About Pagham Yacht Club
Founded in 1964, Pagham Yacht Club is a small, but active, family-orientated club, situated on Pagham beach. Today’s membership includes sailing, fishing, youth and social members.
While our first emphasis is on sailing, we cater for and encourage many water sports, including sailing, fishing, kayaking, windsurfing, kite boarding, etc. We have some diving and snorkelling members and a strong golfing group. Some members are multi sports minded, i.e. fish, sail, windsurf and play golf, while others focus on one sport or just on our social activities, which are growing in strength and variety.
Our focus is on providing fun on the water for anyone, whatever their ability or stage in life - we have active members aged 7 to 70+. This year we have several mothers who are keen to try sailing for the first time. Our patrol boat is on the water every weekend throughout the summer (weather permitting).
Our angling section is growing in numbers and continues to make some good catches. While the focus is on angling from small boats, launched from our own slipway, an increasing number of members are also beach fishing and some also from kayaks. We encourage a catch and return policy… unless we want some fish for the BBQ or supper!
There is no pressure to be competitive, but we do hold regular sailing races and angling competitions. We do produce some excellent and competitive sailors and hold our own in races against other, larger clubs.
We have an active youth section, which generates real enthusiasm for sailing among our younger members and develops their skills. I am very proud that the club’s influence has led several of our past youth members to qualify for and move into teaching water sports, with jobs around the world!
Our club is run by members for members, with everything done on a voluntary basis, including the bar, the galley, the bridge and the rescue boats. This also includes most maintenance and building work, plus all the admin work (including this website). We ask all members to contribute to the running of the club in whichever way fits their time and skills.
All sections of the club work together to help each other - for example, anglers will help winch up sailing boats and vice versa. A number of our social members, many of whom are ex-sailors or ex-anglers, also help by doing bridge duties, bar duties, winch operating, work parties, etc.
We are affiliated to the RYA, the British Conger Club and the Angling Trust (AT).
Chris Page, Commodore