Newhaven & Seaford Sailing Club

NSSC is an extremely friendly club that welcomes new members. You will be joining a group of people who love the sports of dinghy sailing, windsurfing and water-sports in general, and who are more than happy to share that enthusiasm. The club is run on a self-help basis and joining in with the tasks that are needed for the club to function, enables new members to quickly make friends and settle in. For many it has become a long-term passion and many members have been active in the club for many years.

NSSC is an approved RYA Training Centre and facilities are available for both adults and juniors and sailors with disabilities. At the core of our training is the “Starting Dinghy Sailing” course, which takes novice sailors up to a level where they are confident to sail dinghies single-handed. We also offer occasional Learn to Sail and Improver courses. We have a full-programme of cadet training as well. None of our training requires you to have your own boat. Because of the safe environment at Piddinghoe, training leads to practice and skills development (boat hire is available) that can then lead to joining-in with our racing programme at Piddinghoe itself or on the sea at Seaford. We have a dedicated team of race coaches, including sailors who have been both National and World Champions so any level of ability at adult or junior level can be accommodated.

We also offer powerboat courses, again to RYA standards, using our powered boats at Piddinghoe and Seaford.

Most of the core training is offered at a discount to our members.

The club is unique amongst those in the area, by having two main sailing locations. We have a beach-based site at Seaford from which we launch dinghies and catamarans, mainly for our racing programme on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings from Spring to Autumn. We have a sailing week at Seaford each summer where we can camp and sail every day and enjoy social events every night. But we also have the inland lake at Piddinghoe (affectionately referred to as “the pond”) which is multi-purpose. It’s great for improving your skills and being trained. It’s also our racing-base over winter, allowing us to do competitive racing throughout the year. Children and young adults excel at Piddinghoe and it’s where we hold our ever-popular Cadet Week (sailing, camping and generally having fun) and Cadet Evenings where are younger sailors can enjoy sailing on a week-day evening after school. Piddinghoe is an idyllic and tranquil location that is good just for picnics and leisure. At Newhaven Marina we keep our safety boats and some members keep small keel-boats there for racing with the dinghy and catamaran fleets on the sea.

We offer racing for dinghies and catamarans throughout the year: in the summer that’s at Seaford and in the winter at Piddinghoe. This is done to the RYA rule-book. Our sailors cover all skills levels. We’ve had sailors pushing for Olympic places, racing alongside sailors just out of the “Starting Dinghy Sailing” training. You can take the racing as seriously as you want: many just want a competitive sail on a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, while others are chasing the various cups and trophies we award at our annual prizegiving dinner. Racing is available to all ages, and one of the beauties of sailing is that a teenager can compete with sailors in their seventies. There aren’t many sports that are so age-blind.

On a Sunday morning in summer we’ll have 20 or 30 sailors racing (no race-fees), each knowing that the handicap system allows different boats to compete together. That’s followed by an opportunity for a late lunch or early drink in our beach-side café. In winter the same happens at Piddinghoe, but in a slightly colder environment.

For the equivalent of about a pint of beer per week a family of any size can join the club as full sailing members. That gives all of them use of our facilities at both sites, plus discounted training and significant discount on all purchases at the licenced Galley café at Seaford. For that fee they can free-sail at any time and race with us at no additional cost. They also have access to our social activities (and club-nights at Seaford). Single memberships are also available and, for non-sailors, we have a lower annual social member category. Payments can be made monthly or annually, and we’re fully connected to on-line membership-management and payments. There add-ons for facilities like reserving a berth for your boat.

Being a member of the club brings much more than just access to sailing. There’s also a lively social programme at both sites. We have “club nights” at our Galley café Seaford (members and their guests only) where you can bring the family and meet other members for a drink and a chat. Sometimes that includes an event like a quiz, bingo, a race-night or wine tasting. We also hold dinners and lunches at Seaford (or at outside locations) throughout the year. We do expect our members to volunteer to help the club, and this can often be the excuse for a get-together and chat.

Piddinghoe is a great location for an impromptu gathering on a summer’s day or evening, when the camp-fire is lit and a barbecue gets going. You can even camp there (for a small fee) overnight