Members Handbook

The following rules are mandatory for everyone’s safety, and some are written into the terms of our lease from Thames Water.

Sailing times:

Sailing at other times is possible for experienced sailors, see the byelaws for details.

You can cruise at any time that the club is open, but if you aren’t racing please stay clear of the start and finish lines and give way to racers.

Please note that on summer Sundays, last launch is at 3:00pm but you can then sail until 4pm. The clubhouse should be vacated by 5pm so the duty team can go home.

The main sailing activity at the club is racing on Saturdays (1st April to 31st October), Sundays and Wednesday evenings (April to August, check programme for actual dates). The format and times of the race can be found in the programme.

All are welcome to join in and we have all sorts of standards and plenty of room for all. The water is deep, there are no nearby trees and one advantage of being a raised reservoir is good wind, when there is some to be had.

The marks are numbered clockwise with 1 being left of the club house, through to 9 to the right of the club house. The Odd number marks are Orange and are round, the even number marks are yellow and cylindrical with fins on a pole. Two special marks are F in front of the club house and a movable mark X that is round and pink.

The start line is from the front post on the committee boat to the ODM, or outer distance mark - a small round pink buoy.

The course is usually displayed in the club house but the authoritative one is displayed on the committee boat as it may be changed on the water.

To enter the race, just put your race card in the centre rack by the course board in the club house. Fill out a temporary race card or see the membership secretary to get a permanent race card. The race officer’s job is much easier if they can match the sailor to the baot and the race cards do this. For your results to be valid for the Wednesday series, you must also sign up for a duty.

If you are unsure about racing and worried about getting in the way you can hang back at the start and go wide around a mark if it is congested. Sailing a prescribed course will improve your sailing ability much faster than 'going where the wind takes you'.

See here for a detailed introduction to racing. The racing rules are quite complicated as they cover many obscure situations, however there are only a few things you need to know to get started:

Race results appear on the website, usually within a day or so of the race. The Sailing Secretary works out series positions and at the end of a series prizes are handed out.

We generally host about half a dozen open meetings through a year. These are normally on Saturdays and the default is there is no club sailing on those occasions, but check the programme for exceptions.

The Duty team is larger on these days to help run the event and make sure our visitors have a good time. It is a good time to see some exciting racing and maybe learn a thing or two about racing, so don’t be shy about getting involved.

If racing isn’t your thing then that is perfectly fine. All we ask is that you keep out of the way of anyone racing, don’t sail on a parallel track as this my effect their wind and keep away from the marks being used by the race.

Safety cover will be provided by the duty team but their focus will be on the higher concentration of boats racing and they may not be aware of your presence or difficulties. It is your responsibility to let the duty team know (by radio) of your plans and that your abilities are sufficient to cope with the actual and forecast conditions.

Access to the club is via two gates with coded locks.

We are required by Thames Water to keep both gates locked at all times outside of sailing hours. Please ensure the gates are locked and scrambled when you leave.

If you are at the club alone, keep us and yourself secure by locking yourself in. If you have a problem with the locks, please tell the committee as soon as possible; the next duty team do not want to arrive to find that they can’t get in!

Please preserve our access road by keeping speeds below 10 mph. Do not drive off the side of the road, it will wreck the edges.

Club parking is by the inner gate, both inside and outside. Please don’t use the reserved spaces. The road is the only right of way across the field; a large water main runs close to the surface so don’t try any off-roading! These are conditions of our lease with Thames Water.

You can access the club at any time, but please be mindful of your safety. If you have an accident it may be a while before anyone notices and help arrives. If you are going on the water we have a 'two boat rule' to make sure there is always someone else on the water at the same time so you can act as rescue cover for each other.

The duty system is the backbone of the club and without it there would be no one to open and close the club at weekends, no one to man the safety boats, no one to run the races, no one to prepare and serve food and drink. Indeed, it is only by members undertaking their duties that the club can operate at all.

The duty roles are (more information will be found in the Duty Day Handbook later on):

Duties are undertaken by all full members of the club and when you join/renew your membership you will be given a choice of duty dates. Normally one winter Sunday, one summer Sunday and one summer Saturday. This is to allow you to select dates most convenient to you and minimise the number of swaps required.

