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About Us
The University of Bristol Sailing Club is one of Bristol’s liveliest and most successful clubs. With over 150 members last year, we offer a wide range of opportunities to get on the water, as well as an active and welcoming social scene.
If you've been sailing for years and are looking to compete on the university circuit or have never been on a boat before, we would love to hear from you!
Offering RYA courses at student-friendly prices, teaching the basics of dingy sailing led by volunteer members of UBSC, to yacht racing in Cardiff, UBSC has it all. Our BUCS performances place us at the top of the National citcut and we are proud to have a strong community network with local clubs and sailing charities. Alongside regular time on the water during university terms, Bristol Sail Week, our annual trip, is setting sail for Greece in June! Everyone is invited to an unforgettable yachting holiday with no sailing knowledge required.
If you have any questions, or just want to know more, our contact info is at the end of the page!
Social Sailing
Social sailing offers a fun chance to get out on the water, in the heart of Bristol. Come and join us for give it a go sessions in September and January! With volunteer coaching from our qualified RYA Instructors, there's the opportunity to get some sailing qualifications, or just go out for a joyride. Remember- ALL abilities are welcome, and zero previous ecperience is required.
We sail at All Aboard at Baltic Warf Sailing Club in Bristol harbour on Wednesday afternoons, finishing in time to get ready for the classic sports night social.
Once we’ve done a few of the basics we hope to get down to Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club (where our Performance squads go to train) and have the chance to sail our club Fireflys! It'll be loads of fun and we can't wait to see you out on the water.
If you have any questions chat to Leo or Amy. (contact details below)
Team Racing
Team Racing is the largest discipline of sailing, and the most competitive at University level. Sailed in Fireflys, teams of three boats work together to finish in front of the others. With short races and fast-paced tactics, Team Racing at UBSC is among the top in the country, coming 4th at BUCS in 2025 and 2026.
The Club has both development and performance squads, and we encourage everyone with any dinghy sailing experience to sign up to trial. The majority of sailors do not team race before University, meaning we value commitment to training just as much as the skill of the sailor. We train at Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club, a 30 minute drive south of Bristol, on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays in 
preparation for student run University events that occur on weekends all throughout the year, as well as the BUCS events, culminating in Finals around April. Training is mostly student led, with some training weekends with other universities outside of events. Events are a brilliant chance to travel to other cities and meet sailors from all around the country, with infamous socials and intense racing.
Typically the 1st and 2nd teams train on Wednesdays, while the 3rd and 4th teams train on Saturdays and our Development Squad would train on as many Sundays as possible. All teams, including our Women's only squads, will be invited to attend events over the course of the year.
Chat to Noah and Lauren with any queries (contact details below).
Fleet Racing
Fleet racing is the most common form of competative sailing outside of University, and pits all the boats against eachother on a course. The BUCS Fleet Racing Nationals is being held at Rutland Water Sailing Club on the 7th and 8th of November this year. The eligible entries consist of Fireflies, ICLA handicaps, and Slow and Fast Handicaps with yardstick numbers between 1240 and 700. The Club has 6 fireflies available, and we can support anyone looking to bring their own boat too! This event is a chance to win some BUCS points for the club, with points for the top 8 men’s, and top 8 women’s teams, as well as for individual performances.
We are also invited to join in club racing held down at Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club on Sundays which is a great way to get involved in more regular fleet racing.
Contact Noah and Lauren with any queries (contact information below)
Match Racing
Match Racing, most commonly recognised in the Americas Cup, races one boat against another. Historically one of UBSCs strongest disciplines, with the club taking 1st place at BUCS in 2022 and 2nd in 2023, we aim to train in our Hunter 707 at Cardiff Bay throughout the year. With 4 people per boat, there is a spot for everyone to get involved, so reach out to our captains to register your interest.
The BUCS Match Racing Nationals is being held at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy next year in Elliot 6ms, teams will be selected later in the year.
If you have any questions get in contact with Lauren and Noah (see contact details below).
Yachting
Day Skipper
Every year we help to organise Day Skipper courses for UBSC members with Prometheus Sailing in Portsmouth. These courses teach you all the necessary skills to skipper a sailing yacht, and provide you with the certificate needed to charter a boat in the Uk and abroad. The Day Skipper qualification is a skillset which will last a lifetime, empowering UBSC members to hire their own boats and run sailing trips for friends and family.
Hunter 707
For those keen to get involved in regular big boat sailing, there are opportunities every weekend to sail our Hunter 707 keelboat in Cardiff Bay. Noush, our Yachting captain, will be offering a range of sessions- from beginner training, to racing teams. Cardiff Bay Yacht Club have also offered us the chance to get involved in their round-the-cans races with club members, a brilliant way to get experience in the yacht racing world
Yacht Racing
Serious yacht racers are often considered a smaller university demographic than the likes of Rugby, Hockey and Dinghy Sailing, they are be no means less tenacious. With BUCS Yachting Nationals returning in April 2027, and, building off our success from last year, we’ve high hopes to assemble a well-oiled Bristol Uni machine to take on universities from around the country in a week-long regatta. Information and training will be pushed throughout the year.
Contact Noush with any queries (contact info below)
Cruising Weekends
Following a rough three-day plan of Solent ‘cruising’ a night out in the gorgeous town of Cowes, the home of yachting, crusing weekends offer the best of relaxed sailing. Over half our crews last year had no prior sailing experience, and when introduced to Bristol Yachting, they caught the bug, and just kept coming back!
Contact Casper, our Trip Sec with any questions.
