Who are we?
Five miles west of Bedale, North Yorkshire, at the entrance to Wensleydale sits our idyllic 35 acre reservoir. It is large enough to give good tactical experience, yet small enough to feel safe for the nervous or newcomer as all areas of the water are visible from the clubhouse. TSSC is Royal Yacht Association Recognised Training Centre offering a wide range of sailing training and activities supported by safety boat services. We also offer R/C yacht racing, Stand-up Paddleboarding, Canoeing, Kayaking, and Windsurfing. We work with local schools, including Aysgarth School, The Wensleydale School, Hunton C of E Primary, Snape Community & Thornton Watlass CE Primary Schools, and youth groups such as the Bedale Scout Group.
Why are we crowdfunding?
While we have a good small dinghy resource for training and rental, our current larger dinghies are outdated, impractical and fragile; they take ages to drain after capsizes. This limits the quality of instruction and overall experience. Replacing them will ensure we can continue providing high quality, structured training for years to come. We currently train 20+ students per year, but demand is increasing. We need two modern self draining training dinghies big enough for an instructor and 2 or 3 pupils. They need to be of durable roto-moulded polyethylene construction, provide a stable platform, and also allow spinnaker training.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We will increase participation from 20+ to 30+ trainees annually and encourage long-term engagement. Additionally, we want to expand our work with local schools, and youth groups to introduce sailing through half-day experiences. Current members want to stretch and grow in skill, we will introduce RYA Spinnaker courses, expanding training beyond the basics.
We will use the money to buy two modern self-draining training dinghies big enough for an instructor and 2 or 3 pupils. Selected by the UK Sea Cadets to replace their aging fleet, the RS Quest has rapidly become the best-selling dinghy of its type worldwide. It meets all our requirements, and we have enough trained dingy instructors, safety boat crew, and shore teams already volunteered to offer this enhance program with the new boats.
Community impact
We are so blessed to be in the heart of the Yorkshire dales. But that also means we are the only sailing club serving this rural community. Great Britain are the most successful Olympics sailing nation, winning 64 medals (31 gold) at Paris 2024. Trainees will have a clear pathway from beginner training to participation in club activities and racing. The RS Quests perform similarly to racing boats, meaning students can transition smoothly into competitive events.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us, because momentum is key to our success! The first 25 donors will become QUEST LAUNCHERS, and have their names immortalised in our clubhouse!*
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
*Quest Launchers can opt for anonymity of they don't wish their names to be revealed.