Otley Sailing Club
Loads of work to be done throughout the year.
The current list of jobs is here:-
Spring Dinghy Racing Series.
✅ Club boats available to hire (msg WhatsApp group to confirm) ✅ Powerboats on the water (msg WhatsApp group to confirm)
Series Dates: Sundays in June & July We race every Sunday afternoon when conditions are favourable and the spirit is willing.
Start time: 2pm, (but this is subject to variability if other events are taking place.) So people start to turn up at about 1:00.
How long do we race? Typically we'll either do a 45 minute-ish race or two shorter ones.
Is it serious racing? Definately not! We're just a bunch of friends who enjoy chasing each other around the cans in our boats. Sure we more or less follow the official racing rules but honestly everyone is very welcome to come and join in - whatever your age, or sailing experience. The more boats we can get out the more fun it is for everyone. We're all more than happy to point newcomers in the right direction.
Afterwards: coffee & biscuits in the club house while we warm up and debate who actually went the right way around the course.
Not Racing? No problem. You're very welcome to continue using the lake. Do have a look at the race board on the Training Room wall to get an idea of our course though, so you dont get tangled up in things. If you want to borrow a club boat or take advantage of the Safety Boat being on the water just put a message us on the WhatsApp group so we can make sure there's someone about to help.
WhatsApp Racing Group: please join the Racing WhatsApp Group to stay in the loop or email sailing@otley-sailingclub.co.uk
✅ Club boats available to hire ✅ Powerboats on the water ✅ Galley serving lunch & Barbecue available (bring your own food)
Something for everyone on our Club Family Days
This Dinghy Sailing course is designed to follow the RYA "Start Sailing" and "Basic Skills" (Levels 1 & 2) Adult syllabus.
On successful completion of this course you will be able to sail a dinghy in any direction and rig and launch in moderate weather conditions. The RYA Level 2 certificate is an Internationally recognised sailing qualification and an indication that the holder has a basic level of understanding and practical competency.
The syllabus covers practical sessions such as rigging, launching and recovery, sailing techniques and manoeuvres, ropework and capsize recovery. Background theory includes subjects such as "rules of the road", basic meteorology, clothing and equipment and emergency equipment.
Tuition is given by trained and qualified RYA dinghy instructors with an emphasis on safety and fun! There will be Safety Powerboats on the water at all times to ensure your safety afloat.
The course will be run over 2 Thursday evenings and 2 weekends to give you maximum time to fulfil the requirements of the syllabus.
None of the sessions are optional. It is really important that you attend ALL of the practical and theory sessions otherwise you are likely to fail the course.
Dates
Thursday Theory evenings 7pm - 9pm
10th & 17th July 2025
Practical weekends 9am - 4pm
12/13 & 19/20 July 2025
Please note that the minimum age for the RYA Adult courses is 16 (there is no maximum age!).
Otley Sailing Club prides itself in truly offering "Sailing for All" and as such, we welcome disabled sailors on our sail training courses. We have trained and experienced volunteers who are used to dealing with disabilities of all kinds so virtually anyone can enjoy the thrill of sailing!
If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel, please give us as much notice as you can. If you cancel more than 4 weeks before the start of the course we will refund your course fee. If you cancel within 4 weeks of the start of the course, a refund will only be given if we are able to fill your place.
Cancellation by Otley Sailing Club:
1, Every attempt will be made to ensure the course takes place. However, Otley Sailing Club reserves the right to cancel a course at any time if it believes on reasonable grounds that cancellation is necessary due to unsuitable conditions. 2, Otley Sailing Club reserves the right to cancel a course at any time if the number of Trainees fails to reach a workable minimum, such numbers to be determined by Otley Sailing Club. 3, In all other cases, weekend courses may be cancelled up to 3 weeks prior to the start date. Longer courses may be cancelled up to 4 weeks prior to the starting date. 4, If a course has to be cancelled, Otley Sailing Club will offer Trainees the following options: 4.1, a full refund of the course fee paid 4.2, an alternative course on the same date or a different set of dates The Otley Sailing Club liability does not extend beyond points 1-4 above.
Safety
In addition to enjoyment and learning new skills, safety is of paramount importance on all Otley Sailing Club courses. Clearly, water sports and adventure activities are hazardous by their nature and participants must accept that there are risks and the inevitable bumps and scraps which happen during the thrills and spills of fast moving activities. To manage the risks so far as we are able, Otley Sailing Club has a 'safe system of work': - we only use qualified experienced staff - we provide a range of safety equipment for participants' comfort and safety. - we provide safe equipment for your course. - we teach to RYA recommendations and guidelines, in small groups. - we have robust management and safety systems which have been inspected by approved bodies such as the RYA
- we reserve the right to modify or cancel an activity if we feel that there are unmanageable risks.
Insurance
Our boats and instructors carry public liability insurance, however sailing is a challenging adventure sport and we do not offer cover for any courses in respect of cancellation, curtailment of your course or self-caused accident to yourselves or others, if you are worried about this we recommend that you take out personal insurance.
