New Year's Day
On 1st January 2019, twenty hardy souls set off in thirteen dinghies to celebrate the New Year .. .. and to clear their heads!
Aerial View
A view of the Club taken in May 2017 from a member’s drone.
To see an aerial view of the Club taken in December 1969, go to Club History.
Overnight Cruise
A highlight of the cruising calendar, the overnight cruise does not involve sailing overnight; it is one where you stay away overnight. The first recorded Seafarers’ overnight cruise was to Bembridge in 1977.
Corf campsite in Newtown Creek on the Isle of Wight is a popular overnight cruise destination. The slide shows two Laser Stratos and a RIB secured to the pontoon in Corf Lake.
Craft Corner
“Craft Corners” are held throughout the year usually at the beginning of each month. The sessions are either a ‘free activity’ or a workshop led by a volunteer or an invited professional.
The slide shows a watercolour painting session run by local artist and ex-Seafarer, Elaine Reed.
RYA Training
The Club is an RYA Training Centre. It runs courses for complete beginners of all ages from 5 to 75+ and courses for more experienced sailors.
The Start Sailing/Basic Skills courses include capsize recovery drills. The drills, illustrated in this slide, may appear “scary”, but everyone who takes part agrees it’s great fun.
For information on the Training Team, the courses on offer and how to book go to Training.
DIY
The Club is committed to providing “affordable” access to sailing. This is achieved through an ethos of self-help. The original construction of the clubhouse and the many rebuilds thereafter have all been done with members carrying out most of the work – skilled and un-skilled to keep costs to a minimum.
The slide shows members working on a first floor extension in 2008.
Commodore's Challenge
Each year the programme includes a Commodore’s Challenge to raise money for the Club’s charity.
In 2016 the challenge was to set a new Seafarers’ record for the number of boats/members participating in a Club cruise. Forty-seven members in seventeen dinghies and two RIBs crossed to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Wootton Creek and set seven new Club records.
Coffee Morning
A coffee morning takes place in the clubhouse on the last Friday of each month.
In September this coincides with, and is run as part of, Macmillan Cancer’s "World’s Biggest Coffee Morning".
A Small Tractor
Seafarers is fortunate with its location within a public car park and with access to a public slipway. When launching or retrieving a boat at low tide, there is an expanse of beach and an inclined slipway which can be difficult to negotiate with a heavy dinghy or one of the Club’s RIBs. The Club uses a small tractor to recover boats.
Interclub Races
Seafarers has a good relationship with neighbouring Hill Head SC and Lee on the Solent SC. An interclub race, or series of races, known as the SLOSHH (Seafarers – Lee On Solent – Hill Head), has been running since 1989.
Barbecue
A great way to end a day on the water.
Patrol Boat Training
Patrol Boat (PB) training is carried out at Seafarers to provide a cadre of skilled helms and crew to support Club sailing. In addition to initial training, refresher training is provided to ensure all helms remain up-to-date and familiar with Club equipment and procedures.
The slide illustrates a Club Hartley 12.2 dinghy being deliberately capsized to support PB refresher training.
Club Boats
Seafarers Sailing Club maintains a fleet of boats comprising an RS Venture, two Laser Stratos, three Hartley 12.2s, three Fusions, and three Hartley Alphas (Oppies). These are primarily for training and to encourage new and novice sailors to develop their sailing skills and build their confidence before purchasing their own boat.
Club boats may also be used by suitably qualified and/or experienced members for cruising and/or racing. For details, go to Club Boats.
Practice Sailing
Practice Sailing Sessions are available on Tuesday evenings from early June to the end of August and on Saturday mornings during July and August. Precise dates and times are published in the Programme.
Although aimed primarily at Cadets and Novices, these sessions provide an opportunity for anyone that fancies going for a gentle sail with Patrol Boat cover and, if required and available, guidance from experienced sailors or qualified instructors. For more detail, go to Practice Sailing.
Getting Formal
At least once each year the Club has a more formal social function – ties are worn! Trafalgar Night and Burn’s Night can provide justification for such cultured events
The slide illustrates the Club’s Trafalgar Night in 2018.
Cruising
Situated where it is, the Club is spoilt for choice when it comes to cruise destinations. For more information, go to Cruising.
This slide illustrates Club boats beached at one of the favourite destinations, Wootton Creek.
Evening Racing
There is racing on Thursday evenings from the end of April until the end of August, when the days are longer.
Clubhouse at Night
On the way home after an enjoyable evening spent with friends celebrating the Chinese New Year.
End of Season
This is not the end of an evening race. It is the end of an afternoon race late in November.
The Frostbite Series is proving increasingly popular. Even without the Winter SLOSHH Series, there is still some “out of season” racing.
Prize Giving
The highlight of any sports club’s year.
Range of Dinghy Types
A variety of traditional and modern design dinghies are sailed at Seafarers including Mirror, Topaz, Laser (4.7 to 2000), RS (Feva to 600), Wayfarer, ISO and Buzz. At present the Laser is the most prolific class.
The slide shows an RS Aero, a Contender, a Solo, a Laser Radial, and a Wayfarer.
Round the Island
Round the Island cruises began at Seafarers at the beginning of the 1980s and appeared in most annual programmes from 1980 to 2004.
One of the Club’s current members considers his sailing year is incomplete unless it includes at least one circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight. Consequently these marathon voyages, although not in the Programme, still usually take place once or twice each year.
Half Ton Cup Race
The Half Ton Cup race – for helms aged 50 or over – is a popular annual race which was introduced in 1977 as an Open. A race for under-50s, the Under half Ton Cup race, was added in 1988.
