Port Phillip's best kept secret
Carrum Sailing Club is the perfect place for sailing on the eastern shores of Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay. It is trully the best kept secret on the bay.
Great location. Located on the foreshore esplanade at Carrum on the eastern shores of Port Philip Bay, the club is within thirty minutes drive from most of the eastern, south eastern and southern suburbs of Melbourne.
Ideal waters, true breezes. The waters off Carrum are ideal for sailing. In summer the afternoon breezes are most often from the south west, blowing uninterrupted across the Bay.
Long clean sandy beach. A sandy beach stretches uninterrupted between the Patterson River mouth in the north to Seaford in the south offering a benign lee shore, a great space for trailors and rigging, as well as loads of recreational opportunities for families and friends of club sailors. The adjacent lifesaving club offers safety for inexperienced swimmers and children.
Ample parking. There is ample parking facilities next to the club house.
Boat ramp. Patterson River, a few hundred metres to the north, provides wonderful access to the bay for trailable yachts using the public yacht ramp on the southern side of Patterson River. Access is via the launching way off Macleod Road.
Excellent clubhouse facilities for sailing and relaxation. The three storey club house provides all the facilities demanded by sailors, their friends and families: Showers and changing rooms, toilets, bar, eating and entertainment area, balcony looking out across the bay(spectacular sunsets), and first class race control facilities. There is storage space for yachts at the the rear of the club. An electric winch at the front of the clubhouse makes getting boats up off the beach easy.
All classes welcome: monohulls, cats and trailables. The club races multihulls, dinghies and trailable yachts. Popular classes at Carrum include Pacers, Sabres, trailable yachts and Paper Tigers. Racing is open to all classes.
Affordable family sailing. Throughout its history, Carrum Sailing Club has been strongly committed to affordable family oriented classes. CSC was one of the first clubs in Australia to introduce Mirrror dinghies. The club is also home of the Sabre - originally called the "Carrum Sabre" and the Minnow. Both were designed by Carrum sailor Rex Fettell. Many of the classes sailed at Carrum over the decades have been designs favoured by budget conscious owner builders. These include: Arrow, Arafura Cadet, Mosquito, TS 16, National E, Sabre, 125, Minnow and Mirror (to name just a few). The club also has a long association with high performance catamarans.
Summer sunday sailing. The club races on most sundays between the beginning of October and April. There is a winter series for trailable yachts. The club conducts two major point series each season: the Pre Christmas Series and Post Christmas series.
Expert race management. The club has conducted races for over thirty years and brings a professional approach to race management, operating three rescue boats. Over the last three decades, carrum has hosted wide range of national and state championship series.
Great place to learn. Carrum Sailing Club has a strong commitment to introducing people of all ages to the joys and skills of sailing. Learner classes are held most sunday mornings. The club participates in the Yachting Victoria's "On Board" program which introduces high school students to sailing. Beginners and experts alike are welcome at Carrum. Over the years hundreds of people have learnt to sail at the club. At the same time, the club has been home to many state and national champions. Three times world Fireball champion, John Dransfield, and state Sabre champion, Michelle Early, both learned their sailing at Carrum.
Friendship and a warm welcome. The sailing is not the only great thing about Carrum. Good times are had by all in the clubhouse and the sailing program is complemented by a range of social activities. Whether you are trying out sailing for the first time or an experienced club racer you will always find a warm welcome at carrum sailing club.