96)
Female :
1st: Supernova, Serena STEWARDSON, Emberton Park (177)
2nd: ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7, Faith TURNER, Draycote Water Sailing Club (185)
3rd: 2.4 mR, Megan PASCOE, Frensham Pond SC (193)
FastS :
1st: Merlin Rocket, Thomas GILLARD & Rach GRAY, Sheffield Vikings SC/ Staunton Harold SC (15)
2nd: Osprey, Roger BLAKE & Jamie BLAKE, Great Moor SC (71)
3rd: RS600, Will RUSSELL, Grafham Water Sailing Club (160)
FastA :
1st: RS500, Nigel DAVIS & Aaron DAVIS, Draycote Water SC (132)
2nd: Musto Skiff, Eddie BRIDLE, Brightlingsea Sailing Club (145)
3rd: K6, Grant BLAKE & Andrew JARVIS, Oxford Sailing Club (149)
SlowA :
1st: RS200, Alistair HODGSON & Ella SPAIN, Draycote Water Sailing Club (40)
2nd: 2000, Jack BARRETT & Abigail SKEITH, RNSA (54)
3rd: 2000, Benjamin PASCOE & Sam PASCOE, Castle cove (112)
SlowS :
1st: Snipe, Matthew WOLSTENHOLME & Lloyd ROBERTS, Bough Beech SC (53)
2nd: Hadron H2, Gavin FLEMING, Grafham Water / Hunts SC (125)
3rd: Enterprise, Paul YOUNG & Ig BAKOWSKI, Midland Sailing Club (191)
Navigators and General Coaching debrief
Resident coach of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, Simon Horsfield, has been providing tips and advice throughout the eight events of the season. Supported by new sponsor, insurance company Navigators & General, Simon is a three-time winner of the series and well qualified to help sailors of all levels.
The Navigators and General debrief for last Sunday’s Grafham Grand Prix can be seen here, including a weather preview of this Saturday’s Oxford Blue with Steve Carver, OrcaMet:
The Events
The following events are in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2025/26:
You can find out more about the Series at www.SailJuiceSeries.com
Navigators & General SailJuice Winter Series, UK's premier winter handicap racing.
