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Home / ABOUT THE CLUB / History
Home / ABOUT THE CLUB / History

History

Beginnings
Slaughden Sailing Club was started over forty years ago by a small group of local people who had attended evening classes in Leiston. Some had built their own Mirror dinghy and they wanted somewhere to sail, rather than race. As there was no nearby club willing to host their needs, they started their own under the Chairmanship of Harry Molyneux. It was known as the Slaughden Sailing Association. The Aldeburgh Town Council allowed them to keep their boats on an old tip at Slaughden and Fred Cane the local boatman allowed them use of his slip.

The First Clubhouse.

Soon other people showed interest in the Association and its membership grew. At first a small boat with a lid on it, lying in the adjacent creek, met the basic needs for a brew up and somewhere to change. Walking the plank to board it produced its own hazards so an old caravan was acquired. When this was swept away in winter gales thoughts turned to a fixed clubhouse. The Association became a Club and a long lease on the site was obtained from the Aldeburgh Council. Funds were short and there was no Lottery money in those days. An old Terrapin school building, some 50 miles away, was bought, dismantled, moved and re-erected on the Club's site. With the concrete raft already prepared the whole operation was achieved by members' efforts in a single day.

Expansion
By the 1980's club membership had increased, there was keen dinghy racing and a larger clubhouse was required. Some parts of an old sectional building, used as construction workers accommodation, were obtained from a nearby site. The original foundation raft was extended and new changing rooms added. The following decade saw the original Terrapin deteriorate, its steel structural components weakened by corrosion.
Also during this time the original lease on the site expired. The Club was able to negotiate another, at considerably higher rent, but including more land. The Club also leased a piece of foreshore and a neighbouring creek from the Crown Commissioners.
...and Lottery Funding
The first application for New Clubhouse Lottery Funding failed but the second succeeded. Members made interest free loans and provided a lot of professional and other work free to the Club. As a result a completely new Clubhouse was completed in 2003.

Dinghy Park Expansion

The dinghy park was often full and members did not always have a space, so SCDC was approached with a view of getting consent to use some of the Slaughden Quay car park as dinghy park. The club was allowed to purchase a piece of the car park etc etc

Last updated 20:40 on 23 December 2021

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