Donaghadee Sailing Club

The Club currently situated at 20 Shore Street, was formed in 1970 and it continues the long history of sailing in Donaghadee. Records show that sailing and racing was organised as long ago as the 1870’s. DSC’s main focus is on dinghy sailing, starting with the ubiquitous Mirror Dinghy with it’s familiar red sails. Growing from that class, dinghies such as the Topper, the Laser and the GP 14 have also now become mainstays of club racing and training. Dinghy storage and launching takes place on the shore side of the road a short distance from the Clubhouse. A fleet of Flying Fifteen racing keelboats is moored in the harbour during the season and a number of club members own yachts that frequently cruise, often in company, in the Irish Sea and much further a field. Cruisers take advantage of the convenience and shelter provided by the nearby Copelands Marina as a base. A significant feature of the Club over many years is it’s success in introducing the young and not so young, the able and not so able, to the pleasures and delights of sailing and racing. Some members, past and present, have gone on to follow careers in the marine industry and in the sailing world. As an introduction to sailing, the Club organises a very informal “come and try it” activity that involves all ages and ability levels. It is an opportunity for families to try sailing at the simplest level with no commitment. Often, after the “bug” has bitten the younger members of a family, we find that parents too become involved in the sport. At the other end of the spectrum Donaghadee Sailing Club is an RYA Recognised Training Centre and a Volvo Champion Club. Training in dinghy sailing and powerboating take place from May through to October Of course, sailing knows no social, age or any other bounds and is not the expensive sport so often portrayed by the media. There is a strong family orientation in the Club and volunteering to assist in running the organisation is encouraged, as the Club has no employees. In addition to the informal side of sailing, class racing takes place on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons usually from May to September. But there is also a social side to sailing with events such as the annual picnic race to the big Copeland Island. As the Club has grown so it has outgrown the facilities in the present Clubhouse. We have embarked on a development plan that will probably entail the total replacement of the changing/showering facilities, the addition of training and cadet space and improved social and amenity space. Plans are in progress and work on site is anticipated to start in 2008.