Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour offer some of the best sailing waters on the planet and has purpose built on-shore facilities to match. This winning combination was showcased to the world with Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) providing part of the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Leading sailors from around the globe discovered what those closer to home have long been aware of: the combination of clean winds, sheltered waters and weak tides in the area is unique and provides an unrivalled location for thrilling sporting competition. Spectators, meanwhile, marvelled at the spectacular backdrop to the action, with our modern world-class facility set in the centre of the Jurassic Coast, the only natural World Heritage Site on the UK mainland.
WPNSA primarily offers its superb venue for events and squad training, but also has a large members’ community and successful on-site sailing and windsurfing schools catering for all abilities from complete beginners to Olympians.
Our purpose is to effectively promote the sport of sailing to all levels of competence and ability, through courses, training and national as well as international events, whilst supporting and working closely with the local community.
Facilities on-shore include a licensed function room, conference/meeting rooms, various slipways, a 16-tonne boat hoist, extensive dinghy parks, three permanent cranes and storage for all types of boats.
Our magnificent venue lends itself perfectly as an outstanding choice of venue for functions, business meetings, weddings and conferences. First and foremost though, we are a place for sailors run by people with a passion for sailing.
Our commitment to young sailors is absolute, and through an associated charity called the Chesil Trust, we have introduced thousands of local children to the sport with the ‘Sail for a Fiver’ scheme.
WPNSA has a commitment to stewardship of the environment and in striving to play our part in making our industry more sustainable the Academy has won several prestigious awards. We were the first Sailing Venue in the world to achieve the Sustainable Event Certification (ISO20121) a management system standard designed to help organisations in the event industry improve the sustainability of their events.
Accessibility
The Academy has been developed with access for all in mind. Whilst being the training base of choice for the Team GBR Paralympic squad the same facilities are open to all disabled sailors.
