Welcome to the UK Great Lakes Sailing Handicaps
Latest News: 2nd October 2026
The Autumn Edition of the 2026-27 UK Great Lakes Handicaps is now available. We have aligned the D-Zero with our series data, restored the MRX to the 2022-23 handicap and made it and the Weta experimental. We have added the Topaz Ranger XL which supercedes the Topaz Magno, included to encourage less experienced and family sailors to compete in the Sailjuice Winter Series. Finally we have moved the Hartley Zenith II to the class number based on summer racing.
The RYA Class IDs have been included in this list. The aim is to ensure that race results identify classes consistently enabling accurate performance reporting. The full list of RYA class IDs can be seen on the RYA PN and PYS websites.
If you have any comments or suggestions or would like to be added to our mailing list to be notified of updates to the Handicaps then please contact us.
This site has a set of dinghy, multihull and inland keelboat handicaps refined over a number of years by the UK Great Lakes Handicap Committee. These handicaps have been found to work well for large flat-water venues where a beat of a half to one kilometre is typical. They work across a wide range of wind speeds and a wide variety of racing formats. They have been adopted by several clubs for their racing and used at major summer and winter events across the country.
Photo: Tim Olin
The handicaps are published in the spring once the previous SailJuice Winter Series has ended and the RYA has updated the Portsmouth Numbers. They are then reviewed in the autumn to add any new or changed classes and are finalised for use in the following SailJuice Winter Series.
The handicaps, the method used to set them, the team doing this work and how you can use and help develop these handicaps can all be accessed from the menu bar at the top of this page.
"The success and growth of handicap racing depends on having fair handicaps that give the best sailors an equal chance of winning. I am delighted at the work that the UK Great Lakes team has done over several years to provide this level playing field for the Selden SailJuice Winter Series. The varied mix of classes and configurations in the top places is a testament to the success of the team."
Andy Rice
SailJuice Series Sponsor
"The RYA is delighted to see the results that can be achieved by using the Portsmouth Yardstick Scheme to its full potential - adjusting handicaps to provide competitive domestic racing. The UK Great Lakes handicaps have been assessed using results from inland lakes. Your club can tailor its handicaps using the PYOnline website to assess the results from your handicap racing - returning your data to the RYA at the same time".
Adam Parry
RYA Technical Manager