| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Group leader: | |
| When: | Weekly on Thursday mornings 09:15-13:00 |
| Venue: | Hawley Lake Sail Training Centre |
| Cost: | £122 for the year April 2026 until February 2027. |
Please Note - The threat of closure of HLSTC has been lifted and the facility is now in operation again.
Note added by John Harris on 20th March 2026.
What we do
The joint-u3a sailing group, formed in September 2010, meets at Hawley Lake Sail Training Centre (HLSTC).
Our organisation is very flexible to meet a variety of experience levels. We sail in dinghies, beginners will be paired with more experienced sailors. More experienced sailors can try single hander dinghies.
Our normal Thursday morning session consists of rigging and launching the boats, a briefing for the day's activities and then three or four races prior the recovery of the boats, de-rig and stow sails etc. As required, some less experienced sailors may choose to participate in non-race exercises to gain experience before joining in with the racing program.
Bring
- Change of clothes, towel (you never know)
- Windproof lightweight jacket or similar
- Old trousers, warm top (or possibly long sleeved shirt if sun ever comes out)
- Something with which to tie your glasses on
- Plimsols or similar which can get wet (sandals are not good)
- Hat if it’s cold or sunny
Boat Set-up Time
Please arrive by 09:15 at the latest for boat set-up. We sail between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
The cost includes annual group-level membership of the Sailing Club which covers the u3a sessions plus one other weekday sail throughout the year and access to the club open events.
Gallery
Click on any of the images below to see them enlarged.
2026 Season
The 2026 u3a formal sailing season will restart on Thursday 23rd April, with a "sign-up" meeting at the HLSTC clubhouse at 10:30 on Thursday 16th April. The costs have increased for the 2026 season to £122 for u3a group members.
In addition to the formal u3a Thursday morning sailing, members can sail on one other day per week (Monday to Friday), including during the winter, at no additional cost. The lack of wind on a number of Thursdays in 2025 did create an opportunity for members to also kayak and do stand-up paddleboarding on the calm lake, see the last of the photographs in the gallery illustrating the Hawley "Mill pond" on a Thursday morning in mid October. As Mondays normally had wind an informal splinter group formed who sailed most Mondays, coordinated via the Sailing WhatsApp group which is used as the primary communication medium for group members.
2026 Spring Intensive Course
A one-week Spring intensive course for 2026 is highly unlikely due to a shortage of instructors. If the course cannot go ahead only new members that already hold an RYA level 2 certificate or equivalent will be accepted this year.