Membership categories and cost

Come and join us on the water!

There are several options to become a member of the club, so that you can choose what is right for you, based on what you want to do. This table shows what is included in the different membership categories, with a few explanations below:

Membership Categories Explained

Sailing & Windsurfing Membership is our 'full' membership and includes everything on offer at the club.

Paddlesports Membership is for people who want to SUP, Kayak or Canoe. It and also includes swimming and social events, but not sailing or windsurfing.

Sailability Membership is a discounted membership category for people with a registered disability. Membeship includes carers, who may only sail in direct support of the member.

Swim Membership is great value for money for people who are regular swimmers through the year. If you're not sure you're going to come very much, you can pay as you go at £7 a session.

Social Membership is for people using the club who do not go on or in the water - for example, a parent who brings their child to the club to sail should be a social member as a minimum. (A social membership plus a junior sailing membership is cheaper than joining as a family)

Temporary Membership is for people who are interested in trying out the club before deciding whether to join fully, or for people wanting a short membership whilst only briefly in the area. You will be a full 'Sailing/Windsurfing' member, able to engage in all club activities, for a period of 3 weeks. At the end of this period, if you wish to join the club, we will credit the money paid towards the full annual membership fee.

Day Membership is for people launching their own boats or boards on a 'day visit'. These are available during the club's scheduled opening times, when we have safety cover. It includes use of the facilities and the water until the end of the scheduled safety cover, plus the time it takes to pack up afterwards.

Additional Information

Guests may be introduced to the club by members, during scheduled club opening times, and must be signed in the guestbook. A member may introduce upto 2 guests, or one family, per day. The same guest may not be introduced more than 4 times in one year. Guests may participate in watersports in the same craft as the host member. So a guest may sail in a dinghy with a sailing member, however a guest may not paddleboard, kayak or swim - they would need to become Day Members. Guests may not camp over, as this is outside of 'scheduled club opening times', although they could attend a club social event.

'Distant' membership - is a discounted membership, with the same inclusions of the relevant category, for people who live over an hours drive away from the club (see membership form for full details). Distant membership is not available for 'Swim' or 'Social' membership categories.

Training course discounts are available for people holding the correct member category for the course - eg, to receive the discounted sailing course rates, people should be a Sailing Member at the time that they do the course. If you're looking to complete a course, you don't necessarily need to join the club until you've decided it's right for you. Have a chat with us if you're not sure.

Boat and board hire is available for people holding the relevant membership category. Eg, a paddlesport member may hire a SUP but not a dinghy or windsurf. Equipment hire is not available to non-members.

Camping is permitted within the boundaries of the club's land, and is included for all membership categories except Day Memberships. There is a small charge for electric hook ups. Space is available on a first come first served basis, and units may not be left overnight unoccupied.

Insurance Third party liability insurance of at least £5m must be in force for all using the water. Dinghies are typically insured through an insurance company, to cover the boat and third party risks regardless of user. The RYA includes 3rd party personal windsurf and SUP insurance in it's membership, to cover the user, regardless of kit. British Canoeing membership also includes personal cover for paddling (SUP, kayak, canoe). NB this guidance is to help advise where you can find suitable cover - it is the responsibility of the user to ensure that appropriate levels of cover are in place. For example, you have to 'opt in' to receive the RYA insurance, at no additional cost. Members using club boats and boards are covered by the club's insurance.

The membership year runs from March to February. If you join part way through the year, you'll receive a full 12 months membership until the same time next year. When it gets to February, you'll receive a partial renewal to take you to the end of your 2nd year, and get you onto the membership year with everyone else.

Interested in joining? Hopefully our website has given you enough information but, if you would like to know more, please contact the Membership Secretary on membership@scalingdam.org. Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form.

Please Note:

1 The Club operates on a "self-help" basis and non-temporary sailing and paddlesport members are required to carry out SAFETY BOAT and RACE OFFICE DUTIES as and when rostered.

2 Members using their own craft at Scaling Dam must arrange their craft (including non-sailing craft such as canoes, kayaks, paddle-boards) is covered by third party liability insurance of at least £5,000,000 whilst on the water at Scaling Dam. Failure to arrange adequate insurance cover shall invalidate their membership, render them liable for third party claims and the club shall be under no legal responsibility for the member and/or the third party.

Join now on-line: Click 'login' at the top right of this page and firstly create an account, then follow the instructions and become a member.

Or download the membership form below which includes more information on membership categories, fees, and club rules. The popular membership categories are Family, Single, Young Adult and Junior.

Downloads

• 2025 SDSWC membership form.pdf