Yacht Club History
Redclyffe Yacht Club – the club once described as, “the little club that’s round the bend and up the creek”, was established in 1933 by Percy F. Westerman, who went on to become its first Commodore.
Percy was an author of boys’ adventure stories
and lived on a barge near the current clubhouse where he wrote many of his 178 books. A collection of these books is now housed in the Wareham library.
Redclyffe enjoys the outstanding beauty of the River Frome and its name was inspired by the nearby red sandstone cliffs which overlook it. The Club burgee has a red background with a yellow kingcup in the centre and these flowers can be seen at springtime along the riverbank.
The clubhouse was rebuilt in 1987/8 with the help of Members, who also financed the work. Ongoing maintenance is carried out by Club Members and the ‘Monday Club’, a group of Members, mainly retired, who meet every Monday morning to do whatever is necessary.
In 2008/9 the Club embarked on a major project to replace all the pontoons fronting the clubhouse and in 2012/13 the washrooms were also completely refurbished. Once again this was financed by the membership, who were as usual very much involved in the work.
Aims and Ethos
Being primarily a cruising club, regular rallies are organised throughout the season which can include visits to other local clubs, BBQ’s held in favourite anchorages and cruises to destinations, both local and further afield. Athough only a small club, our Club burgee will be seen flying from Members’ boats from Holland to South Brittany and the Solent to the Scillies and beyond.
The Vice Commodore, as well as organising the cruising programme, also arranges a full social programme throughout the year, which commences with the annual Dinner & Dance in March, followed by the launch party in April. All events held at the Clubhouse are catered by a willing team of helpers, along with donations of food from all that attend.
The ethos of the Club is one of ‘self help’; there is no bar or staff and Members are expected to help with all aspects of running the Club. Members are expected to volunteer for Officer of the Day duty during the season and working parties are organised from time to time to carry out bigger maintenance jobs around the Club. There is also a daily security patrol which checks all boats moored on Club moorings.
New Members
We welcome applications from prospective new members. If you would be interested in joining this very special club please contact the Honorary Secretary (see Contact Us Page).
As a registered community amateur sports club (CASC) we are keen to provide boating opportunities for Members that are not fortunate enough to own their own vessel. To aid this a ‘Crew List’ is maintained that lists Members that have offered to take non-boat owners sailing as crew.