WEYMOUTH Sailing Club members have voted to offer Weymouth Rowing Club members associate membership at the club.

The rowers, who happily accepted the offer, are based on the Nothe Parade along with the Sailing Club who have resided there since 1923.

The sailing club building was formerly owned by the Admiralty and operated by HM Coastguard.

Over the years club members have turned the building into a comfortable clubhouse with toilets and showers, function rooms and with bars and a kitchen.

The rowing club is a phoenix risen out of the ashes of a tragedy after Tristan Douglas-Johnson left his home in Weymouth for a day out at Southampton Boat Show only to be killed by a runaway RIB in September 2000.

It was decided by work colleagues at Kingfisher marine to build two cornish pilot gigs to keep his memory alive. So was born the rowing club, which is based next door to the sailing club closer to the Stone Pier.

The membership linkup between the two clubs allows rowing club members to use the sailing clubs facilities, whilst the sailing club derives extra income from the associate membership.

It is also hoped that rowers will try their hand at sailing and vice versa, therefore making both clubs stronger.

A BBQ was held at the club to celebrate the relationship and sailing club commodore Euan MacNair handed over an electronic key fob to rowing club president Heddon Johnson allowing him access to the club buildings.

The rowing club had on display in the sailing clubs yard one of their competition gigs that had just returned from competing in the world gig rowing championships on the Isles of Scilly.

For more information about both clubs you can visit the clubs’ websites www.weymouthrowingclub.co.uk or www.wsc.org.uk.