Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club pushes the boat out!
by Keith Rossiter
The weather gods smiled on our big day last Saturday.
The threatened rain held off, and the Sun made a rare appearance in honour of the speech by former Olympic sailor Keith Musto, who formally opened our new beach clubhouse.
The shiny new building was packed for the event, with guests from around the Bay and beyond. No doubt they enjoyed the added attraction of an appetising spread prepared by the team of Sheila, Helen, Lorna, Wendy, Jayne, Allison, Jane, Karin and Lyn.
Club veterans such as John Coward (aged 91-and-three-quarters) recalled their days as youngsters learning to sail from the ancient fishermen’s store which was used as a clubhouse on Oddicombe Beach.
The redevelopment of the clubhouse has transformed the look of the area.
Mr Musto, whose line of foul-weather clothing will be familiar to many yachtsmen, said the local waters were an ideal playground on which to learn to sail and perfect skills. The conditions here had led some members on to national, international and Olympic levels.
The enthusiasm of club members to encourage young people to learn to sail “instead of playing computer games, or worse” would benefit us all, he said.
Adrian Mark, the Commodore, was praised for pushing the project through to fruition. Club President Neil Spacagna said the idea for a new clubhouse had been mooted for decades, but it took the work of Adrian, and his wife Lyn, to turn it into reality.
The £250,000 needed to rebuild the clubhouse was raised through a variety of approaches, including a Crowdfunder campaign matched by Sport England. Money came from Torbay Council, and local MP Kevin Foster chipped in £500.
The club, which is an RYA-approved training centre, runs a programme of courses for both children and adults.
Thomas Warburton, the club’s Chief Instructor, said: “I’m very proud of our new clubhouse. We have many new amenities including a modernised classroom, which features all new furnishings and a smart screen, hopefully making our classroom-based sessions more comfortable and interactive.
Vice-commodore Neil Mander said: “We have absolutely fantastic facilities now to build the club up for the future.”
Babbacombe Corinthian Sailing Club welcomes new members, both for sailing and as social members at its second clubhouse at the St Marychurch precinct.
The club owns about 20 sailing dinghies, allowing even those members don’t own their boats to get on the water. The sailors are out from early Spring until December, with racing on Tuesday evenings and social sailing on Sundays.
Keith Musto OBE won a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. After the Olympics he set up a sailmaking business, Musto & Hyde, along with Eddie Hyde. Eventually he concentrated solely on sailing and outdoor clothing with his company Musto Clothing.
