yacht club upnor

Upnor Sailing Club

Run by members for members, 0800 8321317.

No Joining Fee All Tide Trot Moorings Available

Become a Member...

Book a tour, welcome to upnor sailing club.

This friendly club was established in the early sixties with just a handful of moorings and members that met in the local pubs. Since these humble beginnings the club has evolved and we can now offer some of the best facilities in the area at very competitive prices.

Great facilities

We currently have 86 sheltered moorings on the Medway close to Chatham Historic Dockyard. We access these from our private pontoon from which we launch dinghies and bring our yachts alongside for loading and unloading. This facility also incorporates a dinghy and tender storage area and 2 scrubbing docks. The clubhouse, purchased and converted by us in the mid eighties from 3 bargees cottages, boasts a superb club room with a well stocked bar, a balcony with excellent river views, a galley, toilets, showers and secure car parking with shed storage, workshops and outboard store.

Location, location, location

Ideally situated in the heart of the North Kent countryside, Upnor is only 40 minutes from London and has good road, rail and sea connections. The river Medway has a rich nautical and natural heritage with dozens of square miles of sheltered waters to explore and share with the abundance of wild life including seals, porpoises, pilot whales, seabirds and waders. Further afield the swatchways of the Thames estuary, the rivers of Essex and Suffolk and the ports of northern Europe are only a day sail away and make popular weekend cruise destinations. With this extensive cruising ground on our doorstep Upnor makes a perfect base whatever your sailing aspirations.

Sharing the fun

We have a very active social, cruising and race program with events to suit everyone. We organise cruises throughout the season, some within the river suitable for all boats and abilities or some for the more adventurous. Some cruises require passports onboard. Many of these cruises will incorporate a “fun” race where members can trial their sailing skills during the day and later trade excuses over dinner. The club hosts many social events from informal barbecues, spit roasts and suppers to our formal black tie dinners. In the winter months we hold regular informative and entertaining events on Friday evenings, many hosting guest speakers. The club bar is usually open on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Value for money

The club has a strong tradition of self help and members are expected to contribute time and skills to maintain and develop the club facilities and help with some of the club's day to day running. This will include bar duties, security patrols, general mooring and house work parties. These duties are generally enjoyable and are an excellent way to meet other members and join in the camaraderie. This work reduces our reliance on expensive contractors thus lowering our overheads so we can repay our members with excellent facilities and competitive prices.

For membership rates and further details, please click here .

Upnor Sailing Club is for sailing vessels and does not cater for motorboats and other watercraft. 

To see details of future events, see the Full 2024 Calendar here.

Medway Yacht Club

Lower upnor, rochester, kent, me2 4xb.

Medway Yacht Club - Official Web Site

This site is maintained by Hubertus A. Haniel ( [email protected] ) http://www.upnor.net

• AMERICA'S CUP
• CLASSIFIEDS
• NEWSLETTERS
• SUBMIT NEWS

Boats for sale

Racing season starts this weekend at Medway Yacht Club

Related Articles

Upcoming Events

• ☰ Menu
• Classifieds
• Book online

Latest news

Crew finder, upcoming events.

Duty Roster

Club location.

This site is maintained by Hubertus A. Haniel ( [email protected] ) http://www.upnor.net

Up River Yacht Club

Sailing at its best

Cruising from Up River YC to Upnor on the Medway

Posted on August 26, 2021 August 26, 2021 Author Dennis Haggerty

Thinking about taking your boat to the Medway? Here are some tips and useful information from Island Dreamer’s recent trip.

• A challenge in terms of planning your trip to take advantage of the tides and weather – two potential routes
• Lots to see from the river, though not all of it is pretty until you reach Upnor with its wooded northern bank, riverside village and castle.
• A major sailing centre with Medway Yacht Club at its heart, welcoming visiting yachtsmen who can book ahead and reserve a space on the club hammerhead.
• Only £15 a night, rafting up is permitted for club groups.
• Excellent meals at the yacht club Wednesday, Friday Saturday and Sunday.
• The spacious clubhouse enjoys commanding views of the river and the club has a friendly relaxed atmosphere that would suit URYC members.
• Interesting riverside walks with several pubs along this section of the Saxon Shore Way

Prefer a Marina?

Chatham Marina is a short distance up the river on the port side. It is immediately adjacent to the riverside Copper Rivet Gin Distillery – bar open every day. 5 minutes walk away from the Dockside shopping centre (see: https://www.docksideshopping.com/stores/ ) There are several restaurants and pubs that overlook the marina and they are far enough away not to disturb you on your boat. A few minutes from the marina, on the way to the shops there’s a bus stop where a shuttle bus takes you to the heart of historic Chatham. It runs every 20 minutes even on Sundays. It takes under 10 minutes to arrive at Chatham Railway before returning to the dockside shopping complex.

