Thornton Stewards Sailing Club is based at Thornton Steward Reservoir, 5 miles west of Bedale, North Yorkshire, at the entrance to Wensleydale.

At 35 acres it is large enough to give good tactical racing, yet small enough to feel safe for the nervous or newcomer as all areas of the water are visible from the clubhouse.

      A small family club of about 70 memberships a wide range of dinghies are sailed as well as windsurfers. The main season runs April to October, though sailing is permitted all year during daylight hours.

As a R.Y.A. Training Centre the Club offers courses and training for both dinghy sailing and powerboat handling. Windsurfing is also sometimes available.

       Youngsters are particularly welcome with special junior courses and a regular Junior Club.

      The Cub is fortunate in owning a number of dinghies for members without boats to sail.

There are 3 Toppers and 2 Optimists which were purchased using Lottery funding for which the Club is most grateful. There are also 2 Bosuns, 1 Mirror and a Splash.

The wooden Clubhouse was built by members and has changing rooms with showers and toilets and a main room with lounge and kitchen area.

       The patio area to the front of the clubhouse has steps which double as seats which go down to an enclosed grass area in which small children can play.

From here all the water can be viewed and it is a distinctly pleasant place to watch the world go by.

The attractive scenery and the footpath network in the area make it a good place for those who do not wish to sail.

During the season a safety boat is scheduled for all Sundays, many Saturdays and Wednesday evenings June to August inclusive.

    It is manned by members on a rosta system and gives an excellent opportunity to support the Club and learn about another aspect of the sport.

The Programme for the season has a mix of informal sailing, racing events and training.

       There are also social events and these are enhanced by the ability to camp on site on certain weekends and during certain weeks. For a full programme of events, visit our calendar pages here.