The Y Canberra Region Sailing Club

The Y Canberra Region Sailing Club, also known as YMCA Sailing, has a claim no other club can match: it's the only YMCA sailing club in the world. It's based at 35 Alexandrina Drive, Yarralumla, on Lake Burley Griffin, and it's a family-oriented club for off-the-beach dinghies, catamarans and trailable yachts. The focus is on competitive and non-competitive sailing and other water recreation, and people with disability are welcome.

The club races every Tuesday and Saturday, runs learn-to-sail courses for kids, adults and families, and offers boat hire and storage for members, so you don't need experience or a boat to start. Annual membership is $335 for seniors, $75 for juniors under 19, $140 for full-time students under 25 and $445 for families.

It's also a club with real volunteer spirit. Members built the clubhouse themselves in the 1960s, and the club still supports sailors from complete beginners through to national champions.

See our Yarralumla sailing clubs page for the other clubs on the lake.

The club runs learn-to-sail courses for kids, adults and families at a range of levels. School holiday programs run over five days (currently $550), and adult sailing courses run across three Saturdays and two Wednesdays (currently $400). You don't need experience or your own boat to start: boats are available to hire, and members can store their own.

After a course, club racing every Tuesday and Saturday gives plenty of chances to keep improving, from entry level to advanced. The racing mix of dinghies, catamarans and trailable yachts means you can try different kinds of boats before deciding what suits you.

The club places a strong emphasis on developing young sailors and on including people with disability, so it's a welcoming place for the whole family. Want to compare options? Browse sailing courses on YouSail.

The club is at 35 Alexandrina Drive, Yarralumla, on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. The lake is sheltered and tide-free, which makes it ideal for learning and for close racing in dinghies and catamarans.

Neighbouring clubs on the lake include Canberra Yacht Club and ANU Sailing Club, both also at Yarralumla.

Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the heart of the capital, so the scenery is unusual for sailing: Parliament House, the Carillon and Black Mountain Tower all form a backdrop to the racecourse. Inland winds can be gusty and shifty as they come off the surrounding hills and buildings, which rewards sailors who keep their heads out of the boat.

The club was founded in 1963 by Val Paral and Ralph Weston, two YMCA of Canberra members who were keen sailors and worked together at the Australian National University. At first members sailed on Lake George, north-east of Canberra. When the newly created Lake Burley Griffin was filled in 1964, the club moved to Yarralumla Bay, where it has sailed ever since.

The clubhouse was a true volunteer effort. Members built it in ten months, finishing just in time for the Heron National Championships, which began on 31 December 1966. Eleven years later, in 1977, they added a boatshed.

Six decades on, the club is still the world's only YMCA sailing club. It still runs twice-weekly racing, learn-to-sail courses and a strong focus on families, young sailors and people with disability.