Welcome to the UK Great Lakes Sailing Handicaps Website
Latest News: 16 April 2024
An updated handicap list has been published to include the Nacra Inter 20. No handicaps have been changed. A reminder that the RYA has published a Class Configuration List and we show this configuration information on our handicap list. If you have a class at your club not on the RYA Class list then contact them.
You can Contact us at any time with requests for a a handicap for any class not listed or suggestions for classes that we should review, telling us why.
This site has a set of dinghy, multihull and inland keelboat handicaps refined over a number of years by the 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 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 boat configurations in the series top positions 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 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