Laser

The Laser is the world’s most popular sailing dinghy, over 190,000 Laser dinghies are sailing in over 120 countries. An exciting boat to sail, Laser dinghies are found in nearly every sailing club in the world.

We have two simple, interchangeable sails/rigs – the Radial rig (5.7m2 of sail area) and the full rig (7.06m2 of sail area), allowing you to get the feel for the boat before taking it on fully.

It is described as the ultimate one-design dinghy. Every part of the Laser is manufactured and controlled so that all boats have the same performance. The only difference is you, your ability to be quicker, smarter and fitter. This also keeps costs down and the focus firmly on development of skills rather than technology.

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Facilities

Our club-house facilities are second to none with a fully licensed bar and catering area, offering snacks and refreshments, complemented by our indoor seating and outdoor patio areas. We also have a couple of BBQs that our members are always welcome to use, and the sunsets across the lake after a hard evenings sailing are just spectacular.

We have a club PA/Music system that can be rented when needed, and the whole venue is available for hire

Social and sailing events are run through the year both at home and away, our international fixtures list extends as far as Australia, we’ve visited places as exciting as Israel, and covered most of the USA and Western Europe. We are currently the Airline Sports & Cultural Association World Airline Sailing Champions. Nearer home we regularly enter a team or two into the Southport 24 hour sailing race, many of our members compete in the Salcombe Regatta, and we have strong ties with several other sailing clubs. We run many social events through the year, with our regular parties always proving to be very popular, the biggest being our annual music festival.

Racing is run through the year on Sundays, and on Tuesday evenings in the summer. Our racing results are often published to the website the same evening so you can always check how you’re doing, with prize givings and specific competitions through the year. Also in the summer is our very popular beginners / general sailing evening which runs every Thursday from around 18:00. Again please visit our specific page. Training is provided at various points in the summer for both beginner and intermediate levels, along with power/rescue boat training.

More on the actual physical sailing side of things, we have 15 club boats, all better maintained than any other club in the area if we do say so our self. Any of our members can use these boats for a (very cheap – again best in the area) annual fee. Please visit our page for more info.

For those who have just started sailing, or those who simply just seem to constantly forget their own we have a full set of buoyancy aids which you are free, in fact recommended, to use if you haven’t got your own. We take safety seriously as an Affiliated Club, and have two motor powered dories (one 9.9hp & one 30hp), and a committee boat with full set of starting flags to help complement that.

For your own boat we have a boat compound that members can pay an annual fee to use, and all members get a key to the external gates and changing rooms allowing them access to their boat at any time. Launching/sailing from our jetties or shallow concrete slipways is a breeze.

For when you come off the water we have separate male and female changing rooms with showering and tumble-drying facilities.

Best of all we are a not-for-profit club, run by the love of members for the satisfaction of other members, and as such have a fantastic informal atmosphere – sailing here can be as fun or relaxing as you choose!

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History

The Section was established in 1959 and has been active in dinghy sailing throughout.

A new clubhouse was built in 1979 with heated changing rooms and shower facilities which greatly improved the club at that time, including the much needed catering facilities. However, due to a rapid growth in membership, the clubhouse became too small by 1991. Therefore a large extension plus bar was added making it into the large clubhouse we have to this day.

Ongoing development to the outside facilities during this period included a continued programme of landscaping and improvements to the grounds. Jetties, slipways, and a new car parking area were all added to the club, the overall result being an excellent facility for sailing.

Now, as then, we are a dingy sailing club, affiliated to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), with our management and care based on the active participation of all members. The difference is that membership is no longer restricted to airline staff, whether you be an experienced sailor or complete novice, you are more than welcome to join, indeed, as many have.

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