MARLOW Sailing Club is preparing to celebrate the opening of its brand-new £75,000 clubhouse on the River Thames at Temple Lane.

Lord Burnham will open the timber clubhouse in an official ceremony on June 13, but members are already getting good use out of it.

Members at Marlow believe they are unique in offering a non-competitive family-orientated sailing club. They organise races occasionally, but they insist their reason for being is not to create match-winning yachtsmen, no one takes it that seriously.

The club started around 25 years ago on an adjacent field to its current home.

Eighteen years ago they moved to their present idyllic spot on the River Thames and ten years later they bought the land from the Bisham Estate.

Two years ago a committee meeting, arranged to discuss problems with rabbits undermining the existing clubhouse foundations and the need for a modern ladies loo, launched the start of a marathon and ultimately successful lottery funding bid.

They achieved it by sticking to the family-centred ethos rather than being tempted into offering to become a 'centre of excellence'. The main stipulation set by the lottery fund was to design-in provisions for disabled sailors. The club rose to the challenge and eagerly satisfied the request.

Chairman Chris Kenny says the club's strength is that it is geared for its 200 members to unwind and enjoy sailing - having fun on the river.

He said: "There are two sorts of sailing club. Those dedicated to racing and those that are family clubs where it's done more for the fun of it. We are more family orientated.

"We can do this by trying to keep fees down to the family level. We have a cheap way of relaxing for all the family. It is the best way of relaxing. You can get out on the river on a lovely summer's evening and forget about the day. We also do it by providing a relaxed atmosphere where people do not have to race."

Mr Kenny believes sailing at Marlow is affordable to most budgets. He says sailing dinghies can be bought for as little as £350. With other costs and maintenance he estimates he spends £200 a year on his hobby - the equivalent of £3.80 per week. For that he gets to sail on one of the country's most picturesque river spots for 12 months of the year.

The opening of the new clubhouse will be the culmination of two years of solid paperwork.

Building a new clubhouse has monopolised virtually every waking hour for some members.

Sheila Battat has been with the club about ten years. She and fellow member Tony Brusaferro were so determined to make the bid a success that they sacrificed two years of sailing to work on the project.

Mrs Battat said: "It is exhausting, but it's very satisfying to have worked on one project now we have got it off the ground and completed it. It's a huge amount of effort. It's only that I have retired that I have had time to do it.

"Tony and I have not sailed for two summers because of the work involved."

Mrs Battat also joined the club because of its informality. She says the first thing she noticed was the friendly and relaxed nature of its members.

"I was getting older and I thought I should be spending more time enjoying myself. I saw a little ad for Marlow Sailing Club. I told them I was a bit older but they said: 'Come down and take a look at us'. I went down there. They were so informal. If anyone has not got a boat several people will come up and say 'come and have a sail'. It really is a friendly, family club."

The lottery fund met 65 per cent of the total cost of the clubhouse and a further £10,000 was paid by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead because the club is based on the Berkshire side of the Thames. The Environment Agency, which is keen to see water areas better used, stumped up a further £2,500. The remainder was paid by the sailing club.

Mrs Battat summed up the feeling of the club now the new clubhouse is complete.

She said: "Our club has waited years and my God they are going to make a day of it when it opens."

Treasurer John Renouf joined because his daughter was interested. While her interest petered away after a little while, he was quickly hooked.

He said: "It is available to the whole family. This must be one of the best places to keep a boat and sail on the river. It's so close it's effectively an extension to the back garden."

When funds allow, the club plans to launch a cadet sailing scheme for youngsters over the age of eight.

% For more information on Marlow Sailing Club and future cadet sailing telephone (01494) 524038

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