Club Sailing

The club has a programme of activities for members throughout the year as summer “taster” sailing sessions for people who are interested in joining the club.

With its fast tides and eddying winds, sailing on the Thames is always fascinating and challenging, and it is said that if you can sail a dinghy on the river Thames you can sail on any water in the world!

The club is committed to helping members improve their sailing skills as well as having fun. Safety boat cover is provided and members are free to cruise or to race. Racing is round buoys on Putney Reach at high tide, or downriver; both going out and returning with the tide. Our members also visit and compete against other clubs.

Club dinghies for members to hire include 6 Lasers, 1 Solo, 3 Enterprises, 2 Xenons, 2 GP 14s, a Supernova and a Laser 13′.

Members Handbook 2021 edition

Use of the Club Dinghy Park

Members may keep their boats in the club’s dinghy-park subject to availability and the terms and conditions set out in the club regulations.

Please head over to the fees section of the website for pricing

Membership Fees

Sailing Gear

Our Membership FAQ provides some advice on suitable clothing for sailing; in brief, your gear needs to be suitable for the temperature, the possibility of having an unplanned swim, and for protecting your feet and the boat from injury or damage. Gloves are a wise choice to protect your hands. Some form of sun protection is needed on sunny days as the middle of the river is exposed.

Chandleries, online mail order companies and boat shows are good places to buy kit.

Useful Links

Social sailor?

You can join the club with a social-only membership. We hold a variety of social events, all of which can be found through the following link:

Social
Midweek & Saturday Sailing

Saturdays are all about learning and having fun! New members often like to start with our Saturday sessions, trying out different single and 2-3 handed boats with a safety boat on hand. 

As Saturday sailors you can decide as a group what you’d like to do – have a few short races, or do your own thing – perhaps practice a technique and get tips from our more experienced sailors.

Check the sailing calendar for dates and times.

Racing

Sundays are when we hold the club race series.

We have two types of race:

Local – racing round buoys on Putney Reach at high tide.

Downriver – racing towards Battersea Reach, going out with the tide, and when the tide has turned, racing back.

Both reward mastery of the Thames’s very variable conditions.

Follow events on the water with our race reports and results.

Membership
Race Reports
Results
Wind Observations

This image is an attempt to provide a guide for mapping wind forecasts in knots into likely sailing experiences. Weather conditions vary, and it is not by any means definitive!

PY and Club Handicaps

South Bank Sailing Club uses the RYA Portsmouth Yardstick Handicap system for club races. The handicap system aims to provide fair racing between boats of different classes.

We use the following handicaps for classes that are regularly sailed at the club:

CLASSPN
Albacore (Wooden)1082
Albacore (Fiberglass)1043
Byte1169
Byte CII1146
Enterprise1111
GP 141149
Laser - Full1078
Laser - Radial1111
Laser - 4.71174
Merlin Rocket – No Spinnaker1079
Merlin Rocket – With Spinnaker1059
National 121083
Phantom1035
Rooster 8.11052
RS 2001057
RS Vision1093
Solo1148
Solo Plan B1176
Supernova1070
Supernova Small Sail1148
Topper1240
Wayfarer – No Spinnaker1131
Wayfarer – With Spinnaker1111
X0950
Xenon1111

Where a class does not have a handicap listed above they will initially use the handicap listed in the current RYA national list. Should a class not have a handicap listed there then they will be assigned a trial handicap by the Sailing Committee.

To view the RYA PY Handicap data click here