Fleets

Racing at Grafham is organised through ‘fleets’. Each fleet elects a Fleet Captain as a recognisable point-of-contact. The Fleet Captain represents the fleet on Racing Committee and organises fleet-based activities, both on and off the water.

Racing Fleets

Almost all classes of boat are welcome to race at Grafham. We do not restrict the classes we welcome. Club racing is open to most dinghies, catamarans and small keelboats. Click through to display racing handicaps in use at Grafham. Owners of boats without a recognised handicap who wish to race should consult the Office for advice on which fleet they should join and on an appropriate handicap rating to be applied.

The Club does designate specific classes that it particularly supports, with the object of encouraging competitive one-design racing. These classes (listed below) either sail off dedicated starts (Flying Fifteens and Lasers) or sail as a single class within mixed fleets (Sprint15s, Solos). Separate Series Results are published for each of these recognised classes.

One-Design Classes

• Flying Fifteen
• Devoti D-Zero
• Laser/ILCA
• Solo
• Sprint15 (races as part of the Catamaran fleet)

Handicap Fleets

• Asymmetric Dinghies
• Catamarans

Windsurfers

• Windsurfers

Non-Racing Classes

A significant proportion of Grafham members like to sail without racing. Indeed, many active racers welcome the opportunity to sail for pure enjoyment: the enjoyment might come from a relaxing evening on the water but, equally, it may be the result of a wild sail on the ragged edge.

Any boat permitted to sail at Grafham can, when the water is open, cruise it – either alone or in company with others. Some boats are more suitable for the purpose than others, either by virtue of their stability or the space they offer but, in principle, anything goes.