Strangford Sailing Club, Strangford, Co. Down, N. Ireland. Tel: (028) 4488 1404

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Strangford Lough Yacht Club is situated in Whiterock Bay in Killinchy, between Comber and Killyleagh. It is in an area of outstanding beauty and on the finest sailing waters in Ireland.

SLYC hosts a variety of dinghies and keelboats which race competitvely during the sailing season. These include Rivers, Glens, Clippers, Flying Fifteens, Sonatas, Cruisers and a large dinghy fleet.

Strangford Lough Yacht Club boasts a large number of facilities for our members and visitors.

The club house has a bar and restaurant facilities, along with many other facilities for the boat owners. Situated in Whiterock, the Club commands unbeatable views across Strangford Lough. The Club provides a very active social, educational and sailing programme that maximises the facilities of the club.

Strangford Lough Yacht Club, Whiterock, Killinchy BT23 6PY, N. Ireland. Tel: 02897 541883, fax: 02897 541883, email: [email protected]

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Royal Ulster Yacht Club is located in Bangor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland on the south shore of Belfast Lough.

The Club was established in 1866 as the Ulster Yacht Club, on the impetus of Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava. In 1869 it received a Royal warrant. The land for the clubhouse was purchased in 1897 and built by architect Vincent Craig (brother of James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon).

The 'boating grocer', Sir Thomas Lipton, being blackballed from the Royal Yacht Squadron, launched his America's Cup bid from the RUYC in 1898. Lipton continued to sail from the Royal Ulster until 1929; his legacy being the Lipton Room.

Today the Club's patron is Her Majesty The Queen (a position Her Majesty has held since 1953) and the Commodore is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

RUYC was visited by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in 1961, with Prince Philip competing in the Regatta. Prince Philip returned to the Club in 2006.

The club is one of the clubs on the lough that form part of the Belfast Lough Yachting Conference.

(Details courtesy of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club) 

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The Quoile Yacht Club was founded in Downpatrick at the Quoile Quay, on the then tidal Quoile River, in 1958. When, in 1962, the Ministry of Agriculture built a barrier at Castle Island, to alleviate the regular damaging flooding to which Downpatrick was subjected in times of high tide and heavy rain, they agreed to relocate the club to the seaward side of the barrier. The site was excavated and levelled, and a slipway provided. Thus the Club was reborn on its present site, with sheltered deepwater moorings, space for caravans, clubhouse and parking. After 40 years of investment and improvement the Quoile can boast the best facilities on Strangford Lough.

Quoile Yacht Club, 21 Castle Island Road, Downpatrick, Co. Down BT30 7LD, N. Ireland. Tel: 028 4461 2266, Club Secretary email: [email protected]

(Details courtesy of Quoile Yacht Club) 

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Founded in 1894 by a group of boating enthusiasts, the Portrush Yacht Club has grown to be one of the biggest and most successful clubs of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Organised by a dedicated committee of members, the activities of the club are carefully planned to take into account the interests of all its members. For the family, for the beginner, for the experienced or for those who just wish to relax in a convivial club atmosphere, the Portrush Yacht  club offers its members the choice. those who just wish to relax in a convivial club atmosphere, the Portrush Yacht club offers its members the choice.

 
History

The association of Portrush with sailing the sea has a long history. lt certainly goes back to the Viking era, as the name of the line of islets to the northeast of the town – the Skerries – eloquently testifies. But it wasn't until Portrush began to develop its modern character as a holiday town that boating and sailing for fun became part of the summer scene.

This 'new' phase began in the Victorian era, when sailing and rowing races for locals and visitors alike brought new vitality to the harbour era. Portrush Sailing Club reckoned to date from the regattas of the 1860s and 1870s, and by the early years of the 20th Century the club was thriving.

Its character developed further during the 1930s when boats of the Jewel class were brought in from Belfast Lough to provide One Design racing. As well, there was a handicap class, of which the most famous member was the sloop Kitty of Coleraine. Not only was she a successful racer, but as well while sailing one evening she inspired songwriter Jimmy Kennedy to sit down in the Carrig-na-Cule hotel in nearby Portstewart and write Red Sails in the Sunset - that such a famous song was inspired by a little yacht which was in turn named after a famous local song made it all doubly historic, and Kitty of Coleraine is now preserved in the Transport Museum in Belfast.

