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Bury Lake Young Mariners is an RYA-certified sailing school and training centre for people of aged 7+ that has been in operation since 1983 at Bury Lake at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Hertfordshire, England. The charity has more than 100 boats and each year enables around 7,500 mostly young people to go sailing.
BLYM has no paid staff, and is run entirely by over 300 volunteers. [1]
In 2013, Bury Lake Young Mariners won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. [2] The award is equivalent to the MBE and is the highest award that can be made to a voluntary group. The award was made for "assisting with youth development through accessible and affordable sailing and sail training activities". [3]
The charity was one of five finalists for Club of the Year, awarded by the Royal Yachting Association. [4]
The Original Clubhouse is now being replaced by three new buildings. The Boathouse, the 'Wetzone' and the New Clubhouse/'Dryzone'. The ongoing development started in 2017/8 and as of November 2024, The Boathouse and the Wetzone have been completed whilst the Dryzone is yet to be started.
The new boathouse has replaced the old 'green crate', which was a shipping container that held the club's sailing equipment. This new development has allowed for fleet expansion. The new boathouse also stores BLYM's 9 safety boats.
This building currently sits next to the clubhouse, on the opposite side of the site to the boathouse - running alongside Bury Lake. It holds all age changing rooms, bathrooms and a 'Wetstore', holding all of the BLYM owned sailing clothing - Buoyancy aids, Wetsuits etc.
Bury Lake Young Mariners will soon build the final building in the project, which will be the new clubhouse. It will sit facing the 'Wetzone' and consist of classrooms, a galley and more. This will mean that the old club house will be demolished to make room for more boats to be housed and a larger rigging area.
Currently, the club consists of;
BLYM has a designated fleet of 9 Safety Boats. These are primarily for the safety of sailors and are used to assist and coach people on the water. The fleet consists of:
The current chairman is Mark Colston, replacing David Ridout in the summer of 2024. The first chairman of the club was Dr. Ken Smith, a chemistry teacher at Rickmansworth School
BLYM has an active youth team consisting of around 5 young instructors at any one time to discuss issues of the younger generations and to also ensure that young members of the club and instructors are represented properly.
Team racing, also known as team sailing, is a popular form of dinghy racing and yacht racing. Two teams compete in a race, each sailing two to four boats of the same class. The winning team is decided by combining the results of each team's boats. This differs from an inter-club fleet race where boats from three or more clubs compete, with the results of each club's boats combined to determine its overall position.
The Topper is an 11 foot 43 kg (95 lb) sailing dinghy designed by Ian Proctor. The Topper was a one-design boat until 2023 when a new version was produced, and is sailed mostly around the British Isles. It was recognised as a World Sailing Class. The boat previously constructed from polypropylene, and now roto moulded, is popular as a racing boat or for sail training. The class association (ITCA) organise racing events, which range from small travellers to major championships. The RYA run squads alongside the events; in these squads young sailors who are given specialist race coaching.
The Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Portsmouth handicap scheme is a term used for a number of related systems of empirical handicapping used primarily in small sailboat racing.
Located on an isolated sandy peninsula known as "Sandy Point" or "Black Point" at the entrance to Chichester Harbour, England, the Hayling Island Sailing Club, was founded in 1921. The first clubhouse was originally a fisherman's cottage adjacent to Salterns Quay, and known as Quay Cottage. After a short while, the club moved into the premises now occupied by the Mengham Rythe Sailing Club.
Lough Ree Yacht Club is a sailing club based in Ballglass, Coosan, near Athlone, Ireland. Founded in 1770, albeit under the name Athlone Yacht Club, it claims to be one of the oldest yacht clubs in the world, although another Irish yacht club, The Royal Cork Yacht Club has proven to be the world's first and oldest yacht club. In any event it is probably the oldest club based on an inland lake.
The National Solo class is a racing dinghy designed by Jack Holt in 1956. The Solo is sailed in the United Kingdom, Holland, Portugal and Australia.
The Nepean Sailing Club (NSC) is a sailing club located on Lac Deschênes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The club is based in Dick Bell Park, along Carling Avenue, adjacent to Andrew Haydon Park in the former city of Nepean.
The Coypu is a class of small sailing dinghy. It is a highly stable boat, suitable for beginners, and is normally sailed by two people, although three can be accommodated comfortably.
The Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) is a private yacht club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1852, it is one of the world's older and larger yacht clubs. Its summer home is on a trio of islands in the Toronto Islands. Its winter home since 1984 has been a purpose-built clubhouse located at 141 St. George Street in Toronto, which includes facilities for sports and social activities. In 2014, the club had approximately 4700 members, about 450 yachts and a number of dinghies, principally International 14s.
The RS Feva is a two-person sailing dinghy designed by Paul Handley in 2002. It is manufactured and distributed by RS Sailing. The RS Feva is an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) International Class, a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Supported Junior Class, and has been selected by the Dansk Sejlunion and Norges Seilforbund for major sailing growth projects.
The West Lancashire Yacht Club (WLYC) is a yacht club in Merseyside, England, founded in 1894. In 1999 the club was awarded the status of Volvo/RYA Champion Club, recognising the standard of training and performance of its members in sailing competitions.
A sailing yacht, is a leisure craft that uses sails as its primary means of propulsion. A yacht may be a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, so the term applies here to sailing vessels that have a cabin with amenities that accommodate overnight use. To be termed a "yacht", as opposed to a "boat", such a vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length and have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities. Sailboats that do not accommodate overnight use or are smaller than 30 feet (9.1 m) are not universally called yachts. Sailing yachts in excess of 130 feet (40 m) are generally considered to be superyachts.
The Royal St. George Yacht Club is a yacht club housed in a Victorian clubhouse, located in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. Each season the Club hosts a number of national and international sailing events.
The Chicago Yacht Club is located in Chicago, Illinois. "CYC" is well known as being the Organizing Authority for the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac held each July. CYC also organizes dozens of other sailboat races and regattas throughout the boating season, which is usually considered May 1 to October 31 in the Chicago area. CYC has two club houses or stations, one at Monroe Harbor and one at Belmont Harbor.
The Milwaukee Yacht Club has been in operation on Lake Michigan's coast since 1871. The yacht club's slips are in Milwaukee's McKinley Marina. The Milwaukee Yacht Club is leasing the land from Milwaukee County; the current lease is for 50 years beginning in 2020.
Bewl Valley Sailing Club was a sailing dinghy and windsurfing club that had approximately 920 full members, but entered into insolvency administration in 2015 and closed. Its former premises at Bewl Water are now occupied by the site's current tenant, the Markerstudy Group.
The Britannia Yacht Club (BYC) is a private social club, yacht club, and tennis club based in Britannia, a neighborhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1887 by a group of cottagers.
Rickmansworth Aquadrome is a 41 hectares public park and Local Nature Reserve in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by Three Rivers District Council.
Bosham Sailing Club is the oldest sailing club in Chichester Harbour and was founded in 1907 It is located in the historic village of Bosham in West Sussex. Its clubhouse is the Old Mill on Bosham Quay.
The Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV) is one of Australia's oldest yacht clubs. It is based in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown, not far from where the Yarra River flows into Port Phillip Bay.