Learn to sail at Weir Quay
Welcome to the wonderful and adventurous world of dinghy sailing at Weir Quay Sailing Club. We have a number of aims and the paramount aim is to have fun, but to have fun safely. Whilst having fun we learn how to sail or develop the sailing skills we may already have.
We have a fleet of dinghies that will satisfy any individual’s desire to get wet or to remain dry. Dinghy sailing is one sport where the entire family can participate – come and try it, you may be surprised!
The River Tamar is an incredible place to begin your sailing adventure. The rivers Tavy and Lynher are close by and offer some interesting day or weekend sailing and as your confidence grows, the sheltered waters of Plymouth Sound beckon and maybe a weekend trip to the glorious River Yealm and its twin villages of Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo.
From the first week of April, we run sail training sessions on Friday evenings for all ages that continue every week throughout the summer until the end of September. Start time is 17:45 and sessions may finish when either it is too cold or too dark. Early in the year we are usually off the water at around 20:00 but will stay out later during light, warm evenings.
No previous sailing experience is necessary, just a sense of humour!
To run the dinghy events, the club has a number of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) qualified Senior Instructors, Dinghy Instructors and Club trained Assistant instructors. The Club owns and operates 32 dinghies that are used for instruction that can also be used when attending club events and at other times can be hired from the club on a daily basis for a modest fee.
Usually, those younger than 10 tend to get cold more quickly than older youths but if their spirit and body are willing, those below the age of 10 are welcome. A briefing note on what clothing to wear can be found below.
To cover costs of petrol and boat maintenance, there is a Friday night sail training fee of £30 for the first attendee, £15 for each subsequent family member.
Dinghy Events
Although Friday evening sailing is the core dinghy activity at Weir Quay, other programmed events include dinghy racing, overnight camping, downriver and up river cruises and fun events with the junior members of other sailing clubs in the area. Our dinghy sailors also have the opportunity to crew in yachts owned by other club members as this report of our recent Cadets Cruise to Fowey illustrates.
The full programme of club events can be found on here.
Recommended Reading
The RYA website has a range of useful books and DVDs. For beginners there is RYA Start Sailing – Beginners Handbook. £7.49. For improvers there is RYA Dinghy Techniques £15.49.
A report of the 2019 Dinghy Sailors Cruise to Fowey
A report of the April 2019 Dinghy Sailors Expedition on the Brixham Trawler, Leader