Club History
1952
A group of like-minded employees of the London County Council formed a sailing club affiliated to the Greenwich Yacht Club and to the Aquarius S.C. at Hampton. They soon acquired their own sailing dinghies suitable for use on non tidal waters and sailed with and against the two clubs.
1956
There was significant arm twisting within the system to acquire land adjacent to the new Schools Rowing Centre at Barn Elms on the Putney Reach of the Thames. South Bank Sailing Club was established at Barn Elms and the members built a DIY wooden clubhouse complete with a water and electricity supply. The move to the tidal Thames River required a different type of boat so they bought one of the newly developed “Enterprises”.
1972
Alas this thriving club lost its clubhouse by fire, set by arsonists. The fire also destroyed all the club boats, the safety boat and a number of members’ boats as well. It took three years until the Council finally agreed to replace the clubhouse under an insurance agreement and so in 1977 the present building was handed over. By now the Club was a constituent sports club within the Greater London Council and membership was predominantly Council employees.
The 1980s
The GLC was disbanded and membership was opened to the public.
2011
The Club undertook a series of improvements internally and externally to the building providing a refurbished comfortable clubhouse.
Recently
The club has continued to thrive thanks to a welcoming atmosphere, and we have grown into a busy, friendly and still reasonably priced club with a good proportion of young members and several family groups. The Club is a member of the Royal Yachting Association and it achieved Community Amateur Sports Club status in 2007; (see CASC guidance page)
The club continues to maintain and improve its collection of dinghies, and has modernised with card payments, a YouTube channel, and this new website.