East Dorset Sailing Club

East Dorset Sailing Club describes itself as for sailors of all levels and runs regular novice events. Its Novice Tuesdays are for adult members and junior members too old for Pirates, with support boats on the water and a non-racing, friendly format.

Training evidence is limited to club/member development rather than formal public courses: the safety policy says members are encouraged to attend safety training sessions, including basic sailing techniques, emergency procedures and first aid/CPR, and says support boat training is delivered each season by a qualified club-member instructor. The Pirates information states the club is not a recognised RYA Training Centre and does not award RYA qualifications.

No current official evidence found for public taster sessions, open days, or try-sailing sessions. The club does list Novice Tuesdays for members and a membership application/contact process, but that is not enough to mark public tasters as available.

The club runs Pirates, a junior supported sailing programme. The current site says Pirates is for children and parents, normally has on-water sessions during the season, and is currently listed as fully subscribed for 2024 with a waiting list. The 2025 safety policy describes Pirates as a junior programme for children and young people aged 6-13, with a parent or guardian member supervising.

No specific public accessibility information found for disabled access, adaptive sailing, step-free access, or changing/access needs. The safety policy says the club has an equality policy and challenges discrimination, but it does not provide practical visitor accessibility details.

Members can use club dinghies for a fee during the sailing season. The public site lists club-owned Topper Argos, Fusion Pros, Toppers, Lasers and an Optimist, and the safety policy says club boats must be booked and paid for through the EDSC booking page.