Snipe wins Daffodil, now to the Lord Birkett
by Andy Rice 17 May 19:58 UTC
Matthew Wolstenholme and Uko Tiidemann sailed their Snipe to victory at the Magic Marine Daffodil Regatta earlier this month, beating a mixed handicap fleet of 77 entries.
While boats were competing across three different courses, for the purposes of the Sailjuice Challenge and creating one overall set of results, GPS tracking data was used to evaluate the relative performance of each course. This analysis allowed a handicap to be applied for each course. The course handicap was then combined with the PY-adjusted times for each boat to calculate a combined corrected time that accounted for both course and class handicaps.
Based on the tracker-generated results, the Snipe duo finished ahead of some class sailors including multiple Flying Fifteen World Champion and boss of Ovington Boats, Chris Turner, sailing his OK singlehander on this occasion. In third were Brendan Lynch and Ellen Clark in an RS200.
Olivia Dembinska was fourth in her ILCA 4 and first female, just ahead of first trapeze boat, Jono Shelley's Musto Skiff. Wolstenholme's overall victory continues his winning streak from victory at the Oxford Blue in February, the concluding event of this year's Selden Sailjuice Winter Series.
Overall results: enter.sailracer.org/eventsites/content.asp?id=50658&eventid=226970
WHAT IS THE SAILJUICE CHALLENGE?
Following on from 16 successful seasons of the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series, the aim of the Sailjuice Challenge is to provide good handicap racing across a series throughout the year, including the busy summer months. The organisers of the Sailjuice Challenge are working with existing events to help bring additional publicity and increase participation.
THE LORD BIRKETT TROPHY ON 5&6 JULY
Next event in the Sailjuice Challenge is well-established in its own right, one of the summer classics of small boat racing in the UK. The Magic Marine Lord Birkett Trophy is an iconic long-distance event which was established by Ullswater Yacht Club in honour of Lord Norman Birkett who died in 1962, two days after making a successful speech in the House of Lords preventing Ullswater from becoming a reservoir which would have restricted public access.
The Lord Birkett has become more than just a race but a festival of sailing, attracting entries in a wide range of different dinghies, keelboats and cruisers from all over the country.
GET YOUR CLASS INVOLVED
If you want to sail your boat in a big fleet in one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the UK, then come and race in the Lord Birkett on 5 & 6 July. The Lake District backdrop is breathtaking and being part of a fleet of 200-plus boats - how often do you get to do that?
An International 14 - sailed by Robin Steavenson and Ewen Stamp from Tynemouth - won the first edition in 1963. And the most recent winners from 2024 were another Tynemouth duo also sailing an International 14 - Adam Ovington and Stuart Keegan.
While the faster boats often fare well in the Lord Birkett, the weather will doubtless play a big part in the outcome of this year's event as it always does in handicap competition.
Enter now: enter.sailracer.org/eventsites/content.asp?id=50659&eventid=226970
The regatta is being supported by Magic Marine who are making a big push into UK dinghy racing. Magic Marine's new trapeze harnesses are the first on the market to be officially approved under the new ISO standard for quick release systems - a development strongly recommended by World Sailing.
More events are coming up in the Sailjuice Challenge this summer. For further information about how to get involved, either as a participating Class or a host Sailing Club, please contact Simon Lovesey: