Boom in watersports at Birmingham Sailing Club

A sailing club in the heart of Birmingham is heading into the new season with a bumper membership following a pandemic boom in watersports.

Rhys Beardmore | Monday 9th May 2022 1:13pm

More people have been choosing to spend their spare time afloat after lockdowns and staycations saw families and friends looking for new ways to enjoy the outdoors at home rather than away.

Midland Sailing Club at Edgbaston Reservoir has gained nearly 70 new members over the last year, with children and young people keen to learn new skills and get on the water, and windsurfers of all ages either wanting to try the sport or return to it.

Phil Reeves, Sailing Manager at Midland SC, said: "We ran a couple of open days and people were saying 'this is brilliant!' We've had a lot of younger members join us and we also grew our adult windsurfing section. Our location means that a lot of people don't have to drive so we're really accessible and have no shortage of people coming down to enjoy this oasis in the city. We were getting four or five enquiries a week before the new season had even started!"

Bookings for 2022 activities at the club are now open with a packed programme seven days a week, including sailing and racing, windsurfing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, a Women on Water group, Sunday Sailability sessions for those with disabilities and a range of taster sessions.

The club has recently upgraded its facilities and invested money in equipment, which includes intermediate windsurfing kit, three accessible boats for disabled sailors and an 18ft paddleboard, which can also be used for tandem windsurfing to support children or wheelchair-users.

Other developments have seen an additional floating pontoon installed and a new disabled toilet, plus two extra changing rooms, bringing the total to four to provide flexible changing options for different groups at the club, including visiting schools. 

Almost two years on from the first national lockdown, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is reporting the number of sailing club members in England is back up to pre-pandemic levels, with over 255,000 people in England currently members of their local sailing clubs and 34,000 joining in 2021 alone. Clubs in the RYA Midlands region gained 3,299 new members compared with 1,409 joiners in 2020 and 1,794 in 2019.

Rob Clark, RYA Director of Sport Development or RDO: "We know that spending time outside and on the water during the pandemic has been a source of solace for many. Sailing clubs are an affordable place to spend time with your family doing an activity that everyone can participate in.

"Results from our annual Club Membership Census are showing more family and junior memberships which is fantastic and we know that many venues are now offering even more activities for their members whether that's SUPing, kayaking, swimming or windsurfing."

Midland SC is an RYA Recognised Training Centre with courses for all ages, including sailing, windsurfing and powerboating. It also part of the RYA OnBoard programme, providing a safe and fun environment for children and young people to enjoy sailing and windsurfing. To find out about the club and its activities visit www.midlandsailing.club
 

Image credit: Yi Zhang

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