Duties are managed through an on-line system. You can check your duty commitments, confirm your attendance and arrange swaps at any time using this system from the dashboard. It will send you email reminders about your duties a few weeks before each is due. See the section on the Membership and Training Portal for more details.

If you cannot find a day convenient to you for one, or more, of your duties you will normally be able to swap with another member. The sooner that you seek any necessary swap the more likely it is that you will find someone to swap with so please don’t delay. It is your responsibility to arrange a swap if you have been allocated a duty that is not convenient for you.

In order to maintain a necessary minimum level of expertise on any given day members are allocated to particular skills groups depending on their experience and expertise. Swaps are therefore restricted to members of your own skills group. As time goes by and you acquire more experience it is likely that your skills group will change or expand but this will normally only happen at the renewal of your membership. If you are ready to assist in a new role, the duty race officer may possibly be able to reassign you on the day.

On your duty days you should be at the clubhouse 90 minutes before the first race to set up. The duty day handbook tells you all you need to know - and don’t be afraid to ask, we want everyone to learn.

Duties are fun - a day in the fresh air and sunshine (we hope), a chance to observe some top sailing and the opertunity to meet other club members on the duty team. If your duty falls on an open meeting, please make visitors feel very welcome as you never know who might be thinking of joining us.

One final point - we keep the duty teams as lean as possible to keep the total duty commitment to a minimum. This does mean that if you don’t turn up the duty team will be short of a necessary member and this may prevent the day’s programme from being carried out.

Working parties are held twice a year, and also need a good turnout if we are to operate. They give you a chance the meet like minded people and enjoy the camaraderie while working together. Wear appropriate clothing, footwear and gloves for the scheduled work including buoyancy aid if working on or near the water. Lunch and refreshments are provided on the day.

The main working party days are on Sundays and there are no sailing or other water activities then. If you are not able to make the Sunday then the Saturday may be an option, but check your email to see if an auxiliary working party day is being run.

Scheduled jobs will be notified to members via email shortly before the working party. On the day, job sheets will be posted at the club. Choose a job and sign your name on the appropriate sheet. If you need help or clarification, please speak to the Rear Commodore Works.

If you have bought something for or on behalf of the club you may be able to claim the expense back from the club. Note whatever you have purchased must comply with the the Procurement Policy.

On the membership website one of the menu is called 'Expenses' and the first time you need to use the expenses system you need to fill out your bank details. Click on the 'View or Edit Bank Details' and fill out the form.

Use the 'New Expense' menu item to start a new expense claim. You can add as many expense items on the same claim, but it is better if you keep related items on the one claim. You can save the claim to add to it later or submit it immediately.

Use the 'List Expenses' menu item to track a claims progress or just rely on the email notifications as the claim status changes.

All being well, the Treasurer will process your claim and the claim amount will be deposited in your bank account.

Berthing is located at the bottom or top of the reservoir. Bottom berthing is more convenient if you are taking your boat away a lot, for example to open meetings, and is more sheltered from the winter storms. Top berthing is more convenient for sailing as you don’t need to use the winch and ramp every time.

We don’t allocate berths as such. Have a look around and find a spot that looks unused (probably overgrown, with no signs or ropes) and start using it. Please note the space in front of some of the ramps cannot be used for berthing as it is needed so large boats can turn onto the ramp and provide a space where windsurfers or wing foilers can rig.

Berthing priority is given to frequent sailors and the club reserves the right to move boats in prime spots if the boat is infrequently used. Before any such move the owner will be notified by email.

All boats must be tied down fore and aft, and round the mast where appropriate, to the tie-down chain or scaffold poles. If you do not do this your boat will blow over, damaging itself and possibly other boats. Ensure that your cover is secure too.

You are responsible for keeping the grass, weeds, brambles, etc. in your berth under control. Thames Water do frequent inspections of the reservoir and this is one thing they are hot on.

Thames Water sometimes take a truck round the top of the reservoir. Please ensure that your boat does not stick out further than all the others. Items must also not protrude beyond the rear fence as this breaks one of the conditions in our lease.

