Sailing Club’s 60th Anniversary!
Have you ever tried sailing backwards? Or jousting on a paddleboard? Such were the unusual activities at the Blue Lagoon as the North Herts and East Beds Sailing Club celebrated its 60th anniversary in style on June 29th.
The club was started 60 years ago when sailors from Stevenage and the towns of North Herts met up in Baldock to agree to found a club for local sailing. Some had previously sailed at a club in on the River Ouse at Tempsford but they had to find some water to near by. Someone knew someone who knew about a lake on the edge of Arlesey. It had been a quarry mined by the Arlesey Brick and Lime Company. That was worked from 1858 until 1930 but then abandoned and slowly filled up with water. It has proved to be a splendid facility for the club. It is also used by divers, triathlon swimmers and anglers.
The first sailors had often built their own boats, usually the small Mirror dinghy, with up to 70 Mirrors being used there in the first few years. Time and boats have changed, as have the activities. For many years it was almost exclusively a site for twice weekly racing, only halted in the month of February when maintenance tasks were undertaken. Over recent years there has been a growing presence of ‘social sailing’ which includes informal instruction for learners, both adult and children. A growing fleet of club dinghies is there for people to learn and develop skills. Local scout groups have weekly sessions with their instructors and leaders. Sailboarding has happened but the recent craze of paddleboarding is the main alternative to regular sailing. Many have used the experience locally to race and sail elsewhere, including the recent Round the Island race at the Isle of Wight, with excursions to Mersea Island, Salcombe and Aberdovey also enjoyed over the years.
Members enjoy the easy access to good water, developing skills on the water, friendliness, and all at a very reasonable annual cost. 60 years on it was good fun and feasting for families and a celebration to remember. May there be many more.
Mike Clarke