Over the years, and thanks to the tireless efforts of club members past and present, the club house, boat park and foreshore have become a convenient and comfortable base for messing about on boats.
The club house
The club house has everything you need and nothing you don't. Once a temporary school classroom, it has been improved, adapted and extended over the years to include an open plan club room with fully equipped kitchen, and male and female changing rooms with hot showers and flushing loos. Folding/sliding patio doors lead on to a raised terrace, the perfect place for a picnic or barbecue, or to watch the sunset.
The club house is entirely off-grid. Rain water is collected from the roof, collected in a large underground storage tank, and then purified using an ingenious ultra-violet system devised by one of our members. Waste water drains to a recently replaced septic tank buried deep in the sand. For most of the time the 12V electricity supply is ample for lighting, phone charging, and powering the club house electrical systems. When required, a quiet and efficient generator provides a 240V supply at the touch of a button.
The boat park
The club house overlooks the secure boat park which is sheltered from the prevailing wind by sand dunes and a large bank of tamarisk bushes. Boats over-winter remarkably well here. The grassy, level terraces are kind to hulls and perfect for pitching a tent or parking a camper-van for an overnight stay. It's a peaceful sun-trap, making boat maintenance to the sound of skylarks a pleasure, not a chore.
The safety boat
Thanks to a generous donation from a much missed club member, the club is the proud owner of a custom built 5.4m XS RIB with 60HP Mercury outboard. The safety boat has the reliability, stability and speed required for our farthest race marks and the fastest of club and visiting sailors.
Club tractor
Our trusty Kubota 4WD diesel tractor does double duty both in launching the safety boat and in clearing the shingle bank after storms.
Slipway and beach
A concrete path, wide enough for boat trailers and vehicles extends from the parking area to the top of the shingle bank. The path has been lengthened several times over the years where the sea has steadily built up the shingle on this side of the island. Hinged thick rubber mats provide a smooth retractable slipway down the shingle bank to the smooth sandy beach which is exposed at all but high tide. A manual pulley system helps pull boats back up the slipway to the concrete path.
Access track and parking area
The club is responsible for maintaining the quarter-mile access track from the gate at the end of the Ferry Road public car park to the club. Resourceful club members have in the past turned up with tipper trucks and rolled up their sleeves to ensure the track is able to withstand the ravages of winter storms in order to provide easy all-weather access to the club.
The ample parking area around the club is mostly well compacted shingle and sand. The splendid views of the harbour channel and of the Isle of Wight across the Solent make this an ideal place to park a camper van or motorhome for the day.