Socials
Held every Wednesday evening throughout term, the socials are a great opportunity for everyone to get together from all areas of the club! We pride ourselves in inclusivity and want everyone to feel welcome at our socials. Whether you grew up on a sail boat or you’ve have never stepped in one in your life, we would love to for you to come down and join us on a Wednesday evening.
Each week the social will be different, ranging from curry socials to pub quizzes to the annual Xmas dinner and Bristol Brew…, with the night always ending with a boogie.
Your social secs (Maya and Finn) would love to hear from you, especially if there is anything you are unsure about. Follow our instagram @bristolsailing for information on the first few socials, but weekly event details will go up on our Facebook - so give that a follow too!
Contact details for Maya and Finn are below.
Membership
The club offers 4 types of membership, listed below:
Performance Membership - This membership is for those in the team racing performance squads, or those competing in either BUCS Team Racing, or Match Racing competitions. !!! Only buy this membership if you have told to do so by the Team Racing Captains Noah and Lauren, contact details below !!!
Yachting Membership - This membership entitles one to take part in BUCS Yachting (at the discretion of the captain), and any other yachting oppurtunities available that year including Match Racing, and 707 sessions in Cardif. It also covers Development Squad and Social memberships.
Social Membership - Allows you to get the discounted price for Wednesday Social Sailing Sessions and attend socials through the year. It also entitles you to purchase your ticket to go on our club Summer Sail Week, and our Cruising Weekends. More info about these trips can be found on our instagram and website.
Development Membership - This membership is for those selected for our Team Racing Development Squad for the year. !!! Only buy this membership if you have been told to so by either the Team Racing Captains, or Development Training Officer Emma !!!
****CONTACT US ****
For more information or for any queries contact the relevant committee member(s):
Commodore (President) and Vice-Commodore (Vice-President)- Gracie Joslin and Jessica Wade: uob.sailing.commodore@gmail.com
Secretary- Emilia House: uob.sailing.secretary@gmail.com
Team Racing Captains- Noah Evans and Lauren Attwell: uob.sailing.captain@gmail.com
Yachting Captain- Anoushka Farrely : uob.sailing.yachting@gmail.com
Events Secretary- Esther Tuttle: uob.sailing.eventssec@gmail.com
Instructions Officers- Amy Boyle and Leo Rendall-Baker: ubscdevelopment@gmail.com
Development Squad Captain- Emma Ramm: uob.sailing.development@gmail.com
Social Secretary- Maya Bergmann Smith and Finn Crockatt: uob.sailing.socialsecs@gmail.com
Treasurer- Tom Jamieson: uob.sailing.treasurer@gmail.com
Bosun- Ioan Glyn- Jones : ubsc.bosun@gmail.com
Trip Secretary- Casper Burgess: uob.sailing.tripsec@gmail.com
Welfare and Sustainability officer- Emilia Cowely: uob.sailing.welfare@gmail.com
Off-Committee Welfare Representative- Ana Powell Ramalal
Social Media:
Website: https://bristolsailing.wixsite.com/ubsc
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BristolSailingClub
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristolsailing/
Summer Sail Week Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristolsailweek/
Freshers Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2509503239385307/about/
For all Payments, See EVENTS and select the appropriate ticket
Terms and conditions
Click here to view terms and conditions
Membership Fee Inclusions
Prior to signing up to a Club or Society speak to the Committee to find out what your membership includes and if there are any further expenses throughout the year.
Service Standards
All Club or Society members can expect to receive:
- The opportunity to attend regular meetings, events, activities, trips and socials as arranged.
- The opportunity to stand for a committee position or vote in their elections (Bristol students only).
- For Sports Club – to attend regular training sessions and have the opportunity to be selected for the teams.
Code of Conduct
When joining a club or society you are agreeing to abide by the constitution, general rules, regulations and policies of University of Bristol Students’ Union and also the Club or Society Code of Conduct which sets out the level of behaviour & discipline expected of all Club & Society members.
Refund Policy
Any customer who pays for a membership subscription to a Bristol SU Society, Sports Club, Student Media and initiatives has a 14 day cooling off period from the time and date of purchase during which they have the right to cancel the subscription and receive a full refund. If you do decide to cancel within the 14 days, Bristol SU will refund your payment within a further 30 days of the cancellation. To request a refund please email: bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk
Data sharing (Sports Club members only)
Please be aware that Bristol SU may share data relating to the members of its sports clubs with the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health (a department of the University). This information may be used for the purposes of communicating direct with these members and/or to cross-reference against SEH's Sports Pass membership records.
As part of Bristol SU's membership of British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS) Bristol SU may have to share data on to its sports clubs members so BUCS can, from time to time, communicate with these members.
Data sharing (Societies members only)
If you're joining one of the societies listed below please be aware that your name and email address will be shared with Bristol Hub for the purpose of keeping you up to date with their activities through their email “The Week”:
AIESEC Bristol, AMICUS Bristol, Anti-Slavery Society, Bristol Feminists, Bristol Friends of MSF, Bristol Marrow, Bristol Social Enterprise Society, Bristol Student Action for Refugees, Bristol University Amnesty International, Conservation Group, Bristol University Oxfam Group, Bristol University Sustainability Team, Bristol Volunteers for Development Abroad, Engineers Without Borders, Howard League for Penal Reform Student Society, International Affairs Society, Medsin Bristol, Model United Nations, and Vegetarian and Vegan Society.
For more information on Bristol Hub visit: http://www.bristolhub.org.
If you do not want your details shared with the Hub please email: bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.
These terms shall be governed by English law and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Nothing in these terms shall exclude liability for fraudulent misrepresentation.