Each berthed boat must have a tag on it. The NFC tag can be read electronically using a phone or similar equipment and allows the twice yearly audit of berths to be done efficiently and without removing covers.

If your boat doesn’t have a tag then one will be attached during the next berthing audit. Sending out tags for members to attach themselves would be easier, but unfortunately experience has shown the majority fail to get attached.

Your attention is drawn to section 5 in the club rules that determine the actions the club may take on boats found to be berthed without the necessary fee being paid.

Winches are available to hoist boats up and down the bank. These machines can be dangerous if misused and may only be operated by adults who have been shown how they work. No person under the age of 16 shall operate the winch or be in control of a load ascending or descending.

If using either of the winches for the first time, please ask someone to show you how they work. Note that the winch does not need to be operated to bring boats down - the friction of the rope around the capstan is sufficient to allow a controlled descent. Read and follow the safety signs on and around the winches. Two people are always needed to get a boat up or down: one on the rope, one with the boat.

The ramp is steep so ensure that:

We try to cater for all wants, and the social committee welcomes suggestions (and assistance!). Please don’t be shy about coming to a social event, there will be other newcomers, and you’re bound to see people you know. You are most welcome to bring guests to social events.

During spring and summer we run a 'friendly friday' one eveing a month. No racing, no teaching; just relaxed sailing, canoeing, paddleboarding and motor boating for members and newcomers of all ages. Newcomers can sail with friendly experts. Food and refreshment available, or bring a picnic.

You can, at your own risk, leave valuables in the cupboard by the tea bar, please do not leave valuables or cash in the changing rooms.

IBRSC always welcomes new members so if you see someone who may be a prospective member then introduce yourself and the club to them. If you’re having fun, introduce a friend.

If you have any problems or queries, please don’t hesitate to ask the appropriate committee person for help; all the contact names and numbers are on the race programme and there is a photo board by the bar. There is also a lot of information on our websites.

Nearly all our communication is done by email so please ensure your email address is correct and up to date. You will be subscribed to notices@islandbarn.org.uk to keep you informed of club events, etc. but please note you cannot send to this mailing list.

We also have mailing lists for the main fleets you can join if you wish to keep us with what is happening in these fleets. In addition there is an off-days mailing list for members who wish to sail out of our normal hours to coordinate self rescue. If you are subscribed to these lists you can send emails, but please keep any messages relevant to the fleet.

You can change what lists you subscribe to on the membership website. Look under the You Data menu and Consents.

If you prefer there are similar Whatsapp groups and these can be accessed from the link on the dashboard.

If you have a specific problem that needs addressing by a specific officer of the club you can use the photo board in the club house to talk to them or use the contact details below.

Email is the prefered way to contact someone but please be mindful of the time of day if you phone.

Interested in sailing in a fleet? Talk to the fleet captain to see if you can get a trial, find a crew, be a crew or see if any training is planned.

Club Address:

Click here to see the club on Google Maps

What 3 Words: locate.flown.club

Main club website

Membership and Training Portal

General email

The Sailing Calendar shows what activities are at the club each day.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Instagram

Facebook

Second Hand Sailing Kit

Club Weather Station (or download the Ecowitt app for your phone)

The sailing club has a fleet of boats that may be used by members who pay a berthing fee or an additional annual club boat hire fee.

These include:

Do check with a Committee Member if you are not sure whether a boat is suitable for your size or experience in a particular wind strength.

Organised training (RYA, Trysail and Junior Sailing) have priority on using these boats, so if you want to use these during these sessions please check with the training organiser first.

Please note any damage, losses or defects to the boat after hire using the QR codes that you can find around the club. If the boat is not fit to be sailed or used, please attach an Out Of Action label to the boat. If you can fix the problem yourself, so much the better.

In particular be careful not to drop any parts in the water, anything dropped in the reservoir is gone for good so tie on those rudders!

The sails for the Toppers are rolled on the mast and stored in the tubes by the boats. The sails and foils will be found in the boats or in the garage/shed. Please ask if you cannot locate any items or if you need help with rigging.

