Southampton sailing club

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Tiger Rag

Joined
27 Nov 2002
Messages
388
Location
Whiteley, Hampshire.
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Dear All,

We have recently moved down to Southampton (Whiteley to be precise) and would welcome your advice.

We are looking to join a local sailing club, I have some experience, my wife little and we have an eight year old son and seven year old daughter who are both keen but have as yet not been out on the water.

Ideally we would be looking for a club that has good teaching setup for the kids, a variety of dinghies for us to play with and maybe with some larger keel boats to be able to use. I would like some one design racing of some sort. Just as important would be a good social scene with pleasant bar/cafe and some diverting off the water events, all this for a minimal joining and annual fee.

Obviously I realise we are unlikely to tick all of the above boxes, especially the last one, but would welcome any comments or experiences.

I work in a boating enviroment but, as everyone is so biased towards their own choices, I am no nearer to knowing where to begin looking as each time I ask a collaegue he/she completely runs dwon my shortlisted options and extols the virtues of their own particular club.

Any thoughts/comments good or bad gratefully received.

Thanks and best regards,

Russell.
 
Sailing Club

Try Weston Sailing Club at Netley. www.weston.org.uk
Friendly dinghy club that welomes new members, experienced or not. Good racing fleets and training programme for the inexperienced. Quite a few dinghies owned by the club and available for hire by members at nominal fee.
Good bar/food and social programme. On your side of Southampton too!
I left a couple of years ago as no longer sailing dinghies after 10 good years of membership and 2 children who went from novices to competent.
 
Go west, young man.

Lymington Town SC ticks all your boxes, except "keelboats to use" although there is an active cruising and racing community.

An excellent set up for training kids, introductory sailing for novices, active dinghy racing all year round, social events to suit all tastes, food and bar with superb views of the Solent, and only £100 joining fee.

Not that I am at all biassed, of course. ;)
 
Last edited:
Netley SC

Hi,

We're members at Netley SC, http://www.netleysc.org.uk

It's a *very* friendly, social, family orientated club, and has recently got RYA Training centre status. Probably about as close as you can get to Whiteley. No keelboats though, and I wouldn't bother if you're serious about racing. Pretty cheap from memory too.

Weston isn't as friendly as it used to be, and membership/series numbers seems to be dwindling. It's also a bit more tidally restricted.

Ric
 
Marchwood is a great club, but it's mostly focussed on members who own and operate their own sailing cruisers - there is, however, an active Mirror dinghy fleet operated by the club for its junior members, and regular mixed-fleet handicap racing for the larger boats. There's a varied program of social events and the club is friendly and not too expensive. If you're interested, just drop in on one of the club nights and have a chat.
 
Russell, there's an earlier thread on this subject where I recommended Warsash Sailing Club on the Hamble River(just up from where you are!).
All the boxes are ticked and as for onedesign sailing there are several SB3 sportsboats that compete regularly for you to get involved with.
There are two Clubhouses, the smaller used by the dinghy members and for storage of tenders; here there are showers and toilets .
The main club is at Shore House, Warsash next to the Rising Sun pub.
You'll need to press the button to enter ,until you're a member.
The social side of the club needs some more ideas but Saturday supper evenings and other functions do a fair job, the child training is first class and competent in Optimists and some smaller higher performance one design dinghies; the Training centre is RYA approved.
Phone Sharon on 01489 583575 asking for membership application forms;the family rate of fee is pretty reasonable, and up to about 16yrs of age I believe.
A self- help club with a Bar Roster and other duties, Security ,Storage Pound warden; general help when needed, particularly during the Warsash Spring Series Regatta in late winter/early Spring; 100 volunteers deal with the organisation of 250 plus yachts competing over a 6 weekend(Sundays) period (not Easter).Plenty of other sailing activity in cruisers and dinghies.
Sailing possible at all states of tide.
Look forward to hearing your choice!

Iana t182
 
Last edited:
Thansk again for all your replies, I must admit that Warsash is sounding very good and only ten minute walk from the office. Will have to check out the other though in the interests of fairness!

My main concern is that I don't put off the kids. I know from experience that there is very little middle ground with sailing, you either love it or hate it. I really don't want to introduce them to the joys of sailing unless conditions/people/other kids are going to make them enjoy it.

Probably just being selfish really as I know if I can get them hooked then it will be easier for me to get out on the water!!

Thansk again and best regards,

Russell.
 
Just to add that most of the local clubs support each other in various forms; there is a Hamble Combined Clubs committee that organise racing at each of their venues and use each others race officers and expertise.
Visits between clubs are welcome for a lunch, pint, for which we have a visiting guest book to sign in.
Other clubs also join our guests from the Fareham twinned town of Vannes,in France, they are entertained and, when required, accommodated.
This has been very successful in recent years and reciprocal visits almost needed a 'cap' on numbers!!
All of the local clubs have some child training scheme, usually RYA approved, all excellent.

ianat182
 
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