Clubs & Centres

What Clubs Offer

Clubs offer you the necessary waterfront infrastructure needed to participate in sailing and enjoy the experience with other people.

Most clubs offer Discover Sailing Days, and have a Discover Sailing Host who can assist people new to the club to find out more about what the club offers and about crewing opportunities, in the event that you do not own a boat.

If you decide you would like to join a club as a member, they will often have different membership categories such as junior (for children), family, adult, or introductory membership known as SailPass. To find out more about the membership categories at your local club, contact the Discover Sailing Host.

As a club member you will have an opportunity to participate in sailing activities, social events and volunteering.

Use the Club Finder to find a Club near you.

Discover Sailing Centres

Discover Sailing Centres are a club or centre which is accredited to deliver Australian Sailing learn to sail, or powerboat programs, through qualified Australian Sailing instructors.

Clubs that are accredited as Discover Sailing Centres (DSCs), are accredited by Australian Sailing. DSCs also able to provide recognised Discover Sailing Experiences and Discover Sailing Courses and have boats available for use.

Types of Clubs

There are many different types of sailing clubs across Australia.

Some clubs are large and offer substantial facilities with staff employed, whilst others are smaller, run entirely by volunteers with basic facilities. These are run by a volunteer committee on a not for profit basis.

The geographical location of a club determines how challenging the prevailing conditions are for people new to sailing. Some clubs will offer sailing in keelboat, some in dinghies, or some in trailable keelboat. 

The best way to find out which club is best for you is to contact the Discover Sailing Host and discuss what aspects of a club are most important to you.

Volunteering at Clubs

Many sailing clubs are run by volunteers, who fulfil a wide range of roles, both on and off the water.

Even if you have never sailed, there are courses you can do to learn the skills needed to assist with roles such as driving safety boats, managing races and helping with boat maintenance.