A fair wind for sailing club’s new HQ

Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club has a sparkling new sailing HQ on Oddicombe Beach, to replace the decrepit building it has called home since the club was founded in 1935.

Although the clubhouse has been open for business since early August, the club held its first official event with the annual regatta, on September 9 and 10.

Work on the building started in October last year. The club has been saving up for the project for a number of years, and reached its final target following a CrowdFunding exercise, generous gifts from many local people and businesses and help from Sport England and Torbay Council.

Torbay councillor George Darling, whose St Marychurch ward includes Oddicombe beach, learned to sail with Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club as a teenager.

“The new building looks completely fantastic,” he said. “The club has been at the heart of the community for many years.

“This new development adds value not only to the club, but the whole community. It puts the club in a good position to keep on developing sailing, and training the next generation.”

The club’s Commodore, Adrian Mark with his wife Lyn, who is the club’s treasurer, have been the driving force behind the project. He said that they had struggled to patch up the old building over recent years.

He said that although Covid had hit the club’s finances the CrowdFunder last year had impressed Sport England when they saw what we had achieved. He added: "Sport England invited us to put in a case for additional support, which we were fortunate enough to get.

"Because of post-Covid uncertainty over materials costs, none of the tenders were able to commit to a guaranteed price, which made the project challenging.

"The new clubhouse provides a much better space for the sailors to socialise in, and for shore-based training.
“We have already seen the new facilities being put to use for discussions about race tactics."
He said the club aims to be the most affordable in the Bay, and urged anyone interested to make contact with the sailors on the beach, or to go to the club website and sign up as a member.

Neil Spacagna, the club President, said: “We have been waiting for this for years, and it would never have happened without the push from Adrian and Lyn Mark.

“The old clubhouse had no toilets and awful showers. This new building will help us to attract more members.”

Neil Mander, the Vice-Commodore in charge of sailing, welcomed the arrival of the clubhouse as “civilised conditions at long last”. He said they now had “better teaching facilities with modern teaching aids”.

Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club meets regularly on the water on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings, with junior training on Friday evenings.

The club also runs training courses through the sailing season, and there are regular social events in its top clubhouse in the St Marychurch precinct.

Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club was founded in June 1935. The Club’s headquarters were established in an old fisherman’s hut on Oddicombe Beach, the stone walls of which still form part of the bottom storey of the present clubhouse.

Find out more about membership and events at https://babbacombe-sc.com