The Hostellers Sailing Club offers day sailing and dinghy cruising during the summer and country walking during the winter. The HSC suits all levels of sailing experience including complete beginners. Most members live in London/ Essex/ Southeast England, we also now have a few in Devon. We keep a club owned Wayfarer dinghy on a mooring at Paglesham on the River Roach in Essex.

Events:

When the 'lockdown' started this Spring I felt that it was not worth bothering to update our program to say that all our sailing events are cancelled or postponed - I assumed this was obvious from the general news. However, now that the restrictions are being eased, the situation for the HSC (mid July 2020) is as follows:

Our club boat, Merganser, is laid up on shore and at present we have no plans to launch it this year. Only a significant shift in the virus situation combined with strong demand to use the boat might change this.

A number of our members have boats of their own and they are now free to go boating following the current guidlines.

The Roach Sailing Association has re-started their dinghy racing program and at least a couple of HSC members are participating, with notable success! I have included the current RSA racing program below - see RSA details and/or contact Jon Walmsley of the RSA for latest information and details.

Looking further ahead to our social program through to 2021, we hope that before the end of the year we might be able to arrange some form of on-shore social event(s), details will be announced here. In the meantime our members are keeping in contact by holding occasional on-line meetings (Zoom), this seems to be working well for us.

We very much hope that all will be back to the old normal by Easter 2021. Our plan to stay at Manorbier YHA, near Tenby in Wales, for Easter 2020 was thwarted by the virus so we intend to make this our venue for Easter 2021.

The events below that are titled in italics are not organised by the HSC but may be of interest to HSC members.

Sunday 30th August - Mudcatchers Cup (Dinghy series) 10:30 HW 11:14

I assume that as in previous years the Mudcatchers Cup will be a fun race with various distractions from serious racing.

Sun 20th September Lifeboat Cup (Dinghy series) 13:00 HW 15:25

Sun 20th September Oyster Cup (Dinghy series) 14:30 HW 15:25

Sun 27th September Roach Plate (Cruiser series) 11:00 HW 09:48

2nd to 5th April 2021 - Easter Social and Walking in Pembrokeshire

We plan to make a group booking for the nights of Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th April at Manorbier YHA on the Pembrokeshire coast. Let the HSC Secretary know ASAP if you would like to be included in this booking - prospective members/friends of members welcome. If you would like to extend your stay outside the days we have booked you could contact the YHA directly.

Manorbier YHA is a modern looking building with a sea view. Meals are available in the hostel and there is also a pub and tea-room in the village about a mile away.

manorbier map

Map showing hostel location - about five miles west along the coast from Tenby - hostel building below

yha manorbier exterior

10 to 16 May 2021 - Semaine du Golfe

For at least the past decade there has been an HSC presence at this fabulous bienniel sailing event, so some of us plan to be there in 2021. John and Josephine will probably be in Fleet 3 sailing their 15 foot one-off sailing dinghy. Further details from Semaine du Golfe website - click the flag top right to read it in English!

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Pictures from Charante Maritime dinghy cruise 2018

18 09 10 fouras sud

The sailing club at Fouras Sud gave us a special reception and invited the town Mayor along!

Gerald's boat on route from Fouras Sud to La Flotte - one of the quite rare occasions when there really was not enough wind to sail

Our fleet in the harbour at La Flotte on Ile d'Re, a fine collection of traditional sailing fishing vessels on the far side of the harbour

In the old port right in the centre of La Rochelle - Gerald's boat and John and Josephine's boat in foreground

Our whole fleet alongside the pontoon at the sailing base of the Voile-aviron dans les Pertuis (VAP), a French dinghy cruising club so a bit like the HSC.

18 09 13 port neuf 1