We welcome SUP members who want to get some exercise without contending with motor cruisers and currents found on the Thames. You can SUP all year around whenever the club is open or out of hours if the 'two boat' rule is followed. The reservoir is much less sheltered than the Thames and is windier in the middle than at the edges so take note of the wind strength before going out.

Please keep out of the way of people racing - they are probably traveling at a much higher speed than you can paddle so you need to anticipate this. This also applies to anyone undertaking training. The same rules around buoyancy aids and wetsuits apply as for sailing.

Club SUPs are available to anyone to use on a first come basis, but don’t hog them.

Space in front of the ramps closest to the club house has been reserved for rigging and also as turning points for larger boats. This area gets very congested on Sundays when Junior Sailing School is operating and there may be lots of children present. The safety and well being of these children is of utmost importance and pump foiling must not use the same pontoon in use for Junior Sailing School.

You can windsurf or wing foil all year around whenever the club is open or out of hours if the 'two boat' rule is followed.

Pleases keep out of the way of people racing or undergoing training. The same rules around buoyancy aids and wetsuits apply as for sailing.

Dial 999 for an ambulance. Send people to the road gate and to the foot of the steps to guide the ambulance crew.

The first aid kit is in a cupboard Clearly Marked to the right inside the Main Club Room entrance. List of first aiders is on the back wall of the Main Club Room.

Please ensure the accident record is fully completed for every incident. There is a QR code for Accidents and Near Misses in the Main Club Room.

The defibrillator is kept in the Changing Room Corridor and is clearly marked.

You will have a pre allocated role in the duty team, but you please be prepared to help out where needed.

In addition, at open meetings the duty team also marshal the car park, welcomes visitors, assists with the winch and launching and is generally hospitable!

You usually get three team duties a year. You need to arrive 90 minutes before the first race and stay until the club is closed after sailing finishes.

This means that Saturday duties run from 1:30 pm until 5:30 pm, and summer Sundays run from 9am until 4:30 pm (or 3:00pm if Junior Sailing School is running as the sailing school team will take over responsibility for the afternoon). On winter Sundays the water closes at 3pm and you should be away around 3:30pm.

Please ensure that you have cleared your diary; it isn’t fair to leave early and expect the rest of the team to take over. That said, if things quieten down the duty officer may be able to reduce personnel numbers.

If a date is inconvenient, arrange a swap. You are responsible for arranging a swap.

If you don’t turn up you make extra work for everyone else, and you may be the cause of a cancelled race. All family members who sail regulaly should turn up for duty - although children cannot help with rescue, those over about 10 years old can still assist and are also welcomed on duty days. However, please do not bring children young enough to need supervision, as you can’t look after children and carry out your duty at the same time.

Bring kit to allow you to be comfortable in the rescue boat - buoyancy aid all year, wetsuit/drysuit between 1st November 1 and 31st March and whatever you wear for sailing at other times, bearing in mind that rescue boats can be grubby (oil, seagulls). Remember to protect against cold and sun; sitting in the safety boat is invariably much colder than sailing. You also need to wear a watch.

Anyone manning a safety boat should be prepared to get in the water as this may be necessary to lend assistance or if the boat needs to be sailed back.

Duty teams get free tea and coffee.

Things to do without being asked:

Do not force any connectors. Ask for help if something doesn’t work.

Make sure fuel and all safety boat equipment is securely stowed before you leave.

An orange boat is moored to a chain that can be pulled in from the jetty; the other boats are on fixed moorings in boat shelters.

When the club is unattended, the chain is combination padlocked with the gate key code to the jetty so the boat cannot be pulled in by unauthorised visitors.

You pull in the first orange boat, kit it out and then use it to collect the ones on the moorings. Unscramble the padlock on the small jetty and release the chain, secure the lock back to the jetty so it doesn’t fall off. Move to the Tee pontoon and pull the chain at the to bring the boat in. Tie the boat to the pontoon.

To access a boat from the Shelter: boat is held in the shelter on a circular painter so untie it from the rear frame and pull the lower loop or boat towards yourself. Once the boat is clear of the shelter unclip the circular painter from the front of the boat and take the boat ashore.

