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University ClubCoastalDurham / Derwent Reservoir, County DurhamDerwent Reservoir and UK university racing venues

Durham University Sailing Club

BeginnerTrainingJuniors

Durham University Sailing Club is Durham University's student sailing club, sailing mainly at Derwent Reservoir and competing in university sailing events.

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Start

Can a beginner start here?

University sailing, Team racing, Fleet racing, Match racing, Yachting, Learn to sail, Social sailing

Beginner
The club says it welcomes all Durham University students, including people completely new to sailing. Its dinghy page also says social sailing opportunities are encouraged for anyone, especially people who have never tried sailing before.
Training
The club describes regular team-racing training during the winter and says it has run RYA Level 1 and 2 courses for people who had never sailed before. The RYA course page is stale because it lists 2024 course dates, so it confirms the type of training offered but not current course availability.
Taster
Current official pages mention casual/social sailing for people who have never tried sailing before, yachting social sailing for those who want to try it out, and a pre-season sailing week open to incoming and returning Durham students. No current dated open day or taster booking page was found.

Activity tags

Fleet racing· ActivityLearn to sail· TrainingMatch racing· ActivitySocial sailing· ActivityTeam racing· ActivityUniversity sailing· AudienceYachting· Activity

Suitability

Juniors, families, and accessibility

Juniors
The official pages frame participation around Durham University students, including incoming and returning students, and I found no current junior or family sailing offer on the official site.
Access· Unclear
I found no accessibility information on the Durham University Sailing Club official pages. A secondary RYA listing describes the host site, Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club, as a Sailability Centre, but that does not confirm Durham University Sailing Club's own accessibility arrangements.

Costs

Costs, membership, and boats

Prices

No current pricing page or current membership/course price was found. The only explicit price found was a £130 cost for RYA courses on a page listing 2024 course dates, so it should not be treated as current pricing.

Membership

Club website and BUSA listing describe a Durham University student sailing club using Fireflies at Derwent Reservoir, with team racing, fleet racing, match racing, yachting and learn-to-sail activity.

Boat hire· Unclear
The club states that it maintains a Firefly dinghy fleet and that RYA courses include equipment such as buoyancy aids, but I found no current official statement about public boat hire or member boat hire.

Facilities

Facilities and equipment

Firefly fleet· OtherUniversity club programme· OtherUniversity racing teams· OtherYachting programme· OtherDerwent Reservoir training venue· Other

Location

Durham / Derwent Reservoir · 6 nearby clubs mapped

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Trust

Sources and data quality

Data status
Verified
Find Watersports check
12 Jun 2026
Club verification
Not listed
Sources checked (4)