Meanwhile back in Coleraine after World War II the activities of Portrush Sailing Club reflected the new interest in dinghies, and this reached a most unusual peak after the Flying Dutchman had been selected to be the Olympic dinghy – some members of PSC built themselves three Flying Dutchmen, and for some years these exotic craft were a feature of the north coast, blithely sailing over to Lough Foyle for the Donegal regattas at The Club, by now re-named Portrush Yacht Club, was also into other classes such as Fireballs, Scorpions and GP 14s, but by the beginning of the 1970s decline had set in. Partially this was caused by the growth of facilities at nearby Coleraine. But as well the life of any harbour goes through cyclical phases, and for various reasons the 1970s were a quiet phase for recreational boating in Portrush.

This meant that by 1979 the club was barely in existence, with only six registered members, Yet, only six years later it had undergone a phenomenal revival, with nearly four hundred members and a splendid new clubhouse strategically located right, beside the harbour.

The man who got it all moving again was diving enthusiast Alan Wilson. Until around 1968 he'd run a sub aqua club in Belfast, but shell he moved to Portrush and found, as have so many others, that the north coast is a diver's paradise. The development of this was enough to take up most of his spare time energies throughout the 1970s   but by 1979 he got to thinking about the development of Portrush harbour in its totality for all aspects of waterborne sport, and he reckoned that the first move would be to revive Portrush Yacht Club as a headquarter for all the boat users of the harbour.

So one summer evening he simply went around the harbour area collecting a fiver from everyone he knew who might be interested, and one of those was Arthur Loughrey, who hailed from Coleraine but had settled in Portrush and was interested in a general way in all aspects of boating. In Arthur, Alan found a  kindred spirit, and the two of them made a formidable team. No obstacle was too great to be overcome in the revival of Portrush as a major boating centre, and heaven help anyone who got in the way.

Soon the show was on the road with a Portakabin acquired at a Very knockdown price to serve as a clubhouse. This was all very well, but Alan states bluntly that until they'd managed to get a bar licence, things weren't really moving. Once the bar was in, however, they made hay, thought it wasn't without some nerve-racking moments - one midwinter night, they scheduled a vast fund-raising gala dance, But it snowed and snowed and snowed - very unusual for Portrush. The loss could have been enormous, but all involved agreed to try again a week later, and it was one of the most successful happenings ever seen in the town.

Things then began to move their way. The harbour was given a major face-lift, and with restoration and dredging, the mooring situation improved out of all recognition to give berthing for 130 boats of all sixes.

The boats began to come, and soon the rapidly expanding PYC team began to think of a larger permanent home, They had their eye on a roomy old warehouse on the quayside. Once they'd their eye on something, thanks to the help of Coleraine Borough Council it was only a question of time before they had it, and in April 1985 Portrush Yacht Club moved into a superb building, the total renovation of the premises having been designed by architect Noel Campbell (a former Commodore of Coleraine Yacht Club), incidentally), the work having been carried out by contractors Tom Dallat.

Recounted like that, it all seems a straightfoward business happening remarkably quickly. There is of course even more to it than meets the eye. Portrush Yacht Club in 1985 is a remarkable tribute to enthusiasm, sheer hard work, and delight in boats of all sort - one of the reasons it could grow so healthily was that an active programme afloat was always as central to the club's expansion.

So when at the AGM on Friday October 25th 1985 outgoing Commodore Noel Black handed over to incoming Commodore Barry Thompson, he knew he was giving over the top post in a thriving organisation whose diversity of activity is reflected in its various active sections.

Portrush Yacht Club, 7 Harbour Road, Portrush, Co. Antrim BT56 8DF, N. Ireland. Tel: 028 70 823932 

(Details courtesy of Portrush Yacht Club) 

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Newtownards Sailing Club was founded in 1964, following a public meeting in the Town Hall, chaired by Stanley Woods, JP and ex-Mayor of Newtownards, who became the first Vice Commodore, with Lady Mairi Bury as Commodore.

The late Angus Jardine, and Dr David Park who is still a member today, were Rear Commodore and Hon Secretary respectively. Life membership in those days cost a mere £50 – a really good investment!

