Hayling Island Sailing Club won ‘Club of the Year’ award for 2014

by Sarah Johnson on 10 Jan 2015 Hayling Island Sailing Club has won the coveted Yachts and Yachting ‘Club of the Year’ award for 2014 and will receive its prize at a prestigious awards ceremony to be held at the London Boat Show on 15th January 2015.

The Yachts and Yachting awards aim to highlight the best performances, products, clubs and events of the last 12 months and to be named ‘Club of the Year’ is a tremendous accolade for the committee, staff and members of HISC who hosted an action-packed year in 2014. Consistently good weather, record levels of sailing activity as well as the highest ever membership levels meant that 2014 was a hugely successful year for the club.

2014 was the year HISC hosted the Moth National and World Championships; possibly the most high profile event the club has ever organized, and a record turnout for the class. The two years of meticulous planning ensured an extremely well run event both on and off the water and the huge level of media interest that the event secured was testament to its worldwide success.

HISC also hosted a number of other extremely successful events in 2014 including the RS200 and 420 National Championships, The RS Classes Southern Championships with over 200 boats as well as a busy programme of open and grand prix events for a wide selection of dinghy classes. All this on top of the normal 6 series Open Pursuit races, Saturday and Sunday club racing series, Family Fun Week, the largest ever Youth Race Week, and a busy schedule of training and youth events held throughout the year!

Another highlight of 2014 was the launch of the hugely successful Get Racing Club; an initiative which saw a large number of newcomers get on the water to learn key racing techniques, build confidence and gain valuable racing skills in a relaxed and informal format from experienced volunteer racing ‘mentors’.

Commenting on the award, HISC Commodore Greg Lamb said, 'This is a fantastic and well deserved achievement for everyone involved with Hayling Island Sailing Club. From the committee members who give their valuable time and experience to assist in the running of the club, to the dedicated and hard-working team of permanent staff and of course the enthusiastic members who get such enjoyment from the varied racing schedule and many social events held at the club. 2014 was a memorable year for all sorts of reasons and to win the Yachts and Yachting ‘Club of the Year’ Award is the icing on the cake for us!'