Each boat must be equipped with:

Petrol, kill cords and boat kits are kept in the green shed at the top of the ramp. Please be gentle on the engine shed lock (it is very expensive) - the technique is to lean on the left hand door, at which point you can turn the key and pull the lock cylinder out to open the door. Use of force will break the key. Fuel must not be stored anywhere other than in this secure shed.

Quick outboard pre-start checklist:

The driver must always wear the kill cord around their leg; but please make sure you don’t walk off with it when you leave the boat!

Once the first boat is in action, go and collect the others that you need. Tie up to the T Pontoon on the windward side so the dinghies can use the other. Put up the green flag to indicate that sailing is now permitted.

On the Committee boat (‘Barnstormer’) the flag halyard bar lifts up and hooks on to the two vertical poles. This structure should be put up after kitting out the boat as it does make loading up a little awkward. There is plenty of room in the covered section of the boat for all the race kit, spare clothes and paperwork. This boat has a ‘morse’ control and a steering wheel; remember that you should still be wearing the kill cord.

Engine care and feeding: To start up, pull steadily on the cord, don’t snatch at it. Once started, ensure that the engine is throwing out a jet of cooling water. Ensure that ropes and chains are kept clear of the propeller and watch for the pontoon mooring chains and banks. If you think that there is a rope round the propeller, stop the engine at once, raise the engine and unwrap the rope.

The club has radios to allow communication with and between safety boats. They are kept in their charger in the storage room and are very simple to use.

Switch on the radio by pressing the button on the top or front. Make sure the radio is set to low power; push the ‘h/l’ button until ‘low’ appears on the display.

To talk, press the Push to Talk button on the left side of the radio. To listen, release this button.

Ignore all other buttons!

The radios are waterproof and do float, however they are expensive so please take care of them and put the lanyard round your neck. At the end of the day, return the radios to the charger in the storage room and turn them off by pressing and holding the power button.

A guide to correct radio use can be found here. In particular, remember that VHF is a public channel; don’t say anything over the radio that you would not say over a loudhailer.

You should have two people in each safety boat, one to drive, one to assist and keep a look out. One person in a safety boat is of limited use in a rescue. On a calm day you probably won’t have to do very much, on a windy day you need to keep a sharp lookout all the time. The radio may be used to raise the alarm.

Most IBRSC sailors will have righted their capsize before you get there; but nonetheless you must attend all capsizes to check they are ok. Absolute top priority must be given to a capsize where someone is trapped under a boat or injured in the water. Happily, this is a rare situation. People are more important than boats; only provide a tow if it does not compromise safety for others.

There is no airspace beneath transomless boats (RS200, 29er, RS400 etc). Make sure you can see two heads after the capsize. The rescue canister contains a knife that will cut ropes and trapeze wires if anyone gets trapped.

When you see a capsize, count heads and start driving towards it. Mostly the dinghy will be up before you get there. Here are some notes on our main classes to help you prioritise.

Lasers are easy to right while the sailor has energy but keep an eye on anyone capsizing repeatedly or with obvious gear failure.

Solos can be righted dry with care, but have high sides so help may be needed. Toppers are easy to right but again, watch for exhausted sailors or gear failure. Asymmetrics are slow to right (and have to lower the asymmetric before righting); count heads and keep an eye, but sailors will usually manage unaided.

If sailors indicate they are ok, stay nearby but clear until they are up (be prepared for the boat to flip). If help is requested or deamed necessary the principle is to assist by turning the boat head to wind and righting it using the forestay. Remember to approach carefully - you will not be popular if you catch your propeller in ropes, sails or people.

Naturally your assistance invalidates their race. Sometimes cold, wet, hyped-up sailors won’t listen to reason; you have the authority to insist. If necessary, take the crew off and leave the boat; do this if is taking too long to right the boat, you can come back for it after the race when you will not be compromising other safety.

Safety is prime but try to stay out of the way of the race if you are just observing. Also make sure you are to windward of boats flying spinnakers, otherwise they have nowhere to go in a gust. Unless you need to attend a capsize or other emergency try to avoid making waves during a race.

The race officer or experienced team members will help you with this, hang around and learn. Remember that start, line-laying and lap recording are stressful moments.

