Salcombe’s Island Cruising Club are using a legacy donation to encourage local people to start sailing in keelboats.

A donation left to the ICC in the will of a former member is being used to help local people who consider sailing too exclusive and expensive, to be able to enjoy the sport on their doorstep and have access to the ICC’s fleet whenever they want.

Commodore Richard Martin explained that local people can learn to sail a keelboat with their April/May three-weekend, non-residential, sail training course for £150, rather than the usual £450, thanks to the legacy donation.

He said: “Local people can be displaced from sailing due to the cost and the perceived ‘exclusivity’ of the sport in Salcombe and we want to make it so they can learn to sail and access our fleet.”

Club members jointly own all the boats, so a membership fee of £50 plus a season ticket of £400 which can be paid £10 a week for 40 weeks or £20 a week for 20 weeks, will give you unlimited access to their boats.

Richard continued: “Once you have learnt to sail, often the lack of access to a boat stops people enjoying the sport. This way you can learn to sail and then have unlimited access to our fleet of four keelboats. A RIB and other launches are also available once you’ve learnt how to drive them.”

You can find out more about the offer, which only has four spaces left, by contacting Richard Martin on [email protected], 07967 597527 or through Facebook. You can find out more on the ICC website: www.islandcruisingclub.com/keelboat-sailing-icc-2