Otley Sailing Club needs your vote to win prestigious national award

Otley Sailing Club, which is invitingly positioned between the River Wharfe and Weston Water, has been shortlisted as one of 12 finalists for the RYA and Sailing Today Club of the Year award.

The volunteer-run club which launched in 1958 boasts 350 members and offers a wide variety of water-based activities, including training courses, social events, dinghy racing, junior sessions, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding.

"We weren’t really expecting it because we’ve applied for it before and not got anywhere,” Gill Walton, the Commodore of Otley Sailing Club told The Yorkshire Post.

"It would be absolutely tremendous if we won, it would be great publicity for the club and would be particular reward for all our volunteers, and a nice recognition for them.”

Otley Sailing Club is a leading provider of sailing for disabled people through its Sailfree (RYA Sailability) programme, running an impressive 1,250 sessions a year for local schools, charities and community groups.

"It would be nice also for all the work we do with the Sailfree programme,” added Walton of the pioneering work they do with the disabled.

"We have a fleet of special dinghies that disabled people can use and run loads of sessions throughout the year.”

The club is RYA OnBoard accredited for its quality provision for eight to 18-year-olds, which helps inspire the next generation of sailors and volunteers, and as an RYA Training Centre runs a full range of courses for both children and adults.

"Our oldest member who still goes out on the water is in his early 80s,” says Walton.

Otley Sailing Club is used by a multitude of local clubs, including Leeds/Bradford Triathlon Club, Open Water Swimming, Life Guards, British Triathlon Federation and Leeds Triathlon Centre.

Olympic gold-medal winning triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee are among those who train on the club’s water.

“We’re an approachable, relaxed and friendly club and we’re in a stunning location with a lovely clubhouse overlooking the lake, just a couple of miles from the centre of a busy market town, so it’s a real oasis," continued Walton.

“We managed to recover very successfully after the lockdowns and restrictions of the Covid pandemic and we do a tremendous amount of work to encourage people onto the water with a focus on providing inclusive activities for all.

“It’s absolutely amazing to have been shortlisted for the Club of the Year award. We are hoping that being a finalist will inspire people to find out more and vote for us!”

Recent investment by the club and grants, including from Sport England, has enabled improvements to be made to their modern clubhouse following the Covid pandemic.

They have also combated flood damage with the creation of a new wetroom and an accessible level patio ideal for training and wheelchair users.

The award is a public vote, so go and support your Yorkshire club.

To cast your vote, visit the online awards page: http://awards.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/rya/

Voting will close at midnight on Sunday, January 22, and the winner will be announced at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show in Farnborough on Saturday, February 25.