What a Summer It’s Been at Sutton Dinghy Club!
Celebrating a fantastic season at Sutton Dinghy Club
As the sailing season draws to a close, we can look back on what has been an exceptionally busy, vibrant and successful few months at Sutton Dinghy Club.
From packed youth courses and the triumphant return of adult training, to regattas, fun sails, community events and plenty of activity on the water, it has been fantastic to see the Club and Sutton Strand so full of life throughout the season.
As we approach the end of what has been one of the best summers in many years, we would also greatly appreciate your assistance in helping the Club finalise its year-end accounts. If you have any outstanding membership subscriptions or boat parking fees, we would ask that you arrange payment at your earliest convenience.
Payment can be made conveniently online via sdc.ie or directly through the Club Office on 01-839 3135.
If you have already made payment or have an existing arrangement in place, please disregard this reminder. We sincerely thank you for your continued support of the Club.
And now, back to the good stuff!
We were fortunate to enjoy a glorious run of near-perfect sailing weather. With more days at sea than any season in recent years, conditions were ideal for learning, improving skills and simply enjoying being out on the water.
A Fantastic Summer for Youth Sailing
Our Club and Open Youth Courses have been one of the great successes of the year.
371 young sailors
36 instructors & assistants
One very busy season!
We welcomed an incredible 371 young sailors to Sutton Dinghy Club, supported by a fantastic team of 36 instructors and assistant instructors who worked tirelessly throughout the season to make it all happen.
The courses brought an incredible amount of energy and life to the Club and the surrounding area. It has been wonderful to see so many young people discovering the joys of sailing, developing their skills and building confidence on the water.
The sound of excited young sailors around the Club, families coming and going, and boats heading out onto Dublin Bay has made Sutton Strand feel particularly alive.
A huge thank you goes to all of our instructors, assistant instructors and volunteers who gave their time and enthusiasm to make the courses such a success. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Sutton Strand Partners
One of the great things about the season has been seeing Sutton Strand become such a lively hub for the wider community.
We are delighted to have had two fantastic partners helping to make that happen.
☕ Póg on the Strand
Our first year partnering with Póg has been a fantastic success.
Throughout the warmer months, Póg kept Club visitors, local swimmers, parents, sailors and everyone else enjoying Sutton Strand well fed and refreshed.
The combination of great weather, plenty of activity on the water and a coffee van on the Strand proved to be a real winner, and it was great to see Póg becoming such a familiar part of the area.
We’d like to extend our thanks to the Póg team and look forward to seeing what next year brings!
🔥 The Nomad Sauna
Another welcome addition to Sutton Strand has been our friends at The Nomad Sauna, who have been providing a fantastic and very popular facility for both Club members and the wider public for many months now.
It has been great to see so many people making use of the sauna after enjoying the water, and it has become a particularly welcome feature for our local swimming community.
With the colder months now approaching, we expect the sauna to become even more popular, providing a warm and welcome respite for swimmers taking on the increasingly chilly waters of Sutton Strand!
We’d like to thank The Nomad Sauna for being such a great addition to the Strand and look forward to seeing them continue to make the most of the winter swimming season.
Adult Training Makes a Triumphant Return
After a long absence, Adult Training returned to Sutton Dinghy Club this year — and what a return it has been!
From the first courses in April onwards, demand has been immense, with courses proving so popular that many have booked out almost as soon as they opened for registration.
The courses have welcomed a fantastic mix of sailors:
- Complete beginners taking their first steps into the sport
- Parents keen to enjoy sailing alongside their children
- Sailors returning to the water after a few — or sometimes many! — years away
It has been brilliant to see such enthusiasm for adult sailing and to welcome so many new faces to the Club.
Still want to get on the water?
We still have a couple of places available on our Adult Sailing Course running this weekend, 12th & 13th September.
If you’ve been thinking about giving sailing a try, this could be your last opportunity to get on the water with us before the season comes to an end.
