Coffs Harbour Sailing and Aquatic Club

Coffs Harbour Sailing and Aquatic Club is based at the Coffs Harbour Jetty on the NSW Mid North Coast. It brings together sailing, yachting, paddling and swimming, and it's where Coffs Harbour Yacht Club's off-the-beach sailing program moved to.

Sailing at the Jetty has a long local history, going back to 1960. The harbour is ideal for learning: the breakwaters and Muttonbird Island shelter it, and the beach makes launching dinghies easy. That makes the club a family-friendly way into sailing, whether you're a local or visiting the Coffs Coast on holiday.

The club's range is wider than most. As well as dinghy sailing, it supports paddling and swimming, so the whole family can find something to do on the water.

Registrations and events are managed through the club's Revolutionise website, and sailing enquiries can go to sailing@coffsyachtie.com.au. The club's Facebook page is the best place to follow what's happening on the water. See our Coffs Harbour sailing clubs page and the Coffs Harbour location page for more.

The club carries on Coffs Harbour's off-the-beach sailing, a family-friendly way to learn in dinghies on the sheltered water inside the harbour. Registrations are handled through the club's online portal, and upcoming sessions and events are posted there and on Facebook.

Alongside sailing, the club supports paddling and swimming, so there are plenty of ways to get on (or in) the water. If you're new to sailing, our beginner's guide to sailing in Australia is a good read before your first session.

Off-the-beach dinghies are one of the best ways to learn. The boats are small and responsive, so you feel every change in the wind, and capsizing in warm, sheltered water is part of the fun rather than a drama. Many sailors who start this way go on to crew on bigger yachts. Not sure what to look for in a club? See our guide on how to choose a sailing club.

The club is at the Coffs Harbour Jetty, on the harbour sheltered by the breakwaters and Muttonbird Island. The protected water inside the harbour suits off-the-beach dinghies, while the open ocean outside offers bigger conditions for experienced sailors and yachts heading along the coast. Our guide to sailing the NSW north coast covers the wider cruising area.

The Coffs Coast is known for warm water and a subtropical climate, so the sailing season is long. Outside the harbour, the East Australian Current runs south along this stretch of coast, which matters for yachts on passage. Inside the breakwaters, though, conditions are usually friendly for beginners. The Jetty foreshore also has cafés, a marina and a boat ramp, so it's an easy place to spend a day on and off the water. For more, see our Coffs Harbour page.

Sailing in Coffs Harbour goes back decades. The Coffs Harbour Sailing Club was established in 1960 as a focus for yachting enthusiasts from Coffs Harbour and the surrounding Mid North Coast. Its first home was an old timber boat shed and clubhouse near the Jetty.

In 1974 that shed was demolished and replaced by a new building, and the club became Coffs Harbour Yacht Club, known locally as "the Coffs Yachtie". For decades the yacht club ran family dinghy sailing off the beach inside the harbour.

When that off-the-beach program moved, it found a new home at Coffs Harbour Sailing and Aquatic Club, also based at the Jetty. The new club broadened the focus to include paddling and swimming, and it carries on more than 60 years of community sailing in Coffs Harbour.