Shock News for Hooe Point SC

Hooe Point Sailing Club in Plymouth have recently been advised that their landlord, Turnchapel Wharf Ltd, will not be renewing their lease in April 2022 as they intend to develop the site.

This has naturally caused much concern with the membership who are worried for the future of the club. The committee immediately called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation before announcing the news to the membership, and have subsequently formulated two sub committees, one to look at alternative options such as collaboration with other clubs, other locations within the area that have the potential for developing into a suitable boat storage and/or club site, and also engaging with councillors, local government and MP’s to try and gain any support that we can. The second sub committee has the unenviable task of establishing what needs to happen should we be unable to continue and be forced to close down in April 2022 when the lease expires. CSSC are also actively involved in lodging an appeal to the board of Turnchapel Wharf Ltd with the full support of the committee. Ironically all this comes at a time when the club is at its most successful with recent growth in membership and the largest dinghy sailing fleet in the whole of the Port of Plymouth with between 20 and 28 boats regularly out racing on Monday evenings. Should the efforts to save the club be unsuccessful it will will mean the loss of one of the last affordable boat clubs in the local area and will undoubtably lead to some members being forced to leave boating due to the increased costs of keeping their vessels in commercial facilities. HPSC was formed on its current site in 1969, and it has evolved from an MoD rubbish dump to one of the most vibrant and successful sailing clubs in the whole of the Plymouth Area, almost entirely on the back of the efforts of its own membership in the form of volunteered labour, hard-work and effort. This same ethos of self-help and determination to keep the Club going forward will now be required across the three major strands of work the Committee has now launched to try to secure its future. Thanks to Paul Gibbins photography for allowing the use of his photograph taken on a recent Monday evenings racing.