Book your place on the Adult Sailing Course →
A Summer Full of Events
It hasn’t just been about courses this year. The Club has hosted a fantastic programme of events, bringing members, visitors and the wider community together both on and off the water.
Ladies at Sea
We hosted two Ladies at Sea events, one at the beginning of the season and another towards the end, both of which proved hugely popular.
The events gave women the opportunity to meet our instructors, get out on the water in both dinghies and powerboats, and enjoy a BBQ and refreshments afterwards. Our friends at The Nomad Sauna also joined us, making the days even more memorable.
Autism-Friendly Sailing
We were delighted to host an Autism-Friendly Sailing Day in association with AsIAm.
It was a brilliant day of sailing, games, fun and refreshments, and a wonderful opportunity to welcome more people onto the water and experience what Sutton Dinghy Club has to offer.
Annual Regatta
Our Annual Regatta was another highlight.
We were fortunate to have a fantastic day’s sailing in fair weather, with an impressive:
33 boats on the water
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the event happen, and of course a huge congratulations to all of our prizewinners!
Sponsored Fun Sail
Our Sponsored Fun Sail was another great success, with special thanks to our sponsors, Higgins Butchers, for supplying the fantastic burgers and sausages.
Well done to Dave and the instructors’ team, and many thanks to all of our members and committee volunteers who supported the event both ashore and on the rescue boats.
And plenty more!
We also enjoyed a great evening of sailing with the CRC, celebrated the 80th birthday of the IDRA 14 Class with a gathering of former IDRA 14 sailors and their stories, and held our first Green Gear Swap in aid of the RNLI.
The Green Gear Swap was a great opportunity to give unused sailing gear a new lease of life while helping sailors with their training and supporting the RNLI. It was such a success that we’re sure it won’t be the last!
Thank You!
Looking back, it is fair to say that we have had an exceptionally busy and active season at SDC.
None of it would have been possible without the people who make the Club what it is.
A huge thank you to all of our staff, instructors and assistant instructors, and especially to the many volunteers who give their time throughout the year.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our Club
From parents helping out in the tuck shop during our youth courses, to those who lend a hand around the boat park day-to-day, help organise events, or spend their time on the rescue boat keeping sailors safe, every contribution makes a difference.
It is easy to see the sailing, the courses and the events happening on the water, but behind every one of those activities is a huge amount of work from people giving their time freely to make it all possible.
We genuinely appreciate every one of you.
And we’re always looking for more people to get involved.
If there is any way in which you think you could make a positive contribution to the Club with your time, skills or enthusiasm, please get in touch. Whether you can give an hour occasionally or become more regularly involved, we’d love to hear from you.
And of course, thank you to all of our members for your continued support, whether you’ve taken part in a course, joined us for an event, sailed with us, volunteered your time or simply helped make the Club such a welcoming place to be.
It has been fantastic to see Sutton Dinghy Club so full of activity, and we’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year!
Into the Winter…
While the pace around the Club will naturally slow down as we head into the winter months, there’s still plenty happening at SDC!
Keep an eye out for information about our Winter Racing Series, our Annual Dinner and other events and activities taking place over the coming months.
Quiz Night — 17th October
We’re also looking forward to our Quiz Night on 17th October!
Come along for an evening of fun, friendly competition and plenty of laughs, with all funds raised going towards providing new equipment for the Club.
Keep an eye out for more information and get your team together!
Associate Membership
If you are no longer an active sailing member but would like to maintain your association with the Club, you may wish to consider transferring to Associate Membership.
We would be delighted to discuss this option with you, and your continued support helps us provide sailing, training and community activities at Sutton Dinghy Club throughout the year.
Here’s to the Next Season!
It has been a fantastic year at Sutton Dinghy Club, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
Thank you to our sailors, instructors, volunteers, staff, partners and members.
Here’s to an equally exciting year ahead!
Sutton Dinghy Club