There’s a book under the race card rack that gives all the instructions about flags, start sequences and rules, and a selection of sample courses for different wind directions. Why not read it before your duty?

The flag sheets are laminated so you can take the book out to the start with you. All race equipment is kept in the storage room.

We use a battery driven hooter and this will be found by the door in the storage room on charge. Don’t forget to put it on charge after racing has finished. When it is in use, tie the lanyard to the boat; the hooter does not float.

To start the race, you need the box of flags, recall flag, hooter, a watch, a record sheet and a couple of pens. Synchronise the watch with the clubhouse clock. This one watch should be used for all timing; take a careful note of the exact time at which the race was started as all the calculations are done from this.

If you find anything faulty, report it to the duty officer and scan the QR Code.

The kitchen has plenty of instructions and prices are on the wall by the counter. All purchases go through the point of sale terminal and the majority of payments are now by card.

Please keep at least four inches of water in the urn so it doesn’t burn out.

When the sailing school is running, please make sure you cook enough food so there is some left for those racing, as they will be wanting to eat after the sailing school arrives.

When everyone is off the water, take down the green flag. Please note the following:

All loose items go in the engine shed; leave the air vent on the fuel tanks slightly open otherwise fuel gets forced out of the tanks as things heat up when the sun comes out. Check that everyone who wants to go down the ramp, has, and then coil the winch rope on its trolley. Put the pulleys and handle in the equipment shed. Return the trolley to the shed.

Everyone must take responsibility for ensuring the club is secure; we are isolated and vandals can cause extensive damage if we are lax. Help by ensuring:

Thanks for doing your duty!

The club began in 1959 on Lavender’s Pit, (named after the firm that operated it) the remnants of which are still to be found near what is now Fieldcommon; the site was a gravel works for many years but is now reclaimed recreational land off Walton Road. The name ‘Walton-on-Thames SC’ was chosen simply because that was where most of the founding members lived. The wartime character Chad (‘wot no?’) was chosen as the logo for the burgee.

The first clubhouse was a tent on an island in the middle of the pit - the club then progressed via a small hut to the first clubhouse. At first, access to the island was via a large punt fitted with an outboard motor, and each weekend a constant stream of members (including those in pushchairs) were ferried back and forth. Once the big clubhouse was in place, the punt was replaced by a moveable bridge, which was anchored to the island and swung out when needed. The last one to leave had to secure the bridge back to the island, and then row to shore in a dinghy which was then locked up in an old electricity hut. The sailing area was around the front of the island so the extended bridge wasn’t an obstruction, if you sailed near it you were liable to hole your boat on the bank so everyone quickly learned to avoid it. The main classes at the time were the Scorpion, Enterprise, Merlin Rocket and Pegasus, all of which were new boats designed just a few years earlier.

The gravel pit was filled in when it became too polluted to use, and the club was homeless for some years; but the members refused to let it fade away even though several had joined other clubs. During this time Ken Collins, the first secretary of the club, was writing regularly to the Water Board to ask if it was possible to sail on their reservoirs. A change of government worked in our favour, and following a request from the new minister of sport, the Water Board called a meeting of all the Thames Valley sailing clubs. As the most impoverished, it was agreed that Walton could have first access to a reservoir, and so the club was given a lease for space at Island Barn in Molesey, on one of the oldest raised reservoirs in the London area.

Built on the site of the barn for the old Island Farm (one of five farms that were in Molesey in the last century and named for its position between the rivers Mole and Ember), work on the reservoir was begun in 1904 and it was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of London on 4th November 1911. The reservoir has a capacity of 922 million gallons, an area of 122 acres and a circumference of one and two-third miles. It played a part in the war effort in the 1940s, when it was used as a training area for amphibious vehicles and was also covered with telegraph poles to foil landings from flying boats in the event of an invasion of Britain; still come up and the last one was in 2022!

The Stock Exchange Thorpe sailing club at Charlton had been forced to leave their gravel pit when the new M3 motorway was routed through it, and indeed it was their joining forces with Walton that convinced the water board that the new club would be viable. Speedbird BOAC SC (now British Airways Sailing Club) provided the financial backing for the new Walton clubhouse, in return for 20 years of reduced membership rates and free breathing. There was also an £8000 grant from the Sports Council which went some way towards the £27000 cost of the clubhouse.

