SHYC CLUB BOAT - ACCESSIBLE SAILING FOR ALL

Let me introduce you to:

Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, Eastbourne is a friendly and very experienced sailing club with an annual programme of race events. We would like to attract local people for whom the coast is part of their daily life, but who can't afford their own boat or don't have access to one.

Boat ownership and yachting is outside of the financial means of many people; especially those from disadvantaged communities.

Eastbourne and surrounding areas have four areas of worst deprivation in the UK.

To get on the water on a taster course or formal training starts at around £250 but can go much higher. 

People want to ‘try it out’ before committing.

Many people live in the coastal towns and would love to experience sailing if they had the opportunity and access to a boat and supervision.

Now they  have the chance to try sailing on a club boat just to get out on the water, or to participate in cruises or races. Sailing can be seen as an expensive sport that is off-limits to many people - we want to make it accessible for young and older adults, to take part and join the crew as often as they like. We are the only organisation on the south-east coast that has the resources and expert help/support from our yachting community to be able to offer 'sailing experience' in this way.

Our promise: an open hatch to sailing for people who don't feel 'included' in this sport.

•To give Sport England priority groups, young adults aged 20+ and young at heart adults aged 70+  and everyone in between access to a club boat for supervised cruising and racing. At a meeting last November, we received enthusiastic support from people of all ages that they welcome this project and will participate in Club Boat activities.

•To encourage disadvantaged communities in Eastbourne, St. Anthony’s, Rother and nearby towns that they too can enjoy sailing and be part of the sailing community.

Alongside the racers we also have cruisers, both join together for trips locally and further afield. Those that have taken part in using the club boat may find progression on either a race or cruising boat. We are part of the sailing fraternity on the south east coast, e.g. Brighton, Pevensey Bay sailing clubs.

We  follow good sailiing practice as set out by The Royal Yacht Association (RYA)

SHYC is committed to encouraging both young or older people to join in. We are also keen to support a ladies sailing crew.

We are proud of our links with local and more distant dinghy clubs and yacht clubs which could provide further progression.

A donation of £100 is redeemable against a year's access to sailing on the club boat and invitiation to a welcome event for all new sailors. 

Where will our users come from?

We expect 50+ existing SHYC social members who do not own a boat or have access to one to participate in the Club Boat project, either for occasional one off cruises along the coast or more regular 'experience sails' to hone their skills, or take part in the racing programme. We are confident that we will also reach out to a similar number of local people who cannot afford normal sailing prices or under-represented in the sport. The dark areas below are part of the UK bottom 10% of economic wellbeing.  We  want the Club Boat Project to be inclusive for everyone living locally and we will reach out to people from all areas.

Over the years, there has been a noticeable drop in the popularity of sailing as a sport. Fewer people are participating in this once-thriving activity, causing concern for its future. One reason for the decline is the lack of accessibility to sailing facilities and equipment. We are a community of experienced sailors who can bring the best in everyone in this sport from those who just want to enjoy and those who want to compete in sailing. 

Our proposal for a successful club boat service:

The Club Boat Committee will be solely responsible for all aspects of the running of this service including;  booking administration, regular  boat checks and  maintenance, regular  safety inspections and compliance, looking after new sailors through regular meetings, social events, specific sailing tuition. The  focus  will be on supporting new sailors with supervised learning but  also in enjoyable sailing experience and being part of something special here in Eastbourne.

Why are we crowdfunding?

This is a new idea that needs new money, as the Yacht Club is only able to fund the facilties and racing events for existing (many non-sailing social) members.  The idea of a club yacht that is available to people who want to experience sailing, or even pootling about in the harbour is a no-brainer. The project is open to all adults, those with experience and those with absolutely none who want to try sailing.  The Club Boat is run by its own committee who will commit time and effort to ensuring that this project succeeds and brings lots of fun and enjoyment to many local people.  - we want all hands on deck. We are also seeking matching funds from Sports  England as part of this crowdfunding appeal.

How will we spend the money raised:

The crowdfunding money will be spent on the fixed costs of purchase of a 27-30' yacht and necessary onboard equipment and the running costs of maintenance, annual mooring fee, insurance.  We have reduced the running costs through the kind support of people with maintenance skills and help from the SHYC.                                                                         

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!

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!