The Cadet class will continue to offer the popular Regional training over the Winter of 2024-25 along with some other exciting opportunities.
Squadrons run local programmes and these are managed separately to the Regional Training groups.
These sessions are open to all sailors at any squadron and will provide the help you need, especially if you are start your Cadet journey.
The Cadets offer training sessions within three Regional Training Groups over the winter period. These are in the South, West and East of the country and each are administered separately. The RYA has requested that all supported junior classes such as the Cadet offer training using a regional model, rather than the old ’national squad’ format.
Every training event will be open for anyone to attend irrespective of which squadron/region they are from, and there will normally be at least two groups to cater for the range of experience and ability.
As well as the time and cost savings, the benefits of the regional model also include potential flexibility to postpone/move dates for bad weather without cost implications and it will be more inclusive as there is no need to be a 'regular traveller'.
In March the three Regional Training Groups will be brought together for a residential training weekend at Grafham Water Activity Centre. All Cadet sailors will have the opportunity to take part regardless of age or experience. In the past the residential weekend was only available to a small number of sailors as part of the then NJS squad. Recent results including from the Nationals, Inlands and RYA Regional Championships will be used to group sailors by ability for the training groups over these weekends. We will need a small number of house parents who are prepared to stay at the residential centre. More details on this are below - Residential Weekends
The Frensham October dates are charged locally through the Frensham Pond squadron - entry can be found here.
Costs on other sessions will be communicated as available.
Costs for any local Squadron Programmes will be managed separately by the squadron.
Regional Training
Regional training is organised by the established squadrons and promoted through the class and local sailing club websites and social media posts. Entry to these open training sessions is either via the Class My Clubhouse platform or through the individual Squadron websites.
The largest active squadrons where winter regional training is open to Cadet sailors are detailed below with links to the Cadet page within their sailing club website:
Frensham Pond Cadet Squadron - entry can be found here.
Waldringfield Cadet Squadron - entry can be found here.
South Cerney Cadet Squadron - entry can be found here.
Fishers Green Sailing club for the third year running has offered winter training for those sailors starting or in the early stages of their Cadet journey. One day weekend sessions, across the warmer month of March finish with a competitive Cadet Open Event.
Entry for the Regional Training sessions will be made on the Clubhouse system.
You will need to enter each session that you’re planning on attending. Please enter as a Helm or a Crew but we will need both team members details.
You need to be a UKNCCA member to take part in events (temporary membership is available (training events excluded)).
Please book into these sessions as soon as you can. Certain venues require us to provide numbers ahead of time, so for those venues we'll close the event booking approximately two weeks beforehand. Coaches also need to know who is attending in order to plan their sessions. Residential spaces are limited at Grafham by the venues capacity.
UK Class Training
The Class offers sailors from all clubs access to coached weekend training across the winter months, delivered by our lead coach and supported by a variety of experienced qualified coaches and ex-cadet sailors. The programme varies year on year between 4 and 6 sessions to prepare sailors and new pairings for the Spring Selector Series, which determines the Class Worlds Team for the year.
The winter training culminates in a residential weekend at Grafham Water Centre, to bring together the knowledge and skills from the individual training weekends and to reinforce friendships across the squadrons.
During the Spring / Summer period the class organised sailing competitions take place, providing further opportunity for the sailors across the squadrons to spend time together. In the run up to the Cadet National and World Championship events, additional coached training sessions are scheduled. The aim is to undertake these sessions in sailing areas that resemble the championship locations as much as possible.
Entry for all Class training sessions is through the My Clubhouse system. All training booked via My Clubhouse requires both the helm and crew to enter individually.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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!
