Social Sailing Saturday

Now in its fourth year our Saturday Social Sailing is again combining with taster sessions for non-members and development sessions for members to help improve and enhance your sailing experience here at Stewartby Water Sports Club.

The last three years have seen plenty of boats out enjoying some great sailing weather; lets hope we are equally lucky this year.

The main idea is to get some of the less experienced members out on the water without the pressure of racing, with the benefit of rescue cover should the need arise and to let you get to know other people in the club - not always easy when we are busy trying to get ready for racing on a Sunday morning!  

If you need advice on rigging a club boat, want to try a different boat, need some help to improve your technique or anything else, this is the time to get involved. Above all this is meant to be fun so please come along and join in.

This year we are intending to have a qualified sailing instructor available during the day for those new to dinghy sailing who would like a little extra help. RYA approved sailing lessons (Levels 1 and 2) are available through the Stewartby Sailing School over the summer months if required.

We will need some volunteers to assist with the rescue boat, rigging boats and launching. Please register for duties on the club website using the portal in the same way as for racing duties.

I am more than happy to run the Introduction to Racing at Stewartby sessions again this year if anyone is interested. These sessions explain everything you need to know about how we run races at the club; what all the flags and hooters mean, what happens at the start and end of a race and some of the basic rules. These sessions are extremely useful for anyone new wanting to do a Race Duty. Where possible I will run some short trial races so that people can put what theyve learned into action.

Of course, members can sail any time they like, but if you want to make the most of the social side of sailing then we hope you will join us.

Due to some racing commitments and holidays, I will not be available for every SSS date, but someone will stand in for me when necessary. Please contact me via phone, text or WhatsApp on 07796-650131 or email me at wright-colin5@sky.com in advance if you have any specific needs. 

And of course, dont forget the social camping weekends as well. Please see the calendar on the club website for details of all these events. SSS normally takes place between 10am and 5pm.

Finally, please be aware that the Officer of the Day (OOD) has responsibility for ensuring the safety of all operations during the day and has the final say on whether or not a sailor should be out on the water. A RED flag means NO SAILING for safety reasons and sailors MUST leave the water immediately.

Colin Wright (usually the one wearing the captains hat and/or dayglo orange bib with OOD on the back)

SSS Organiser

Last updated 21:21 on 28 April 2025