THE Weymouth Sailing Club Open Day was hailed a great success by commodore Kathy Claydon.

The club threw open its doors and invited members of the public to try dinghy sailing, talk to officers from the club, partake of refreshments and meet members of the Royal Yachting Asssociation (RYA) and the RNLI to discuss safety and training.

Several members of the cadets, including Sam Avant, Grace Norris, Harry Owens, Matthew Perrett and Alexandra Stevenson demonstrated their sailing skills outside of the club’s building, in the harbour with full permission of the Harbour Master.

Committee member Phil Norris took visitors out in his Wayfarer, Bolton Wanderer for trips around Weymouth Bay.

One visitor said: “It was a very enjoyable experience, the helm gave lots of helpful information and the weather was perfect.”

In the yard, several boats were rigged giving it a nautical atmosphere, boat maintenance was carried out and the RNLI carried out life jacket checks.

Tony Woods from the RYA said: “The club looked great and was a good advert for promoting sailing in the local area.”

Early indications show that the event yielded more than 30 new memberships and the club looks forward to welcoming them.