Burntisland Sailing Club: 70th anniversary year marked with a host of events including free ‘come and try’ sessions

The club’s milestone will bring clubs from across the Forth to the town - and it is offering free ‘come and try’ sessions for locals too.

Set up in 1954, the club is in the most accessible deep water harbour on the Firth of Forth with many historically significant, welcoming and picturesque harbours within a day’s sailing. It was started to encourage “affordable sailing” in Fife, originally through dinghy sailing, and thanks to constant activity across the generations, it has grown in strength with a sizeable number of cruising and racing yachts.

Major milestones include a new clubhouse built by the members in 1984, putting in pontoons with the assistance of generous grant funding in 2018 bringing 16 boats off moorings into the shelter of the East Basin, and its all weather access.

BSC is a club, not a marina and members are encouraged to participate in activities as their skills and abilities dictate - a further 20 more berths on innovative pontoons were designed, funded and built by a massive effort from them. Last year BSC members also cruised to many local harbours and sailed as far as Flëkkefjord in Norway as part of twin town celebrations.

Activities are planned through the season, including cruises in company, an anniversary regatta and twice weekly racing in the Forth. This year one club member is planning a non-stop once-in-each-direction double circumnavigation of Britain for charity and another, aged 76, has entered his catamaran in the ISC “Round the Island Race” in support of Alzheimers Scotland a round trip of over 1000nm on top of the race.

BSC is offering free opportunities to try racing and cruising in a variety of yachts, those who want to sail being matched up with boats needing crew. Mentoring in seamanship and navigation skills continues through the year. Modest membership fees have been put on hold for new crew members and there will even be free tea and biscuits on race nights!

BSC provides affordable adventure, company, social activities, the means to gain new skills and much more. A recent association with the newly formed Black Rock Coastal Rowing Club will see a new St Ayles skiff rowing from the harbour through 2024 and they are also recruiting new members, further extending the nautical activities open to the local community.

For more details, email [email protected]