Whitefriars Sailing Club

Whitefriars Sailing Club is a friendly club where the emphasis is on enjoyment rather than competition. Whilst we have a full calendar of Club Racing, Open competitions and Training courses, the lake is available for those who wish to sail at leisure, with an additional programme of fun sailing and social events for all ages.

Whitefriars Sailing Club is located in the heart of the Cotswold Water Park on Lake 26, with 85 acres of sailing water. As owners of the club house, lake and surrounding area, we take pride in keeping it tidy and making good use of the opportunities they offer. The club house is situated on a peninsular projecting into the lake providing good all round visibility of the water. Members’ dinghies are kept in the secure dinghy park alongside the club house, with a number of slipways, pontoons and jetties allowing boats to be launched and moored easily, whatever the wind direction. For the non-sailing members of the family, the bridleways offer the chance to explore the rich environment round the lake, access the many miles of cycle ways throughout the Water Park or simply sit on the lawns for a picnic close to the club house amenities. Adjacent to the car park is a large grassed field where members and visitors are permitted to camp.

The club offers heated changing facilities with toilets and hot showers. A fitted kitchen run by members, serves anything from a quick snack to a full lunch on Sundays and also provides catering for both Open and Social events. There is a large patio area overlooking the lake where members can relax and watch the activities on the water. On inclement days, large picture windows allow the action to be followed from the comfort of the heated club house.

We are a family friendly club and parents often help with a busy Juniors section, where qualified volunteer instructors provide sail training in the RYA Youth Sailing Scheme on a number of weekends during the year, making use of our fleet of modern dinghies.

The Ladies Group meet regularly to combine sail coaching and social activities. Weekly meetings of the Sailability Group provide access for sailing to less able-bodied sailors to enjoy the sport. The Sailing Club is a RYA Accredited Training Centre and we offer a range of structured courses and informal training sessions for members throughout the year. More details and contact names can be found on the website. The facilities are also used by the area’s Sea Cadet groups for sail training. Whitefriars Sailing Club is a non-profit making club run by its members who comprise of dinghy sailors, families and social members of all ages and from every walk of life. We rely on the practical skills and enthusiasm of our members to help contribute to its success and everyone has an opportunity to play their part by taking on a couple of formal duty days as an requirement of membership.

The club owns a number of boats available for hire to members. These include 2x Lasers with full, radial and 4.7 rigs, a Comet Trio and a Laser 2000.