OUR HISTORY
By Euan Stretch
For those taking their daily exercise along The Beach in Clevedon it is difficult to miss the long, two-storey wooden-clad building that is the home of Clevedon Sailing Club (CSC).
Dodging sailors rigging their dinghies on the prom and hearing the blast of an air-horn signalling the start of racing is a regular feature of life in the town.
For centuries sailboats have danced on the muddy waters off Clevedon Bay but it was only in 1947 that CSC was formed over a few pints in the bar of the then Royal Pier Hotel.
It was started by a motley band of sailing enthusiasts, some of whom were ex-members of Clevedon Canoe club and who had put sails on their canoes or had bought new light-weight dinghies and wanted to sail them off The Beach.
Previously sailing had been conducted in heavy, clinker-built dinghies and small cruising sailboats a mile away at the The Pill where they were moored on a heavy steel chain.
Sailing in these waters was so perilous that in 1953 the club spent £110 on a 28 foot ex-lifeboat which was converted into a safety boat and named it after the club’s first commodore.
Cruisers also face other perils, including sailing off the coast at Pilning which at times was used by the army as a live firing range.
But boat-building technology improved and a new breed of light-weight dinghies like Merlin Rockets and International 14s were winning all the trophies and could be easily launched from The Beach.
The town’s sailors were keen to sail these new fibre-glass and plywood dinghies and the slipway was extended for this purpose in 1957.
The following year an application was made to convert a former air raid shelter in the cut under Elton Road into a new clubhouse.
The application provoked controversy in the town after allegations were made that members of the club had been seen emerging ‘inebriated’ and ‘after hours’ from the club’s make-shift HQ in Copse Road.
After a robust rebuttal from outraged club officials, the Urban District Council approved the application, granting a 21 year lease with a £45 a year rent.
In 1960 the clubhouse was finally opened after the original building had been extended and a pre-fabricated first floor added at an expense of £1,250.
The alcoves underneath ‘The Prom’ continued to be used to store boats along with a small section of grass near the club and the club was extended again in 1974.
Former member Martin Wood, whose dad Bryan was a founding member of the club, said: “In those days it was a real enthusiasts club and there were a lot of eccentrics.
“A lot refused to wear life-jackets and a lot of them couldn’t even swim.”
“Clevedon is a challenging place to sail and the club has produced some fine sailors over the years.”
“I’ve always said if you can sail at Clevedon, you can sail anywhere.”
Among those fearless sailors was former rear commodore Mark Scully who thought it a jolly jape to sail 3,000 miles around the Bristol Channel in his Merlin Rocket dinghy.
This intrepid spirit continues to this day and only recently a small group of members braved the Channel and its ferocious tides to make a four-hour, eight-mile round trip to Flatholme.
Today the club is thriving, with a 136-strong members aswell as 30 cadet sailors aged between nine and 16 and it is registered as an official RYA training centre.
In the past few decades the clubhouse has been improved and the club has produced many national champions both at junior and adult level.
The recently-refurbished bar and balcony provide perhaps one of the most stunning views in Clevedon.
Ian Hotchkiss, whose family have a 70 year long association with the club, said: “Clevedon has always been a friendly club with a strong emphasis on the social side.
“While other clubs are perhaps more racing orientated, we have always prided ourselves in our social side and in our cadet section.”
Current commodore Trevor Baker said: “We hope to welcome new social and sailing club members again as we start to return to a new normal.
“We are a volunteer-run club and can offer training and youngsters a chance to join our cadet section.”
The club can be contacted directly for details of membership etc on www.clevedonsailingclub.com
Clevedon Sailing Club: Key dates
1947: August 29. Club formed and first meetings held in the Royal Pier Hotel and Towers restaurant
1948: Alcove under The Prom leased for boat storage. First regatta held
1949: First club trophy races held
1950: 'Clevedon Chop' race established
1952: Workshop in Copse Road used as temporary club HQ
1953: Club safety boat the Carl Petersen bought for £110. Cadet section formed
1955: Member Mark Scully sails 3,000 miles around Bristol Channel
1957: Slipway extended and widened at a cost of £400 using 20 tons of concrete
1960: Former air-raid shelter acquired and converted into clubhouse for £1,250
1964: New safety boat Carl Petersen II launched
1966: First Presidents Ball held at Clevedon Court
1972: Sir Alec Rose visited the club
1974: Clubhouse extension opened
1985: Fleet of Minnow dinghies bought for use on Marine Lake
2019: Club members Ian, Sue, Sarah and Joseph Hotchkiss awarded RYA Family of Year
