Thames Sailing Club
About TSC
About TSC
Thames Sailing Club was founded in 1870, making it Britain's oldest river sailing club. We still use our original clubhouse, and race the historic Thames A Raters, the most exciting boats on the river. We offer excellent river sailing afloat, combined with a friendly, traditional setting ashore that is second to none - all within easy reach of London.
THE BOATS: Our biggest class is the amazing Thames 'A' Rater which is the unchallenged 'Queen of the River'. They were designed in Victorian times specifically to make the most of the light river breezes, and are still the fastest boats on the Thames.
Built in wood or glass fibre the raters are mostly operated by syndicates. New members will find no difficulty getting a crewing slot on these three-person boats, and if you get the bug (as most do!) it's relatively inexpensive to join a syndicate for a full share of the action.
Other classes sail in an active handicap fleet. The main types are single-handed Toppers, Solos and Lasers, and two-crew Merlins, Fireflies and Albacores - but all classes are welcome.
THE SAILING: Normal club racing is from Easter until November on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings. There are also several special cup events, usually for historic and valuable trophies, which are much prized. 
In addition, regattas are held by nearby clubs throughout the season, and many members regularly take their boats up or down river for these enjoyable events. Members are also free to sail anytime they want and there's a lot to be said for a quiet sail on a sunny afternoon or a long summer's evening.
1.The Members: Our membership covers all walks of life, spanning all ages, and experience levels, ranging from beginners to international and Olympic champions. The common feature is an enthusiasm for sailing, and our club with its long history .
2.Training: Anyone and everyone can learn to sail, young or old, it is not expensive and you do not need to own your own boat, or any specialist kit to get started. Training at Thames is small scale, vibrant and fun with old and new members helping out. Why not join and get your name down for one of our courses?
Page last updated: 12/01/2008 18:38:04
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