History

The Club was formed in 1918 by residents of Longueville, Greenwich and Northwood who were keen to race their small open boats against like competition. The Club’s first formal meeting took place on 10 December 1918 in the pavilion at the Longueville Cricket Ground now known as Kingsford Smith Oval. That first meeting established club rules, elected office bearers and established a bank account.

While some larger vessels were part of the Club’s initial register by the early 1920s the Club sailed 12ft Skiffs exclusivity. Membership numbers grew in the 1920s and 1930s and in 1936 a clubhouse, which also served for boat storage was constructed on land leased from Lane Cove Council near Longueville Wharf.

Sailing continued at the Club throughout World War II at the specific request of those Club members who were serving in the Australian Defence Forces. Although no Club Championships were awarded in the years 1941-1943. Immediately after the war a full racing program was re-commenced.

In 1946 the VJ class was introduced to the club to encourage younger sailors and to assist teaching younger children how to sail. In 1955 the Club’s youth programs were expanded with the introduction of the Moth class leading to a growth in overall membership.

By the mid 1970s boat storage space at the Club was fully occupied and there was little room for social activities. To address the situation a major redevelopment took place in 1975 adding a second storey to the building to accommodate Club rooms, a canteen and an open verandah that allowed viewing of the start and finish of each race.

The first formal youth program commenced in 1961 when the Sabot class was introduced, and a lesson based Learn to Sail program started. These programs continued for a number of years but had fallen away by 1985, A major effort by the Club saw Learn to Sail re-introduced, a new fleet of Club Sabots constructed and a new syllabus and new programs developed. Learn to Sail has been a mainstay of eh Club ever since.

As membership grew further classes were introduced. The Laser class was adopted as a replacement for Moths in 1974. The Cherub class emerged in the late 1970s effectively replacing the Gwen 12 as their numbers dwindled.