Thinking of Joining

We welcome new members whether you can sail or not. We have club boats for you to use and will help you pick up the basics and get out on the water, come along and have a chat. Dinghy sailing is not difficult to master, at least at a basic level.

If you want to sail by yourself there are many single handed dinghies around, one of the most popular at Abbey is the Laser, which is simple to sail and fairly cheap to buy second-hand, a good example can be had for just a few hundred pounds and often there are boats for sale at the club. If you’re looking for a more family orientated dinghy then there are lots of two handed dinghy classes, some which can comfortably accommodate four adults. At Abbey both the Enterprise and Wayfarer are popular and both sail well on the river. The Enterprise is smaller and lighter to handle and can be sailed with a crew, or even single handed. The Wayfarer is larger, but is straight forward to handle and goes well on the river. There are many other dinghy classes available and lots of other types of boats at the Club, it’s all a matter of what you want to do and what you prefer.

Sailing on the river is both pleasant and safe, with no tide to worry about, a gentle stream and the safety of the bank not far away, it is a good place to learn, that said, the winds can be tricky and a good deal of skill is needed to sail fast and well. Basic boat handling can be picked up with just a few hours on the water and someone is always around to help you rig the boat and handle it in the dinghy park. Once you feel confident you’re welcome to use the club boats, provided you have taken out either a temporary or annual membership. We have a range of boats for members to use, both single-hander and larger boats that can be sailed with a crew.

On Sundays we normally hold two handicap races the first starting at 11:00 and the second race straight afterwards which should leave time free to hone your sailing skills. It’s all for fun and to help develop sailing skills, so it’s not taken 'too' seriously. We also have an occasional inter-club match with other local clubs, either on the river at Abingdon or at their home water, again it’s all fun and not too serious, we like to enjoy our sailing. Why not pop along and have a chat about sailing at Abbey Sailing Club.