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ClubCoastalHerne Bay, KentHerne Bay

Herne Bay Sailing Club

BeginnerTrainingJuniors

Herne Bay Sailing Club is an active coastal club with cadets, training, open sailing, racing and social sailing.

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Can a beginner start here?

Dinghy sailing, Club racing, Training, Cadets, Open sailing, Improver sailing, Social sailing

Beginner
The current official training page says Herne Bay Sailing Club runs RYA training courses for members to introduce new sailors to sailing, including RYA dinghy Level 1 and 2 courses. The membership page also says members get discounted RYA course fees, while children of eligible members can access cadet sessions and adults can use improvers sessions when not novices.
Training
The official training page says the club runs RYA dinghy courses for members, with 2025 Level 1 and 2 course dates listed and a member dinghy course price of GBP 175 including course documentation, reference book, and certificate. It also offers RYA powerboat handling and safety boat training, with powerboat courses arranged when three members want the qualification and a reduced member price of GBP 100 for members committing to four safety-boat helm duties. Training enquiries are directed to the training team, by visiting the club on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, or by emailing membership@hernebaysailingclub.co.uk.
Taster· Unclear
Current official pages show scheduled Improvers and Open Sailing sessions in 2026 and describe Open Sailing as practice under safety-boat supervision, with no coaching, and Improvers as supported by an experienced sailor or instructor. However, the current official evidence does not clearly state a public taster session, try-sailing session, or current open day for non-members or complete beginners, so public taster/open-day availability is unknown.

Activity tags

Cadets· AudienceClub racing· ActivityDinghy sailing· ActivityImprover sailing· ActivityOpen sailing· ActivitySocial sailing· ActivityTraining· Training

Suitability

Juniors, families, and accessibility

Juniors
The current official cadets page describes the club as welcoming and family-friendly, with a youth sailing programme and cadet section for ages 8 to 18. It says sessions run alternate Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm when volunteers are available, parents must accompany children and help support sessions, and parents can learn to sail and drive powerboats through club training programmes. It also says cadet sessions cannot be guaranteed and should be checked with hbsc.cadets@gmail.com. The membership page says cadet training sessions are currently fully subscribed and cannot accept further cadets, but children with RYA Youth Stage 4 or RYA Adult Level 2 can join general improvers sessions currently on Saturday mornings.
Access· Unclear
No current official evidence was found for disabled access, accessible toilets or changing rooms, step-free access, adaptive sailing, or other access-needs support. The current official pages checked include membership, training, cadets, contact, booking, and policy links, but they do not clearly state accessibility provision.

Costs

Costs, membership, and boats

Prices

The official 2026 membership page lists annual fees: Full GBP 160, Family GBP 200, Young adult/student GBP 70, Social/Joint Social GBP 70/GBP 95, Country/Joint Country GBP 70/GBP 95, Senior/Joint GBP 70/GBP 95, and joining fee GBP 0. New members joining 1 Aug to 31 Oct pay reduced fees, and new members joining 1 Nov to 31 Dec are listed as GBP 0. Extra charges listed are first boat registration and parking GBP 120, second boat registration GBP 81, U25 boat registration GBP 58, kayak storage GBP 35, large locker GBP 14, small locker GBP 7, and refundable key fob deposit GBP 20. The training page lists member dinghy courses at GBP 175 and reduced member powerboat courses at GBP 100 when the safety-boat duty commitment is met.

Membership

Official site lists membership, cadets, training, calendar, duties and crew-finder pages.

Boat hire
Member boat and paddlesport access is available, but this is not evidenced as public hire. The official membership page lists complimentary hire of club kayaks and SUPs when a safety boat is on the water, and hire of club dinghies with fees applying. The cadets page says the club provides sailing equipment and wetsuits at no cost for cadets and offers club dinghies including Optibats, Toppers, Fevas, Laser 2000s, and Visions.

Facilities

Facilities and equipment

Cadets· OtherClubhouse· ClubhouseDuty roster· OtherCrew finder· OtherTides· OtherWeather· OtherTraining· Other

Location

Herne Bay · 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)