About Locks Sailing Club
The Locks has a reputation as a vibrant club with an active racing fleet and good junior training.
Locks has many members who joined the club as juniors and benefited from the advice and training offered to them; as they have grown up they have trained the incoming young sailors, including their own children and this has led to a strong commitment to training and the involvement of families within the club. Locks has active sailors of all ages from 7- 80 years.
In September 2001 Locks was awarded Volvo Champion Club status in recognition of the club's commitment to youth sail training.
Locks encourages the involvement of active sailing members, particularly participation in the regular dinghy racing that takes place from Easter through to Christmas. Races are held on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season with evening races when the tide timetable permits.
If you want a club with regular competitive racing and a relaxed atmosphere, where you will not get thrown out of the bar for wearing the wrong tie, then Locks should suit you perfectly, whether young or old.
Location
Locks Sailing Club is located in Langstone Harbour (www.langstoneharbour.org.uk) close to its entrance; the harbour lies to the east of Portsmouth and is relatively little known and untouched. The club's location allows racing in the shelter of the harbour as well as outside in the Solent. For the less experienced sailor there is ready access to the Lake at high water, this offers safer protected waters for training and racing, or just fun.
The harbour is designated a site of Special Scientific Interest and is rich with flora and fauna, and it is a bird watcher's paradise. Whilst being at the centre of a three harbour estuary complex, Langstone is much quieter than either Portsmouth or Chichester harbours and all this makes it a wonderful location in which to sail.
Club Facilities
The club has a small but secure compound; the slip way allows access to the water at all states of the tide. The club house has well equipped changing rooms, kitchen and bar. The smooth operation of the club relies on the teamwork of volunteers to run the races and staff the bar.
Social Scene
There are regular social events including quizzes, dinner dances and supporting entertainment for regattas.
Classes
There are a wide range of dinghies sailed and raced at the Club, including Laser, Radial, Solo and Supernova upto RS600, Musto Skiff and International Canoes in the singlehander classes, and Wayfarer, RS400 and 200 and 800 in the two-handers.
Catamarans are not sailed at Locks because there is insufficient compound space. There is also a cruiser sailing section.
Races are run under the Portsmouth Number yardstick scheme. High water races start just outside the clubhouse with low water races starting from the Eastney Cruising Association line in the harbour entrance.
There are also sprint series races started from aa Committee boatd in the harbour
Cruiser Section
While Locks is known predominantly for dinghy racing there is a long tradition of small cruising yachts belonging to club members who take advantage of the very sheltered waters of Langstone Harbour.
Drying Moorings are available to rent from Langstone Harbour Board in Eastney Lake which is a patch of water in the south west corner of the harbour adjacent to the clubhouse and a very safe and secure location with easy access to the harbour entrance and the waters of the Solent.
Also nearby is Premier Southsea Marina (www.premiermarinas.com/southsea), where all-tide moorings are available. Entry is controlled by a tidal cill.
The club owns some small tenders for the exclusive use of the cruiser owners for which an annual use fee is chargeable. Members provide their own rowlocks and oars (or outboards) and working parties are organised in the Spring for all cruiser members to undertake any necessary maintenance.
For more information please contact the Commodore at commodore@lockssc.co.uk .