Yarmouth Sailing Club

22/09/2026

Peter Giles reports on the final Simply Sailing Solent sail of 2026.

This was the final sail of the year, and all five sails have remarkably, gone ahead as scheduled.

The weather could not have been more perfect, although there was no wind to start of with! At the briefing, discussion was had about the final destination; we had intended to go towards Totland but ultimately Colwell was the better option.

Numbers were less than before (illness prevented 4 attending) but the 8 scows sailors with 2 extra crew members and 3 fully manned Patrol Boats, set off on a glorious warm day and by the time we had drifted towards the end of Sandhard Beach, a light sea breeze from the west had set in.

On landing at Colwell, some opted for a swim and others tucked straight into brunch. Conversations flowed and we all agreed how lucky we had been with the weather for these Solent sails.

Around 1300 we set sail with the same sea breeze, so a lovely broad reach return to Yarmouth. As always, the Yarmouth Harbour authorities were there to ensure a safe passage to the slipway - thank you to them for their support.

On return to the clubhouse, tea,coffee & cake was partaken in the legendary post Simply Sailing gathering.

My very grateful thanks go to all the Patrol Boat support and to Wendy Potts for the photos.
I would especially like to thank Kevin & Wendy Potts who have manned a Patrol Boat for ALL the Solent sails, and to my co-driver, Gary W who has accompanied me on each sail.

We all know the UK weather can be both fickle and unpredictable but for once we will glow in the success of the 2026 Simply Sailing Solent sails, with good numbers participating, great company and some happy memories.

17/09/2026

Please put the date in your diary and make a plan to drop into our Open Day this Saturday afternoon, 19 September.

We’re a small, super friendly volunteer-run club and we’d love to meet you!

14/09/2026

The final courses of the season saw a RYA Level 2 Adult course run alongside an all-age RYA Seamanship course.

Conditions were windier than expected and although everyone coped really well, not everyone achieved the anticipated certificates.

Huge thanks as usual to Kevin & Wendy for manning the PB (they were certainly busy) and to Wendy for these action shots.

Well done to everyone who participated and supported.

Peter, Joy, Adam, Fi and Zac

10/09/2026

We’re very proud & grateful to call RNLI Yarmouth our neighbour here in West Wight

The RNLI is a charity that exists to save lives at sea. But recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about our purpose and our lifesaving work in the Channel.

As a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in some cases, physical abuse. This is unacceptable.

The RNLI’s people represent the very best of society. For over two hundred years they have dedicated themselves to rescuing people they’ve never met before, without judgment, fear or favour.

We are tasked by HM Coastguard to help those in distress, and we'll do so whenever, wherever and whoever they are.

We launched 9,058 times in 2025. Only 109 of those launches were to those in distress in the Channel – 1.2% of our total rescue work. Anyone rescued from a small boat by the RNLI is then taken into the care of the relevant UK authorities.

To those who stand with the RNLI, thank you. For more than two hundred years, we've saved lives at sea around the UK and Ireland, and that commitment remains unchanged.

08/09/2026

We'd love to welcome you on Saturday 19 September at our Open Day. We're a small, friendly volunteer club and we love welcoming new members!

08/09/2026

…and huge congratulations to Olly from all of us at Yarmouth Sailing Club! 👏👏

🌟 HUGE CONGRATS, OLLY! 🌟

Royal Solent Yacht Club member, Olly Mayo, has been selected by the Royal Yachting Association to join a new transition group called the Olympic Academy in the ILCA7 - this moves him from the youth programme into the senior programme.

Olly's selection recognises his development trajectory and his potential contribution to the programme environment. We understand Olly's 1 of 4 U21 boys to be chosen. Olly and all our Junior Members are truly inspirational!

📸 Mega Captures

08/09/2026

Youth & Junior Championships 2026 coming up! Tera class at Yarmouth Sailing Club on 3 October.

06/09/2026

Congratulations to the two newest drivers to qualify as PB2 drivers, and huge thanks to Bill Tate for the time he devotes to supporting them through it.

03/09/2026

Congratulations Freddie from all of us at Yarmouth Sailing Club! 👋 🏆

27/08/2026

RYA TRAINING WEEK 2 - Stages 2 & 3)

Peter Giles reports on the recent training week:

41 students took part in 4 days of perfect weather, and thankfully no days were lost to strong winds either. The heat did cool a little and one or two children felt the cold from capsizing.

On the water, it was so pleasing seeing so many children genuinely improving their skills and so obviously enjoying themselves. We were all very grateful for the SI's, DI's, AI's and various helpers all contributing to this.

As usual, these training weeks couldn't happen without huge support from parents/grandparents/carers covering duties in the kitchen; hoovering; launching & recovery radio base - all vital cogs.

Please not that we are aware some of the club dinghies are showing their age and plans are afoot to gradually improve the fleet.

Training at Yarmouth Sailing Club is available to members only, but we're a welcoming, volunteer run club and further details about joining can be found at http://yarmouthsailingclub.org.uk/

For those who like to plan ahead, dates for Junior Training 2027 are;

Half term refresher (late half term); Wed June 2nd - Fri 4th
Training week 1 (stages 1 and 4)- Mon Aug 2nd - Thurs 5th
Training week 2 (stages 2 and 3) - Fri Aug 20th - Mon 23rd.

For those who have already achieved RYA Stage 4, the Royal Solent Yacht Club hold an annual Dinghy Regatta in August, and congratulations to the 18 young sailors from Yarmouth Sailing Club who recently participated and completely dominated the event - well done!

See you all in 2027; application forms and more detailed information will be available from January 2027.

Pete Giles