What is the Grand Slam Series?
The GS Series is a season series of 6 premier J/70 events. It includes Cowes Week short series and the J/70 Nationals as well as four weekend events. The best 4 events including the Nationals count towards the overall prizes.
Prizes will be given for top open boat, top Corinthian boat, top Youth Boat (all crew under 26), top Mixed-Plus boat (max 2 males over 18) and top Masters boat (crew ages average >50).
| GS1 | 6 – 7 Apr | Grand Slam Opener Royal Southern Yacht Club |
| GS2 | 20 – 21 Apr | South Coast Champs Royal Thames Yacht Club |
| GS3 | 12 – 14 Jul | UK Nationals Royal Yacht Squadron |
| GS4 | 27 – 30 Jul | Cowes Week Mini Series Cowes Week |
| GS5 | 7 – 8 Sep | RTYC Regatta Royal Thames Yacht Club |
| GS6 | 5 – 6 Oct | Grand Slam Closing Hamble River Sailing Club |
See 2024 Schedule for entry links…
How do I get a boat to race?
The Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Thames Yacht Club and Royal Southern Yacht Club have a total of 15 club J/70s that they have reserved for racing in the Grand Slam Series. Members of these clubs naturally get first refusal, but as a youth you can join one of these clubs for surprisingly little money.
Royal Thames Yacht Club
Youth membership <£400 per year
See how to join
Royal Southern Yacht Club
Youth membership £84 per year
See how to join
RYS, RTYC and RSrnYC have put together season charter packages for the series including charter and entry fees with further discounts available for youth crews.
If you are already a member see how to reserve a J/70 for the series:
Royal Yacht Squadron
Contact the squadron office at 01983 292 191
Royal Thames Yacht Club
Contact Jack Fenwick at jack.fenwick@royalthames.com
Royal Southern Yacht Club
Contact the sailing office at sailing@royal-southern.co.uk or 02380 450 318 – Royal Southern J/70s have now all been fully booked the the 2024 season, enquire for waitlist
Academy Sailing for under 30 year olds
The Royal Southern have secured sponsorship to fund two teams to compete in the entire J/70 Grand Slam Series in 2024. Royal Southern mixed gender teams that perform well in their Academy Trophy 2023-2024 will be invited to a selection weekend over the winter months. Full selection policy to follow.
How much will it cost?
The clubs have agreed a package price including boat charter, sails and entry fees for the entire series for as little as £2,700.
How do I know the club boats will be competitive?
The club boats are maintained at a high level by professional bosuns at each club. Before racing starts in 2024, top J/70 class sailors will have gone through all the club boats to check the gear and set up the rigs exactly as their own boats are set up. The boats are regularly raced in the fleet and often achieve good results.
How can I get some training in before I compete?
The J/70 class will provide a weekend of training for just £100 per weekend to get teams up to speed, in addition to coaching at some of the Grand Slam events themselves.
23 – 24 Mar Class Training
RSrnYC
18 – 19 May Coached Racing
RSrnYC May Regatta
Will there be any social events?
Yes, there will be at least one social event at each Grand Slam event. In some cases we’ll also have video debriefs from drone footage and the day-winners talking about why they won.
| Event | Dates 2024 | Social event | |
| GS1 | J/70 Grand Slam Opener | 6 – 7 Apr | Saturday Night Dinner for competitors at RSrnYC |
| GS2 | South Coast Champs | 20 – 21 Apr | Sat Night post race video debrief at RORC clubhouse Cowes followed by Dinner (£25 per head) |
| GS3 | UK Nationals | 12 – 14 Jul | RYS dinner |
| GS4 | Cowes Week Mini Series | 27 – 30 Jul | Class party Saturday evening in Cowes |
| GS5 | RTYC Regatta | 7 – 8 Sep | Saturday night post race video debrief at RORC clubhouse Cowes followed by Dinner (£25 per head) |
| GS6 | Grand Slam Closing | 5 – 6 Oct | TBC |
| Annual class dinner & prize giving | 22 Nov | RTYC Knightsbridge |
Notice of Race for GS Series
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