Within 10 minutes walk of the marina there’s the Historic Dockyard Chatham or the multiplex Odean cinema. So you will never be stuck for something to do at this MDL ‘Five Anchor’ marina. Its not cheap, costing £32.40 per night for an 8 – 9 metre boat. However, with so much to see locally and easy access to Chatham and historic Rochester, its a popular destination with visiting yachts.

At busy times, typically near high water when yachts arrive on the flood, don’t be surprised if you have to wait 30 minutes to access the marina as the lock only accommodates four typical 12 metre yachts at a time.

The Medway is nearer than you might think

If your boat has a draft of 1 metre or less, provided you pick a highish tide at the weekend you can sail via Havengore. This gives you a short cut to Kent. The firing range does not operate at weekends and its a relatively short hop across the Thames to the Medway near high tide.

Did you know, via Havengore, Queenborough inside the River Medway is under 14 miles sailing from Yokesfleet Creek?

If your boat draws up to 1.5m it is still possible to use this route at the top of big spring tides. However, if your draft is much over a metre you will probably have a larger boat which would offer you the option of ‘going the long way round’ via the Whitaker Channel and reaching Upnor or Chatham Marina in one day rather than two.

Boats taking the Havengore route will more sensibly choose Queenborough as their day one destination. This is the nearest small boat port within the Medway. Stopping at Queenborough overnight avoids punching the ebb tide all the way up the river to Chatham/Upnor.

If you want more detailed information about the Havengore route, check out this link:

http://www.roachriver.org.uk/rsa/havengore/havengore.htm

Its strongly recommended to call the Bridgekeeper who is very helpful, particularly confirming the depth of water over the bar at the entrance.

If you wish to receive ‘on the day’ bridge status advice, you can contact the Bridge keeper on 01702 383436 or VHF Channel 72, call sign “Shoe Bridge”.

The long way round

The ‘classic route’ to the Medway is to leave Up River YC within an hour of high tide. Take the ebb down to the Inner Whitaker buoy, skirt around the northeast corner of the Maplin Sands and then take the flood tide all the way to Chatham. From Up River, at an average speed of 5 knots over the ground, you will take at least 4 hours to get to the Inner Whitaker Buoy before you ‘hang a right’ and then another 5 hours to arrive at Chatham.

Most people making this trip will drop down to Burnham / anchor in the Roach overnight and leave the next morning. If you have adverse winds when sailing southwest around the Maplin Sands, a more realistic destination for day one is Queenborough.

Coming Back

Havengore Route

Check out this video of a 20 footer crossing the Maplin Sands and the Broomway and then through the bridge to the deep water of the Roach and Crouch. You may say if they can do then so could anyone with a shoal draft boat. In fine weather this is certainly the case.

Creek sailor is another great resource to check out this shortcut to the Rivers Roach and Crouch: https://creeksailor.blogspot.com/2013/05/havengore-creek.html

Returning via the ‘Classic Route’

The tidal difference between High and Low water times at Burnham compared to key waypoints for this trip are a significant part of your route planning.

Average differences compared to HW Burnham

• Hullbridge +15 minutes
• Whitaker (Beacon) -30 minutes
• Entrance of the Medway (Sheerness) +20 minutes
• Queenborough +25 minutes
• Chatham/Upnor +30 minutes

This means, for example, that taking the flood tide from the Whitaker to Chatham gives you over 7 hours of favourable tide. Whereas, when returning from Chatham or Upnor (i.e. the same trip in the opposite direction), you’ll get 5.5 hours approximately before low water and perhaps a maximum of 6 hours before the tide is running against you. So it’s essential to get a move on, especially if the wind is from the Northeast.

In Island Dreamer we left an hour before high water Chatham as we had to tack from Shoebury to the Inner Whitaker Buoy. Fortunately in ideal conditions for the boat. If the wind had been significantly over 12/15 knots we would have delayed our departure as a 20 knot NE wind over a strong ebb tide can make sailing around the Maplin an uncomfortable slog.

It’s well worth visiting the Medway. In addition, for shoal draft boats especially, there are ample destinations to visit on the way back. The Swale that runs behind the Isle of Sheppy from Queenborough to Whistable offers several potential places to visit if you are prepared to dry out.

