Other Seafly Clubs
Other clubs with Seafly Fleets were:
Seasalter Sailing Club Seasalter is situated a few miles west of Whitstable on the north Kent coast. The National Championships were hosted there in 1970 and every few years thereafter until the 1990’s. However by 1991 they only had one Seafly registered with the SDCA. Catamarans, always popular there, now dominate at the club.
South Cerney Sailing Club is situated on one of the man-made lakes of the Cotswold Water Park in Gloucestershire. They had the National Champion in 1975 and held an annual Seafly Open meeting up to 1989 but by 1990 they no longer held class racing and the two of the four Seaflys remaining there raced in the Handicap class. By 1996 only two Seaflys were registered there. They remain an active dinghy club but, sadly, without Seaflys.
Starcross Yacht Club, situated near South Devon Boatbuilders in Dawlish, has been called “the Home of the Seafly”. There was a strong fleet of Seaflys racing there in the 1970s and 80s, and Stan Herbert was a Club visitor. National Championships were hosted in the area by the Royal Western YC, the Royal Plymouth Corinthian SC, and Brixham YC. In 1991 there were 22 Seaflys registered with the SDCA and 16 in 1996, but the Seafly fleet is understood to have declined rapidly thereafter. A few Seaflys are still sailed at the club.
Tankerton Bay Sailing Club is situated east of Whitstable on the north Kent coast. They maintained a fleet of Seaflys in the 70’s and usually had about 7 or 8 sailing. Dick Flower was a member and later, based in Ringwood as “Dorset Dinghies”, was licensed by Zygal (of Whitstable) to build wooden Seaflys. However by the late 1980’s there no longer appears to have been Seaflys at Tankerton Bay.
Some other Clubs and venues where Seaflys were (or are) sailed include:
Exeter University Sailing Club used to own Seaflys and use them for instruction, there now (2011) does not seem to be organised sailing at the University.
Glenridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater in the Lake District was once owned by Seafly sailor Tony Longsworth. They have used Seaflys for tuition and or hire since at least the 1990’s. Those used at the Centre are heavier built than normal racing Seaflys. The Centre and the Seafly were reviewed in Water Craft magazine (no. 94, July/August 2012).
Llanfairfechan Sailing Club is on the North Wales Coast, UK. At least two Seaflys were sailed there in the 1960’s taking part in Handicap racing. The photo shows Peter Taylor (Seafly Memories webmaster) launching his Seafly C59 “The Dong” at Llanfairfechan sometime during the 1960’s.