BOAC were keen to see what the new clubhouse would look like, and so an architect friend of Richard Birkhead (the first Commodore) prepared full drawings, including interesting but impractical items such as chandeliers! However, the unusual external design and vaulted ceiling did make it into the finished product, and that is why the clubhouse isn’t just a square box.

Although construction of the clubhouse itself was contracted out, much of the work in establishing the club was done by the original members - a tradition that continues to this day and helps to keep our fees down. This included casting concrete anchors for tie-down wires, helping to shift building materials and so on. (There are more photos of the construction of the clubhouse, and they are in the club scrapbook). Sailing did not start until the clubhouse was ready, doubtless an incentive for hard work all round! One or two inventive methods were necessary to keep costs down - for instance the bar counter came from a nightclub in Weybridge that was closing, if you look near the wall you can see that it was necessary to add another two foot or so to make it long enough.

The clubhouse was opened in May 1973 with a champagne ceremony and visiting dignitaries including the deputy chairman of the RYA, who in his speech mentioned the pioneering role of Walton as the first club in the area to use a water board reservoir. The event was followed by a four-hour pursuit race won by the home sailors, despite being held in torrential rain. And so the fun began 45 feet up, clear of trees, unexpected obstructions, tides, currents and all other impediments to a good dinghy race. Naturally the fleets have changed over the years; the Scorpions and Enterprises dominated for a long time, and in the early 1980s we had a big fleet of Mirrors and could hold an Open for them that attracted 40 boats. Gradually the Scorpions changed to Fireballs, and then the invention of the ISO in the early 1990s transformed the fleet yet again. Solos have always been strong at the club, while the Lasers come and go along with Toppers. However we still see boats to sit in rather than on, both racing and cruising; plenty of people still prefer wood to fiberglass. Another change has been the lifting of the long-standing ban on that other newfangled sport, windsurfing - although we don’t have many windsurf-only members, it has been a strong sport among the Solo fleet when the breeze gets up, and we do provide the cheapest access in the area to a big expanse of water.

In the mid-80s the reservoir was suspected to be leaking. The water was drained down beyond the concrete to where the gravel and mud starts, reducing the water area by about half. It remained this way for about two years, during which time sailing continued even if it was somewhat more difficult than usual. Eventually the trouble was traced to an unusually high water table, rather than any leaks in the reservoir. While the water was down several large holes were spotted in the bottom of the reservoir, which turned out to be old bomb craters and necessitated some emergency measures.

Another innovation was the training evenings, initiated by the legendary Mike Barnard who ran the event for years, and since then run by a succession of 'managers' and an indispensable group of helpers.

Many of us took our first steps in sailing from the Island Barn Tuesdays, and there’s nowhere else where you can try out the sport for so little money and trouble. Tuesday evenings have contributed greatly to the growth of the club and also provide a welcome opportunity for a cruise (or a blast…​) around without worrying about courses or start times. The Tuesday Trysail frequently attracts a good crowd of regulars, and we pride ourselves that we convert many of them to members. The Tuesday season finishes with a race and a curry night (‘Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday’) for the following week, where the Barnard Cup is presented to the ‘Trysailor of the Year’.

In the early 1990s Island Barn Aggregates spent six years dredging the reservoir for gravel, finally leaving in 1998. The dredger created an interesting extra dimension to the sailing, with a huge wind shadow and some very solid metal buoys to avoid, and the six-day working often meant that enormous work barges would go chugging through the Saturday race. Regardless of how good a position you had, ‘Aggregate Queen I’ or ‘II’ couldn’t stop and you had to get out of the way. On a really busy day both would be on the move at once, and mutterings about ‘power and sail’ cut no ice when ‘power’ weighs many tons and is carrying a load of gravel. It has to be said that one or two members didn’t see it like that, and the club officers had to fend off the occasional irate messages from the dredger people.

