Wraysbury Lake Sailing Club
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11343
Printed Date: 14 Jul 25 at 6:38am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Wraysbury Lake Sailing Club
Posted By: iansmithofotley
Subject: Wraysbury Lake Sailing Club
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 1:06pm
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Hi everyone, With Wraysbury and the surrounding areas, west of London, being in the news because of the recent floods, I thought I would check out WLSC to see if it was okay, and maybe look at any webcams. Much to my surprise, I found that the club had closed down on 2nd December 2013 due to lease issues. I don't recall seeing any information about this on the Y & Y forum so I just wondered how the situation had come about. I realise that the club had a private landlord and that the sailing club has been lost in order to develop a fishing lake. I remember a similar thing happening to Newark (Retford) Argonauts SC over twenty years ago. I also realise that there are many sailing clubs in the local area (Silver Wing, Datchet, Queen Mary, etc., etc.) but I just wondered whether or not there had been anything that the club and its members could have done to save it. It just seems a shame thats all. I can remember sailing Enterprises, thirty years ago, when WLSC had the biggest fleet in the country. http://www.wlsc.org.uk/ee/index.php/" rel="nofollow - http://www.wlsc.org.uk/ee/index.php/ http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/HistoricWraysburyLakeSCtoclose.aspx" rel="nofollow - http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/HistoricWraysburyLakeSCtoclose.aspx http://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2013/11/22/95289-wraysbury-sailing-club-to-close-after-change-of-ownership-of-lake/" rel="nofollow - http://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2013/11/22/95289-wraysbury-sailing-club-to-close-after-change-of-ownership-of-lake/ Ian (Yorkshire Dales SC) |
Replies:
Posted By: yellowwelly
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 1:10pm
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That's sad news for the members, but I guess this sort of thing will be inevitable in a contracting sport. I thought the final quote on the RYA link from Chris Whitfield was well written and shows a healthy attitude from other local sailors to this phenomenon. ------------- |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 2:52pm
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I also have fond memories of Wraysbury (probably rose tinted by the years) funniest thing watching my chum step off his board as he was about to land at the club then seeing him disappear straight down (there were no shallows).
It also introduced me to the concept that the fastest route between two marks is not always the direct one thanks to their tree line, they had some good racing sailboard sailors there back in the day, back then we were banned from the London Reservoirs in case we gave London the Black death or something. ------------- https://www.corekite.co.uk/snow-accessories-11-c.asp" rel="nofollow - Snow Equipment Deals https://www.corekite.co.uk" rel="nofollow - New Core Kite website |
Posted By: rogerd
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 3:36pm
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I am in touch with former Wraysbury members. The club was forced to close as a new owner decided to use the lake for more profitable leisure purposes. The club was co founded by Jack Holt and we had a very good Holt open meeting there for the centenary. Lovely spot(despite being below the Heathrow flight path) and a lovely friendly club.
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Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 4:40pm
Sounds like a case for some late night depositing of that chemical they use to kill woodworm, I hear it does wonders for fishing lakes...  ------------- https://www.corekite.co.uk/snow-accessories-11-c.asp" rel="nofollow - Snow Equipment Deals https://www.corekite.co.uk" rel="nofollow - New Core Kite website |
Posted By: RichTea
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 6:10pm
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Rogerd is correct. The club rented the lake from the previous owners on a less term basis. The lake was up for sale (I can't remember how much but it was about £200k+) and hence why the club no longer exists. I remember visiting the changing rooms seeing a Noel's House Party style shower, glass cubical. I believe the new owners are fisherman, who own local pits. Shame but there are other clubs nearby. ------------- RS200 |
Posted By: yellowwelly
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 6:58pm
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You're saying that in stockbroker belt someone at the club couldn't crowd source a paltry 200 grand to buy the lake... Disgusting, sailing is so plebeian these days.... ------------- |
Posted By: rb_stretch
Date Posted: 11 Feb 14 at 7:27pm
| I understand that most of the members moved to nearby clubs eg. Littleton... |
Posted By: Dougal
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 2:20pm
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I was going to say Sailing Clubs come and go.... but in reality they only seem to go. Does anyone know of any new clubs that have started up? ------------- What could possibly go wrong? |
Posted By: yellowwelly
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 2:23pm
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outside of university and alumni clubs, no... not heard of any in the UK at least. ------------- |
Posted By: gordon1277
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 2:54pm
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Hopefully not any more on most coastal stretches as there are to many already. This dilutes the keen sailors reducing the chance of big club fleets. ------------- Gordon Lossc |
Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 3:06pm
I think quite a few marina-based yacht clubs have become fully RYA affiliated in recent years? Probably quite a few class associations becoming organising authorites for events as well. Do people still form 'two men and a dog SC's to enter things like Southport 24 hr race? If the price mentioned in this thread is even roughly right, I am surprised the club didn't buy the lake. Must be more to it. |
Posted By: yellowwelly
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 3:18pm
and thanks to Mother Nature, their investment would have doubled in recent weeks  ------------- |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 5:43pm
Well, largely they seem to go when the water becomes unavailable, so presumably they only appear when significant water becomes available. Datchet is relatively recent, I suppose, WPNSA, if you can call that a club, is the most recent I know of.
Well that's what it sold for when the Sailing Club wasn't bidding... Maybe they didn't fancy a bidding war. And there are so many sailing clubs in the area, maybe they decided there were better ways to spend money. |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 6:15pm
Nope. No Heathrow expansion plans cross the M25, and the "third runway" would be sited to the north. Even if a fourth is sited to the south, still wouldn't really affect that lake much ------------- -_ Al |
Posted By: Punky
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 6:43pm
| Don't the MoD do underwater testing at Wraysbury? Or is that a different part of the reservoir system? |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 7:10pm
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Heathrow expansion... Good point
I've seen this Southwest option... 
I think that impacts Wraysbury lake just a tad... I reckon their clubhouse is pretty much under the centre of the runway isn't it? |
Posted By: DaveT
Date Posted: 12 Feb 14 at 7:44pm
| With Thames Water forecasting a deficit Abingdon reservoir may one day happen... although the locals have been revolting against it for a long time |
Posted By: gordon1277
Date Posted: 13 Feb 14 at 8:35am
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Hi Dave
any mention of water deficit by Thames water would be laughed at, at the moment. Any members of Wraysbury who wanted a new place to sail I am sure we at Lee on Solent SC would be delighted to have you join us on the coast. ------------- Gordon Lossc |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 13 Feb 14 at 9:07am
------------- -_ Al |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 13 Feb 14 at 9:25am
Whose favourite I wonder... It was fairly prominent in last summers report. http://www.heathrowairport.com/static/Heathrow/Downloads/PDF/a-new-approach_LHR.pdf I think its not a favourite at the moment but I'm sure our ridiculous make-lawyers-rich-and-jobs-for-our-executive-mates planning process will go through another 75 options whilst they spend more money talking about building than they actually do on building anything... |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 14 Feb 14 at 6:53am
It was "sifted out" in the Davies Airport Commission http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/airports-commission-interim-report" rel="nofollow - interim report - see appendix 2. ------------- -_ Al |