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ClubCoastalKeyhaven, HampshireKeyhaven River, local creeks, and the Solent

Hurst Castle Sailing Club

BeginnerTrainingJuniors

Hurst Castle Sailing Club is a family-oriented Keyhaven club with dinghy racing, pottering, kayaking, cruising in larger boats, and social activity around the Keyhaven River and Solent.

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Start

Can a beginner start here?

Dinghy cruising, Dinghy racing, Sportboat / RIBs, Yacht cruising, Yacht racing

Beginner
Hurst Castle Sailing Club has clear beginner-friendly signals for members: the home page says the club gives a warm welcome to people of all ages, boating interests and experience levels; the adult dinghy training page says some courses are for people new to sailing or with little or no experience; and the racing notes say everyone is welcome with age and/or experience no barrier. This is a member club rather than a public activity centre, so beginners should use the membership/contact route.
Training
The club publishes adult dinghy sailing training for adult club members, including sessions for people new to sailing or with little or no experience and refresher courses for those with some experience. Training follows RYA teaching-method principles, covers practical dinghy skills such as rigging, sail setting, tacking, gybing, triangular-course sailing, capsize recovery, man-overboard recovery and coming alongside, and costs GBP 20 per person per session. The membership page also says sailing training sessions run during the season for juniors and adults using RYA qualified instructors. The site says it does not currently run in-house VHF or First Aid training.
Taster· Unclear
No current official public taster sail, try-sailing session, open day, or dated Push The Boat Out-style event was found on the checked official pages. The home page includes a photo/news gallery item called Push The Boat Out Open Day, but without a current date or booking details, so it has not been treated as current taster availability.

Activity tags

Dinghy cruising· ActivityDinghy racing· ActivitySportboat / RIBs· ActivityYacht cruising· ActivityYacht racing· Activity

Suitability

Juniors, families, and accessibility

Juniors
The club is explicitly family-orientated and runs a Junior Sailing Programme. The junior page says the programme is organised by parent/grandparent members to help children spend time on the water and learn to sail with others of similar age; minimum participation age is 6, children must be comfortable in the water and able to swim 25 metres, and they must either have a parent or grandparent who is a member or be junior members in their own right. Membership information includes family and junior categories.
Access· Unclear
No current official practical accessibility information was found for step-free clubhouse access, accessible toilets or changing, disabled parking, hoists, adapted sailing, or Sailability-style support. The application form asks whether applicants have a medical condition or disability they would like the club to be aware of and directs them to the Membership Secretary; the on-shore page allows assistance dogs where other dogs are restricted, but this is not enough to confirm accessible facilities or adapted sailing provision.

Costs

Costs, membership, and boats

Prices

Official 2025 membership fees are published: entrance fees are Single GBP 60, Family GBP 85, Junior nil and Student nil; annual subscription plus suggested donation totals are Single GBP 75, Family GBP 120, Junior GBP 6, Student GBP 25, and temporary member GBP 15 per week. Adult dinghy training costs GBP 20 per person per session. Club boat daily hire for members is GBP 10 for Hartley, Scow and Zest dinghies, GBP 5 for Optimists, and GBP 5 for kayaks. On-shore fees include rentable lockers and engine store at GBP 10 per annum, plus a returnable GBP 1 daily locker slot charge.

Membership

Official site describes a warm welcome for people of all ages, boating interests, and experience levels, and says the club is family-oriented and self-help.

Boat hire
Club boat use is available to members through an online booking service, not as public walk-up hire. The club boat page says dinghies stored at the club are available for hire by club members, lists the fleet including Hartley 12.2s, RS Zests, Optimists, Keyhaven and Lymington River Scows, and kayaks, and publishes charges of GBP 10 per day for Hartley, Scow and Zest dinghies, GBP 5 per day for Optimists, and GBP 5 per day for kayaks.

Facilities

Facilities and equipment

Clubhouse· ClubhouseClub boats· Other

Location

Keyhaven · 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 (2)