New Member Notes:
These notes have been prepared to give new and prospective members a general idea of the Club's facilities. Any committee member will gladly supply additional information on request.
1. The club was formed in 1964 and is affiliated to the R.Y.A. It operates from the Blue Lagoon, Arlesey, Beds with some 25 acres of pleasantly situated water, previously the site of a chalk pit. Access is via a locked gate and track opposite the ‘Biggs Wall’ building on the southern outskirts of Arlesey - a village near the A507 between Shefford, Baldock and Hitchin. A location map available from the button below.
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2. The facilities include a Large Club House with galley, changing rooms and toilets, dinghy parks, jetty and OOD (Officer of the Day) hut - ample car parking and picnic area overlooking the lake.
3. The club encourages both cruising and racing and members can sail at most times of the year. Club racing usually takes place on Sundays with 2 races per day from November to April, and 3 races per day from May to October. Competition is keen for prizes and trophies under handicap and class racing in a series, one-day events and open days. The sailing programme is reviewed each year.
4. Members can cruise on any day of the week (except during open meetings). This includes Sundays, but a more popular time for this activity is on Saturdays. From May to August there is also racing on Wednesday evening and non-racing members are welcome on this occasion.
5. Since 1984 the club has extended its membership to Sailboard owners and interest in this has increased steadily.
6. The club takes particular care to follow recommended practices on safety and security. Members and their guests or visitors must observe relevant rules and instructions, and must accept the risks and responsibilities associated with our sport. For example, adequate buoyancy must be worn by all persons, and must be incorporated in all craft when sailing; children under the age of 18 may only sail when supervised by a nominated adult; whether any craft starts or continues to cruise or race is the sole responsibility of the individuals in each craft. A Club standby boat is available and is manned (on a rota basis) by a club member with an outboard motor when appropriate. All racing is managed by an OOD team. The club has about 200 memberships, totalling some 300 adults and 300 children. Most, but not all members, have dinghies or Sailboards. There are 190 dinghy parking spaces and racks for storing sailboards, all of which are enclosed by high chain link fencing and gates. Dinghies must be monohull not more than 5 metres long and have a Portsmouth Yardstick Rating (PYR) not faster than 1000.
7. A variety of boat classes race in our Handicap fleet, e.g. Enterprise, GP14, Byte, Lark, Miracle, Topper, Wineglass. There are also separate fleets for Solo, Laser and Mirror. Each fleet has a captain who represents their views on the sailing committee, organises special events and competitions, and arranges Open Days etc. Members without boats can often sail as crew, and can join one of the fleets when they purchase a boat.
8. The Club holds Open Meetings each year for Laser, Solo, Mirror and Topper classes at which we welcome visitors from other clubs.
9. The club is run by a Management Committee supported by a Sailing Committee who meet monthly to attend to all the business of the club and run the sailing programme. Four Trustees are empowered to undertake certain duties and actions on behalf of the club. The Management and Sailing committees are elected each year (and given time you may be asked to help!). Special efforts are made to involve members at an Open Forums and AGM.
10. What does it cost?
Our subscription fees are kept low by making use of club members to do essential maintenance work around the site. The current fees (2006) are:
Full membership: £80 Craft fees : £5 per craft Upper dinghy park fees: £6 per craft Lower dinghy park fees: £15 per craft (Please check availability of dinghy park spaces)
A discount of £20 is available for members who pay their subscriptions before 1st March.
We do encourage everyone to take part in the Working Parties in February of each year. Members who don't take part in these are gaining reduced fees from the work of their fellow club members. Play fair and show up in February!
If you want to download these notes and the application forms they are available as Adobe Acrobat documents here: