Members of Sidmouth Sailing Club took to the water on Saturday (May 18) to show off the club and attract new members during Sidmouth Seafest.

I was invited down to the club to take part in the sessions, and with my no prior seafaring knowledge, I was quickly welcomed by the members of staff before boarding a RIB for a trip up and down the bay.

I was then transported onto a sailboat with member Charlie, who showed me the basic controls of the boat, how to steer and move the sail into the direction of the wind to make the boat move. I was onboard for around 45 minutes with Charlie, who was calm and really knowledgeable on his vessel.

Taster sessions will take place on Saturday mornings and will include an onshore briefing before you go on the water and a de-brief afterward.

The taster sessions were free of charge, and lots of people were keen to get involved and be a part of the taster sessions and participants will need to sign up as temporary members of the Club for the day for insurance purposes.

The club was holding taster sessions throughout the day from around 11am until 2pm, unfortunately, a thunderstorm came in the afternoon, which stopped play, but the morning offered a good session of tasters.

Coaching sessions will also take place on Saturday mornings. They are designed for people who either have no previous experience of dinghy sailing or who have done some sailing in the past but need some refresher coaching.

The coaching will focus on the core dinghy sailing skills as set out in the Royal Yachting Association training schemes, adapted for the particular conditions at Sidmouth. The coaching will take place in small groups of 3-5 boats and be led by coaches with extensive experience of sailing at Sidmouth.

I would thoroughly recommend becoming a member. For those interested, email sidmouthsailing@gmail.com and one of our team will get back to you. Or visit the club on Saturday afternoons or Wednesday evenings.