Welsh Harp Sailing Club

WESTWARD HO in 2026!

After checking out SailGP in Portsmouth, Brisbane Star is off on a cruise to the West Country, offering the chance to spend a week or more on the boat, with a mix of long coastal passages and shorter day-sails, and weekend crew changes. So far: Portsmouth, Plymouth, Falmouth…

ILCA training, with Ellie Crumptsy, forecasted a day of fresh winds, building during the day to a tasty 20 knots.

The goal, to go faster. Surprisingly, it wasn’t more techniques or better roll tacks or more cake but a thorough re-look at what the controls actually do to the sail, and how to think about using them better.

We were pretty wowed to learn in depth about the a "fourth corner," the leech and how to change the shape of this upper section to control speed and power. In light wind, you "close" this corner by loosening your controls so the sail curves and catches more wind, but when it gets too windy, you "open" it by tightening everything up, which flattens the sail and lets the extra wind blow away. It is crazy how much adjusting just that one area affects how the boat handles!

For all of us a meaningful take away was kicker tension for up wind. We experienced the difference in what we might normally do when we “pull the kicker on” to “PULL THE KICKER ON!” We all learnt that it needs to be a LOT, and yes, arm and leg strength is required to heave that beast on!

📷 & ✍🏻 Lenore Canon

There isn't just one way to learn to sail...

Whether you've never stepped into a boat before, fancy trying racing for the first time, want to improve your skills, or you're already checked out and looking to sail more often, there's a pathway for you at WHSC.

From Thursday evening tasters and RYA courses to supervised sailing, race nights, coaching and club racing, we've created lots of opportunities to help people get on the water, build confidence and become part of our sailing community.

Have a look through the poster to see what's available—and if you're not sure where to start, just get in touch. We'd love to help you find the right next step.

Learning, practising, racing... and having a lot of fun along the way.

Our Cadet sailors have been putting in the hard work over the season, from classroom sessions and on-the-water coaching to taking on the challenge of open meeting racing.

With the Cadet National Championships just around the corner in August, all that learning is now being put into practice.

A huge thank you to all our instructors, coaches and parents who give up so much of their own time to support these young sailors. Your encouragement, patience and commitment make opportunities like this possible.

Congratulations to our latest RYA Level 1 & RYA Level 2 sailors! 👏⛵

Whether they arrived as complete beginners or looking to build confidence, they've all taken another step on their sailing journey.

One of the things we're most proud of is that around 90% of non-members who complete an RYA course with us go on to join the club, where they can continue learning through our free training - Thursday evening instructor sessions, supervised sailing, coaching and club racing.

Our courses are delivered by our own home-grown RYA Instructors, so from day one you'll get a real feel for the friendly, volunteer-led community that makes WHSC such a special place to sail.

Thinking of learning to sail? Keep an eye on our Linktree for details of the next course.

Congratulations everyone, and we look forward to seeing you back on the water soon!

Advanced spinnaker training, classroom edition!

Celebrating the Summer and all it brings - the WHSC Summer Party

What a privilege.
Over two days, we welcomed a fantastic group of young people from We:Restart to Welsh Harp Sailing Club for an RYA Stage 1 sailing course.

Alongside the sailing, younger children enjoyed creative craft workshops, making it a brilliant opportunity for the whole group to experience the Harp.

One of the real joys of sailing is seeing confidence grow. Watching these young people step outside their comfort zone, develop new skills, support one another and experience the sheer joy of being out on the water was something very special.

At WHSC, we're committed to opening sailing up to people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience it, and helping make our sport more accessible to under-represented communities.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the two days possible. It was a remarkable privilege to spend time with such an enthusiastic, determined and inspiring group of young people and the volunteers who support them so beautifully.

We hope this is just the beginning of their sailing journey.