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Membership

IOS Sailing Club welcomes new members of all abilities.

Joining is a simple process:

(a) Fill out an online Membership Application form (and optionally add Boat Parking if you wish to store a boat(s) in one of the club's two compounds). The online application form can be found below:

Web Collect Online Membership Application Form

(b) Your application will be considered at the next meeting of the club's committee (usually held monthly) for approval. You will be contacted by the Membership Secretary to let you know the outcome and provide you with any further information necessary.

The Club is registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) which reduces the rates bill by at least 80%.

Please be aware that a requirement of this status is: 50% of members must participate in sporting activities (this can include sailing, training, duties or any voluntary help in the running of the club) on at least 12 separate days a year.

IOS Sailing Club Constitution (Rules)

Contact info
About the club
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The membership year runs from 1st Jan to 31st December, with pro rata discounts available for new members if joining late in the year. The fees for the current year are set out below:

2024 Membership Categories
Family (includes children under 18) £205
Individual £170
Student (18-25 in full time education) £75
Senior (entitled to receive state pension) £75
Junior (under 18, no voting rights) £75
Swimming / Paddlesport (no voting rights) £75
Social (no voting rights) £20
2024 Boat Parking Fees
Fee payable: boat length x beam rounded to nearest sq. m.
Sailing boat / catamaran (Sheerness) £11.50 per sq. m.
Sailing boat / catamaran (Minster) £5.50 per sq. m.

Duties

Membership fees are kept low as the club is entirely run by volunteers and does not have any paid staff (apart from cleaner) - as a result, and as is common at most sailing clubs - members are required to undertake around 2 or 3 duties a year which are allocated according to preference on a rota basis.

Duties include: Race Officer, Assistant Race Officer, Safety Boat Helm (RYA Powerboat Level 2 qualification required) and Safety Boat Crew. New members are usually paired with a more experienced member and allocated to either Assistant Race Officer (recording competitor finishing times inside the race tower) or Safety Boat Crew which require no prior knowledge.

Visiting

If you'd like to visit the club to view the facilities and find out more, the best day to visit is on a Sunday between 9.30am and 3pm during the sailing season (April - Oct) when there are usually members present who can assist with any questions you may have.

The site can be viewed externally from the pavement or seafront at any time during the week but there are unlikely to be members present. A large free car parking area is 3 mins walk to the east of the club, opposite the Ship on Shore pub.

New to Sailing

If you would like to learn how to sail, the club runs RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Level 1 & 2 Training Courses. Usually one Adult course and one Cadet course are held each year. Another popular way into sailing is to crew for an existing member. Alternatively, visit the RYA Start Boating website.

Trial sailing / Thinking of switching clubs

If you're thinking of changing clubs but are unsure, the club is usually happy to accomodate sailors who would like to bring their boat along for the day on a Sunday to try out sailing here - although this would be at your own risk - and it's usually best to arrange this in advance by emailing the club.

Additional Notes

Due to limited space in the sailing club's main compound, only sailing dinghies or catamarans can be stored and members are only allowed to store one boat unless otherwise agreed by the committee. Space for additional boats is available in a large satellite compound 1km to the east of the club at Minster, which is shared with Minster Windsurf Academy.

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