GGBC offers the following club rowing sessions and other opportunities to members.
Main Club Sessions (arrive 15 mins before on water sessions)
| Summer | Winter (Cold water rules in place) |
| Saturday 9am | Saturday 9am |
| Sunday 10am Juniors 12pm | Sunday 10am Juniors 12pm |
| Tuesday 6pm to 8pm | Land training 7pm |
| Wednesday 9.30am | Wednesday 9.30am |
| Thursday 6pm to 8pm | Land training 7pm |
How to Join: To join a session, please mark yourself as ‘available’ on FitClub by midday the day before the session.
What to Expect: Suggested lineups will be emailed prior to the outing. Our goal is to create crews that are enjoyable and safe, while providing opportunities for everyone to grow
their rowing, coxing and steering skills. Experienced members are expected to
take a share of enabling beginners to learn the ropes.
Preferences: When indicating your availability, you can also state your preferences (eg for a
specific boat) which will be considered but not guaranteed. Final lineups depend
on boat availability and crew balance.
On the day: Members should arrive 15 minutes before the session time to get out and check equipment and be present for any briefing. The meeting point for on the water
sessions is in front of the boathouse, while land training is accessed by the rear
door on the first floor.
Every crew should record the boat name and outing time on the session notice
board and take a mobile phone with the Session Manager’s number noted.
Session Support: Check in with the volunteer Session Manager (SM) upon arrival. They open the facilities, set up safety equipment, and help with boating, following the Session
Manager Check List available within the WhatsApp sub-group. We invite all
members to shadow an SM and then to manage 2-3 sessions a year to keep the
club running smoothly.
Rowing outside of Club Sessions (Out of Hours )
Club Sessions provide a level of supervision and protocols aimed at ensuring enjoyable and safe rowing for all Participants. Please note that access to the boat club is strictly limited to between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm daily for all members, including private boat owners.
Any member wanting to use Club equipment to row or scull outside of Club Sessions must be approved as an Out of Hours (OoH) Rower by the Captain of Rowing (captainofrowing@goringgapbc.org.uk).
There are three levels of approval:
● Out of Hours Crew Boats (OoH-CB): Crew Boats defined as Quad, Fours, Eights and Octuples.
● Out of Hours Small Boats (OoH-SB): Small Boats defined as Singles, Doubles and Pairs.
● Out of Hours Small Boats Winter (OoH-SBW). From the months of November to March (or
when otherwise directed by The Captain of Rowing) only OoH-SBW approved members are
allowed out in Small Boats.
All approved OoH-SB and OoH-SBW members must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in a Small Boat, be self-sufficient, capable of carrying out their own risk assessment, and should have completed a capsize drill. They must assume responsibility for any non-OoH-SB approved crew members.
No Novice or non-OoH approved members should go out unaccompanied at any time.
Boats must be booked in advance using FitClub and other crew members should be named. The Captain of Rowing, or one of his/her Deputies, will review the request and either approve, deny, or suggest an alternative boat. Do not take to the water without the request having been approved.
Before taking to the water, all OoH rowers should check that the conditions are suitable for the outing and must observe any temporary boating restrictions that may be imposed by the Captain of Rowing, or one of the Deputy Captains, due to adverse conditions.
Guest Rowers
Experienced friends and family of members are allowed four outings a year in either a club or private boat, at a charge of £10 per outing. To request a guest visit, complete the application form at least a week in advance of the proposed visit.
GGBC also hosts other clubs for training camps. We ask members to be welcoming to our visitors and to be efficient when launching and landing so others can use the pontoon, ensuring the river remains accessible and enjoyable for everyone during busy periods.