✅ Club boats available to hire ✅ Powerboats on the water ✅ Cake & Drinks afterwards
Please register by the Friday evening so we know how many people to expect.
These sessions run every 2 weeks (flexing a bit around school holidays). They are a chance for the kids to get together, have fun, and enjoy the club in a relaxed, social way. These are fun sessions to give your kids unstructured time on the water, plus a weekly activity (fun races / water gun battles / sailing challenges) .
Safety: A powerboat will be on the water to provide safety cover and on-the-water support, but these sessions are not structured coaching like our Thursday sessions. Parents must stay on-site (or appoint someone else as loco-parentis) and remain responsible for their children. You are welcome to join in on the water, relax in the clubhouse, cut the grass, or help crew the safety boat.
Club hire boats: We’ll have Picos & Toppers available to hire if you don’t have your own boat.
Food: Cake & squash will be available in the clubhouse afterwards, the tuck shop is open, and of course you’re very welcome to use the Barbeque for your own cook-up.
Please register to let us know in advance if you plan to come along.
We're very excited to be working once again in conjunction with Everyday Lifestyle to offer Stand Up Paddleboard sessions. The sessions will be run by accomplished ASI instructors with many years experience in stand up paddling.
The lessons are 2 hours long, for a maximum of 6 paddlers (per course) and are suitable for adults (over 16 years) of all abilities. For those not familiar with the lake at Otley, it's an enclosed flat water location that provides a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere full of natural beauty and wildlife.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the lesson starting.
What equipment do you provide & what do I need to bring?
You'll need to bring a swimsuit to go under the wetsuit, towel and footwear, either water shoes or old trainers.
All equipment will be provided - Wetsuits, buoyancy aids, paddles and a range of paddle boards with leash. We have a range of boards O'Shea, Starboard, Red Paddle and STX.
Is the Intermediate course the right course for me?
If you can both stand up and steer reasonably well then the intermediate course would be good for you. Rather than focusing on the basics, the intermediate course teaches you how to paddle more effectively so you can go faster or further with less effort and also how to do better turns. On the other hand, if you are not yet confident standing and steering then the beginners course would be best for you.
For links to all of our upcoming SUP beginners sessions, SUP intermediate sessions and SUP Yoga sessions please visit: Stand Up Paddleboard Training
Enjoy a weekend of Camping, Sailing and Socialising with OSC as guests of Ullswater Yacht Club.
Sign up and pay on the UYC website.
https://ullswateryachtclub.org/event/otley-sailing-club-3
I'm told the cost this year is £70
You can also register for the following weekend!!!!
Also register your interest on this event, so we can keep in touch. WE usually set up a WhatsApp group nearer the event, so we can work out the details.
Enjoy a week of camping, sailing and socialising with OSC as a guest of Ullswater Yacht Club
Book and pay for your ticket on the UYC web site
I'm told this years event is £250 per family for the week.
Also register your intention to attend on this Event so we know who's coming and can keep in touch. We usually form a a WhatsApp Group and work out the details of our adventure on that.
The course will be run over 2 Thursday evenings and 2 weekends to give you maximum time to fulfil the requirements of the syllabus. It is really important that you can attend ALL of the practical and theory sessions as it is not guaranteed we can help you catch up with things missed.
28th August & 4th September 2025
30/31 August & 6/7 September 2025
We're very excited to be working once again in conjunction with Everyday Lifestyle to offer SUP Yoga Sessions at Otley! The sessions will be run by accomplished ASI instructors with many years experience in stand up paddling and Yoga.
The lessons are 1 hour long, for a maximum of 6 paddlers. They are suitable for adults (over 16 years) who have completed a previous beginners class, or who are experienced paddleboarders, and for Yoga enthusiasts (for whom paddleboarding experience is not essential).
For those not familiar with the lake at Otley, it's an enclosed flat water location that provides a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere full of natural beauty and wildlife.
Also today, for those new to paddleboarding, we have morning and afternoon Beginners Stand Up Paddleboard Training Sessions.
The busiest sailing day on the calendar this year. More details to follow.
Our club Access boats are available to hire by visitors & members.
Notice of Race for the Northern Sailability Series is here: NOR Sailability Traveller Series 2025.pdf
The OSC Bonfire night
There will be the usual fantastic fireworks, bonfire, bar and locally sourced award winning pies, pasties and sausages.
Please note that this event is only open to our Members and Members guests, please feel free to invite your family and friends.
Tickets are £?? per person, under 5s are free, if you're booking for more than one person, you'll need to add them as guest(s), when you register.
Food Available to pre-order
Working parties are taking place on Saturdays in the run up to Bonfire night. We'll be tidying up the shore line and building the bonfire, please come down and help out. The more help we get, the bigger the bonfire!
Registered Charity Number : 1160253
