Our History

The Club was formed in 1973 by local yachtsmen attending navigation classes who wanted to continue their friendship and enthusiasm for sailing.

Originally an offer was made by Guildford Rowing Club to use their premises, and then in 2013 the Club moved to larger premises at Papercourt Sailing Club near Ripley, Surrey. The clubhouse is beautifully situated on a lawns-down-to-lakeside setting, with ample car parking, a large social area, and with a bar run by volunteer Members.

Overview

We have around 120 members including partners, with about 50 owned yachts, predominantly berthed in marinas or on moorings in harbours along the Solent, or South coast. We have motor boat members too.

Some members prefer only to crew, or to enjoy the Winter Programme, or simply meet other friends and enthusiasts at the clubhouse. Coming along to the clubhouse on a Tuesday evening is a great way to make new friends and meet other skippers and crew.

We like to encourage those non-owner members who have completed, or plan to complete a Practical or Theory RYA qualification. There is an informal Skippers and 'Stowaways' Whatsapp community where the two groups can arrange sailing time together. See Crewing page for more details.

Sailing

The Rear Commodore organises a Summer Programme comprising of Club Rallies from April through to October, mostly around the Solent. Organising means that marinas or harbours and restaurants are booked in advance, typically for 10 berths. Members register on the website for each Rally they wish to attend, and then a volunteer Rally Officer co-ordinates the finer detail including the meal arrangements. There is often a Pontoon party, occasionally tea and cake(!), and sometimes a walk in the nearby countryside.

Our two-week Summer Cruise extends our cruising area to the West Country, or cross-channel to France and the Channel Islands. We have even been known to go East!

Winter Programme

We believe in a vibrant Winter Programme to continue the club activities into the winter months. The Vice Commodore arranges a varied mix of:

Winter Talks

Regular clubhouse Winter Talks on sailing and related topics (typically 7 per programme) are presented by external Guest Speakers or occasionally by a fellow club Member. We aim to have one headline Speaker per Programme. Talks are always well-attended, offer wide-ranging knowledge and advice on boats, and are frequently entertaining. Many visitors become Members after attending one of our Winter Talks. Visitors pay a small contribution towards our costs. Zoom is available for all Talks.

Practical Workshops

These are run by club Members, informally around tables, with a Panel to start and direct the topic. Life-jacket maintenance, alternative sources of power, splicing, good sail-setting, gearbox disassembly, AIS v Radar …. just a few of the recent topics we have tackled. Always fun. These cannot be offered on Zoom due to the practicalities.

Social Events

We offer about 10 Social Events  through the year, such as Laying Up and Fitting out Parties, Summer BBQ, new Members Nights, Pancakes evening, Quiz nights, club competitions and a Winter Walk. All these events are held at the Clubhouse (with the exception of the winter walk), attracting a good attendance from the Membership.

Interested in joining?

It is very simple. Fill in a form, pay over some money, and you’re in!

Please see the Join Us page for additional details.