A site for the clubhouse was leased on the east coast of Strangford Lough about four miles south of Newtownards, and the Mount Stewart Estate, which owned the foreshore, agreed to the lease of a slipway. The original clubhouse, which was in use until 2001, consisted of two post-war prefab asbestos clad bungalows with a central entrance hall between them. The prefabs were bought second-hand in Donaghadee and erected at the Club site entirely by volunteer labour of the members.

A slipway was laid and the clubhouse officially opened on 15th August 1964. The club started with a collection of dinghies racing on handicap, mainly Scorpions, Enterprises, Mirrors and Cadets. Regattas in those days were well attended, with on one occasion nearly 200 entrants – River class, Glen class, Flying 15s, Lightnings, Dragons as well as the dinghies.

Over the years the mix of dinghies and cruisers has varied; today the club has one of the largest and most active GP14 fleets in Ireland, lots of windsurfers, and a dozen or so cruisers.

In 2001 the changing room facilities were modernised with the aid of a helpful grant from the Ards BC. In 2006 the prefab function room was demolished and a fine new two-storey function room and bar with kitchen and and office was built, again with the assistance of a useful grant from the Ards BC. This was officially opened by the Mayor of Ards, Cllr Angus Carson and attended by many invited guests on 7th October 2006.

The eagle, an interpretation of which appears on the club burgee, is that of the de Courcys who invaded Ulster in the twelfth century. John de Courcy built the castle round which Newtownards developed. The eagle appears within the crest of the town of Newtownards.

Newtownards Sailing Club, 161 Portaferry Road, Newtownards, Co. Down BT22 2AJ, N. Ireland

(Details courtesy of Newtownards Sailing Club) 

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Newcastle Yacht Club, South Promenade, Newcastle, Co. Down BT33 0EY, N. Ireland. Tel: +44 (0)28 4372 6515

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The Club premises were formally leased ot the Club in 1954 by the Allen family, together with the rights to all relevant sailing activities in Kircubbin Bay. 

Kircubbin Sailing Club, Ards Peninsula, Strangford Lough, Co. Down, N. Ireland. Email: [email protected], tel: Clubhouse 028 427 38422, Secretary 028 427 98050, post: The Secretary, Kircubbin Sailing Club, 106 Shore Road, Kircubbin, Co. Down BT22 2RP, N. Ireland

(Details courtesy of Kircubbin Sailing Club) 

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Holywood Yacht Club is a Recognised Teaching Centre (RTC). As such it is permitted to run RYA Courses using qualified RYA Instructors and standards are maintained by regular inspections.
Qualifications gained on RYA courses are widely recognised.

The Club welcomes new members of all ages and is well known for being family-friendly and down-to-earth. Throughout the year members organise an entertainments programme which centres around the club-house bar and hall with their fabulous views over Belfast Lough. Events have included barbecues, lectures, live music and quiz nights. Everyone is welcome.

For further information email: [email protected]

Holywood Yacht Club, The Esplanade, Holywood, Co. Down. Email: [email protected]

(Details courtesy of Holywood Yacht Club) 

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Left: Sunday Juniors at Greystones SC, 2009

Founded in 1968, Greystones Sailing Club has established a reputation as one of the top dinghy sailing clubs in Ireland. Its sailors have competed successfully in many open events over the years, both nationally and internationally. With over 300 members sailing a variety of dinghy classes, Greystones Sailing Club offers exciting and enjoyable dinghy racing for all ages and abilities and looks forward to welcoming keel boat members when the harbour facilities in Greystones are upgraded.

The club has an active training and sailing program providing sailing instruction for about 100 local children and 30 adults every year with on going class specific training for other members. Powerboat, VHF, First-Aid and Sailing Instructor courses are also run on an ad-hoc basis and are open to non-members. GSC also offers St David's Secondary School transition year students introductory Sailing courses.

Greystones Sailing Club has played host to a number of prestigious sailing events at International, National and Regional levels. It has organised and run Championship events for the Mirror, Enterprise, GP14 and Wayfarer classes. Greystones has been at the forefront of modern dinghy racing, introducing the RS dinghy classes into Ireland and for three of the last five years, hosting one leg of the internationally renowned RS Eurocup circuit.

(The above information and image courtesy of Greystones Sailing Club) 

Greystones Sailing Club, Club Secretary, North Beach, Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Email: [email protected] 

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