"The young learn best from the young," says Chief Instructor, Richard McCulloch as six teenage sailors gained their qualification to be Assistant Instructors in dinghy sailing at Llangorse Sailing Club. "They are now an essential part of our RYA Recognised Training Centre (RTC) team, which delivers dinghy sailing courses meeting the highest RYA standards."

New Llangorse member – and newcomer to sailing, Rachel Duncan reports on her week of dinghy sailing in the warm sunny waters of Minorca, at the resort devoted to sailing.

For those wanting sailing all day – every day, then Minorca Sailing is the place to go. It is based in a large, enclosed bay only half an hour’s drive from the airport. Well fitted-out with a range of boats available to swap-in-and-out-of - just as you choose. 

"As autumn approaches, members should ensure their boats berthed on-site are flood-ready," says Beachmaster and Vice Commodore, Robert Dangerfield. "In October last year, we experienced two storms which flooded the lake causing some damage. Some boats were difficult to recover because they hadn't been tied-down, transom-bungs tightly in, and sails were left inside the boat."

Robert continues: "I'm calling on all members to flood-proof their boats. Members should also ensure they're able to remove their boat(s) if need-be. Make sure your trailer is accessible and ready."

Challenging conditions and hot competition greeted sailors in the Flying Fifteen Open Meeting 2025 at Llangorse. David Morgan and Lorina Walden won all 5 races from Nick and Claire Taylor (Dovestone SC and Llangorse SC), and Peter and Alan Hogg from South Cerney SC.

Guy Davison writes about his trip to the Firefly National Championships (the 79th!) - a great competitive event and a great holiday in Lyme Regis, in August.

Llangorse Sailing Club is delighted to welcome the Classic & Vintage Dinghy Racing Association (CVDRA) for their Open Meeting at the Club on 4th-5th October.

Event Race Officer, Robert Dangerfield says, "We see some beautifully kept classic boats at this event - most raced by seasoned sailors. Some of the entrants can be heading for half a century old - and are still highly competitive."

The full Sailing Instructions ("SIs") for Llangorse Sailing Club's 2025 Flying Fifteen Open Meeting has been published ahead of the two-day event on 6th-7th September.

Llangorse Sailing Secretary, Guy Davison says, "These set out the rules and guidelines for all competitors - including vital information about starting sequences and signals, no-go zones, scoring and arrangements for the three fleets: the Open, (often referred to as "Gold"), Silver and Classic fleets."

Classic and vintage sailing enthusiasts have a treat this summer, as among the Ovington Smoothy Flying Fifteens, Winder Solos and the other latest racing designs on Llangorse Lake, a historic sailing dinghy, the Hamble Star can be seen.

My Dinky Do, Hamble Star no.82 – a 14ft mahogany planked dinghy with a hard chine and original cotton sails on a sliding gunter rig, was built in 1949. Owner, Pete Smith, bought and reconditioned it recently.

A new jetty has been built in a boathouse accessed directly from the lake for Llangorse Sailing Club’s powered safety boats. The new jetty project was made possible thanks to a SportWales grant to support clubs whose site and – or - facilities were damaged by the storms Bert and Darragh in October 2024. The project was also completed to the highest possible standard, thanks to the voluntary expertise and work of the Club’s Chief Instructor, Richard McCulloch, and Instructor John Farmer, who engineered and completed the project in the height of the summer when water-level is low. 

Young people from age 8 to 17 enjoyed a highly successful Training Week, 21-28 July in which the club’s Recognised Training Centre (RTC) passed its annual Royal Yachting Association (RYA) assessment, securing its future as an RTC. 

Training Principal, Lorina Walden says, “Fifteen young people – from 8-year-old beginners to 17-year-old advanced sailors – all developed new skills and had a great time in excellent learning conditions.”