Sailing for All
Set in a valley with a backdrop of beautiful wooded hills, Bough Beech Reservoir offers a scenic setting for a day on the water. Sailors of all ages and abilities can enjoy a pleasant sail followed by refreshments in our clubhouse and a chance to swap stories and sailing tips with fellow enthusiasts. The lawns in front of the clubhouse are a great place to picnic whilst watching the sailing on the reservoir.
Whilst most members have their own boats, a fleet of club boats is also available for members to hire. Safety cover is provided at weekends by our volunteer safety squad. Buddy sailing rules apply when there is no safety cover.
Members also get together to organise trips away to other sailing venues. Traditionally these include Cobnor Week, which combines dinghy day sailing in Chichester harbour with summer camping. In the past there has sometimes been an autumn weekend away cruising a coastal stretch of water – the Blackwater Estuary has been a popular choice.
YOUTH AND FAMILY SAILING 2024
We trialled informal sailing for youths in 2023 and will continue these on some Sunday afternoons in 2024, starting in May. Some parents also took the opportunity to get afloat so this year the sessions are open to all members.
The weather is getting warmer and so if you’d like to join a group of members free sailing on Sunday afternoons then please just turn up with your own boat or hire one from the Club on Webcollect. Advice on rigging will be available if you have any concerns or questions or are generally rusty.
The dates will be published on the Club’s website calendar under the heading Youth and Family Sailing and will fit around formal Club Training e.g. OnBoard. We aim for sessions roughly every fortnight, between 14.00 and 16.00hrs.
The format will be the same as last year with the focus on sailing for leisure rather than racing but under the watchful eye of an escort boat, either sail or power, or a Club Safety Boat. For those that want to, we can drop in some buoys to sail around. There are no certificates issued but participants will have the satisfaction of gaining experience and sailing in good company.
The Club acknowledges the importance of time spent on the water to gain confidence so friendly advice on and off the water from experienced sailors is also highly likely.
Parents or guardians of youth sailors are generally welcome to come afloat as crew on the escort vessel (provided they are members) or to go afloat in their own boats during these sessions and also to provide shore-based support with launching and recovering on the slipway. Club hire boats must be pre-booked through Webcollect.
Youths at the Club are expected to know how to rig the boats they use and, importantly, know how to pack them away after use properly and tidily e.g. with covers strapped down tightly so they shed water. Instruction is available.
The Club will also offer formal RYA courses in 2024 and beyond under the management of our Training Principal, Dave Robinson, and these courses will be advertised in advance.
