Residential Weekend
The class provides a Residential weekend of training once per year.
In years gone by, these Residential weekends were only available for those selected in the RYA National Junior Squad (NJS), and were historically the highlight of the NJS programme. In 2021 we switched to a Regional Training Structure, which has allowed the Class to make these weekends available to all sailors, depending on space availability.
Where?
The Residential weekend takes place at the Grafham Water Centre (Postcode: PE28 0GW)
This is the building to the east of Grafham Water Sailing Club. Note it has a separate entrance via the road called ‘Ridgeway’, which just to the right of the entrance gate to the Sailing Club - do not drive into the Sailing Club
Grafham Water Centre directions
How it works
Much of the benefit of the weekends come from the sailors learning a degree of independence from their parents. We will have plenty of coaches and house parents available throughout the weekends and in the nicest way we would ask parents to disappear once boats are rigged (by 10am) on the Saturday morning.
If anyone would like to volunteer to be a house parent please contact us - your accommodation is free but its quite basic, and its a full on job!
All other parents don’t then need to reappear until Sunday afternoon - around 4pm so they can assist with packing up.
Accommodation is provided in the centre for an overnight stay, and children are allocated in rooms with one or two other children, with a house parent available near-by. If you want your child to stay off-site, then you will have to organise and pay for this over-and-above the cost of the weekend.
We will have rooms allocated for the sailors - most are shared small dormitories and we will do our best to get sailors sharing with people they know but with in excess of 60 sailors it is hard to group everyone with exactly who they want to share with.
Rough schedule
Boats rigged by 10:00 and parents depart
Classroom and sailing sessions AM
Lunchtime 12:30 to 13:30 approx
Classroom and sailing sessions PM until 17:00
Early dinner
Games / Movies etc 19:00 until 21:00
Bed
Breakfast and lunch on Sunday
Parents arrive 16:00
In Advance
Everyone will be required to fill out a disclaimer form in advance. This form will include any medical details we need to know and any food allergies or vegetarians etc.
Please make sure all sailors come with sufficient sailing gear for the weekend as well as a towel and plenty of home clothes
Anyone testing positive for Covid or otherwise required to isolate under government guidelines in existence at the time should not attend
The Centre expressly forbids the consumption of alcohol by the sailors and anyone found having consumed alcohol will be excluded from the remainder of the weekends - zero tolerance!