The dredger was manned all the time and the logbook recorded all sorts of goings on - the perambulations of the sheep flock, the visits of the Thames Water watchman and the bird watchers, and of course the occasional sailing shenanigans. The dredger crew also occasionally found some lost items, most notably an engine that had been dropped overboard when not attached to a lanyard. Unfortunately, it was returned in two pieces having been in the wrong place when the scoop came down, but coxswain Alexis Villiers said he still managed to retrieve some useable parts despite its 18 months in the water. The remains of the dredger access route can be seen beyond the Laser park, near mark 7; the logistics of removing the dredger and the two enormous barges must have been challenging, but the whole lot vanished magically in a few weeks.

The first lease was due to expire in 1997, and Tony Tahourdin, Paul King and Ann Mattingly were involved in lengthy negotiations with Thames Water to secure the future of the club. This included such items as new fences round the water to replace the infamous barbed wire, the replacement of the equally infamous access road and so on. The lease was signed in a ceremony held at the Open Pursuit race in 1997, and you can see the photos from this event on the wall of the clubhouse near the bar.

At the same time, the long-standing debate on the change of club name was finally resolved, after some lively discussion at the previous AGM. Our problem was that the casual observer would think us a river-based club in Walton, where we are actually a reservoir-based club in Molesey, and this confusion was putting off new members and making us difficult to find. Hence publicity prevailed over tradition, and the name change was voted through. The photos in the clubhouse also show the Mayor of Elmbridge unveiling the new burgee.

While we wouldn’t suggest for a moment that nothing happened over the next ten years, since this history was first written IBRSC has proudly reached its half century. The event was marked on 5th July 2009 with a pursuit race that attracted over 40 entrants, followed by a hog roast for 150; the challenge of getting the hog roast burners up to the top level should not be underestimated. This event inaugurated the Commodore’s Plate, presented by Rob Pettit, and we continue to run an Anniversary Series Handicap so that we don’t forget our achievements.

So what has changed over the first fifty years at Island Barn? We’re now far more relaxed about the types of boats we sail (in the early days even a Laser was a radical development), and of course the popular classes have changed over the years, from the original wooden two-handers to the current predominance of asymmetric spinnakers. We definitely see the advent of the low-maintenance, high-performance boats - we all want to spend more time sailing and less time fixing. It has to be said that the social calendar is not as crowded as it was (attendance, assistance and ideas always welcome), but the club remains genuinely friendly and welcoming with a good family atmosphere. We are very much a going concern with an enthusiastic and active membership, good racing for all standards, a wide variety of boats (including some of classes so new that the handicap is still provisional) and sailors of all ages from 8 to 85 We are also starting to see the return of local youth groups and other organisations who can put the water to good use during the week. And without wishing to tempt fate, there is always water; we are at the end of Thames Water’s list for supply, so we don’t generally seem to suffer from fluctuating levels.

The club officers continue to introduce new innovations in the ceaseless quest to make the operation of the club mistake-proof for baffled duty teams (and bullet proof against some of the locals), to keep the running costs down and to improve launching, drinking and eating facilities. Meanwhile a vast amount of totally unpaid work goes on behind the scenes, and help is always appreciated. Some of our club officers have been performing their tasks for an amazing time - the record is held by June Curtis, who in 2011 marked thirty-four years as catering manager.

The cadet training run on a Sunday by Mike Jones and has been a tremendous success in developing the next generation of Island Barn sailors many of whom have also been successful nationally and internationally.

A big achievement for a totally unstaffed club has been achieving RYA Recognised Training Status, which was signed off in summer 2011, with Carl Mayhew as the centre principal. This now allows us to award RYA certificates in dinghy sailing and powerboating and runs in parallel with the less formal trysail. The RYA have very high standards and to have the instructors and facilities to become an RTC is a huge success. We pride ourselves on being a friendly, relaxed club where nothing is taken too seriously, except possibly room at the start line and the amount of cheese in the toasties, and everyone is welcome whatever their age, background or standard of sailing. Finally, Island Barn holds the proud distinction of having the real Santa attend our children’s Christmas Party each year - because our Santa arrives from the roof, not through the door.

The club continues to be run ‘by the members, for the members’ and always encourages people to get involved. Our fees remain low and our water level high.

There is more information and pictures on the Website

Here’s to the next fifty years!