Below is reference material from QinetiQ who operate the firing range and all MOD facilities at Foulness

Havengore Bridge – A guide for marine vessels If you’re thinking of sailing in the area of Maplin/Foulness Sands (which surround the live firing Range at MOD Shoeburyness), and intend to use Havengore Passage to reach the inner waterways of the River Roach/Crouch (or reverse journey), we strongly advise you to familiarise yourself with the restrictions on passing through Havengore Bridge. The following information will help you plan a successful journey:

• Havengore Bridge is only passable when the MOD Shoeburyness Range is NOT ACTIVE.
• The MOD Shoeburyness Range is normally active Monday to Thursday from 06:00 to 16:30 and Friday 06:00 to 12:30. The “ACTIVE” status of the Range is signalled by the flying of a RED FLAG on the bridge and at intervals around the perimeter of the site. Please note, Range operational hours are not fixed and MOD/QQ reserve the right to operate earlier/later and at weekends. Unusual hours/days of working and unplanned closures are notified on our website.
• The Bridgekeeper is on duty for 2 hours either side of high tides, during daylight hours, 365 days a year and can be contacted for basic bridge status advice (see No.5 for contact details).
• If you wish to plan your journey in advance and would like advice from the Range about using the bridge on a particular day, please contact our Careline on 0800 0560108 or email us at [email protected] Please be aware that information supplied in advance is subject to change and that QinetiQ cannot provide navigational advice.
• If you wish to receive ‘on the day’ bridge status advice, you can contact the Bridgekeeper on 01702 383436 or VHF Channel 72 (see No.3). Further information on the MOD Byelaws, sailing safely in the vicinity of the Range and using the bridge can be found on our website at www.qinetiq.com/shoeburyness If you would like to receive marine email alerts, please email us at [email protected] You can also follow us on Twitter @SHB_Alerts

Medway Yacht Club hall

Location Medway Yacht Club Upnor Road Upnor Rochester Kent ME2 4XB Map Capacity Meeting room 50 max, club room & Bar 80 max Kitchen No Disabled Access Yes Disabled Toilet Yes Parking Yes Suitable For Lunches, dinners, meetings, talks, wedding receptions. Contact Details Secretary - 01634 718399

Our services

• Council Tax and benefits
• Pay the council
• Parking, roads and travel
• Leisure and libraries
• Schools and learning
• Waste and recycling
• Social care and support
• Your council
• Births, ceremonies and deaths
• Business, licensing and regeneration
• Environment
• Climate change

Medway and Swale Boating Association

The voice of boating on the tidal Medway and Swale

Upnor Sailing Club

Upnor Sailing Club www.upnorsailingclub.co.uk Key: SC, 140

Founded over 50 years ago, USC has an attractive clubhouse created by the refurbishment of three traditional waterfront cottages. It has about 90 fore and aft moorings opposite the clubhouse, the majority of which have all tide access.

The floating pontoon and hammerhead provide facilities for filling water tanks, alongside loading of stores etc together with access to the two half-tide scrubbing docks.

A full programme of racing, cruising in company and social events are arranged every year.

Upnor Sailing Club 1-3 Pier Place Lower Upnor Rochester ME2 4UY

T: 0800 832 1317

Commodore: Ian Chivers E: [email protected]

Hon. Secretary: Jane Male E: [email protected]

Here & Now

The Academy of Urbanism Journal

Medway Yacht Club, Upnor

Ming Hang Henry Chung, Commercial Director

This is the place where I can reflect on all the things that are important in my life. I grew up in Hong Kong, a city that is surrounded by water. I started as a part-time lifeguard when I was attending Ashville College in Harrogate. Being in water swimming, or by water (I live by the river Medway), or on the water sailing with the Morning Star Trust, these are all experiences that have played an important part in my life. As soon as I’m afloat I can relax and stop thinking about work.

My wife is a water baby too. As children back in the seventies, we played together whenever our parents met up. I have a photo on the wall at home of us playing in the sand by a wrecked sampan on the beach in Hong Kong. And that, of course, is my other special place, because whenever I am back there with my parents I feel that is where I really belong, where I grew up and where time seems to have stopped since I came to the UK to study. Whenever I walk the riverbank I think of home and all the memories come flooding back.

My Place is a section where people share places that are significant in their lives .  If you would like to take part in My Place, simply email your photo and a text of up to 250 words to  [email protected]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Post Comment

Related Posts

Here & Now e-journal – Spring 2024 – Housing: The Alternatives

Life, Cycle, Analysis

Here & Now e-journal – Winter 2024

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Privacy Overview

Situated in a bustling arts community on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club has been a part of the sailing community for over 100 years.

We pride ourselves in creating a relaxed private club atmosphere with a warm, friendly, family-oriented environment.  we offer a wide variety of social activities and our clubs within a club meet a plethora of special interests for our members where they can mix and mingle. , banquets & catering, community events.

What's happening at St Petersburg Yacht Club?

St. Petersburg Yacht Club

Phone: 727-892-3873

Address: 11 Central Avenue St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

Website: http://www.spyc.org

Situated in a bustling arts community on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club has been a part of the sailing community for over 100 years.

We pride ourselves in creating a relaxed private club atmosphere with a warm, friendly, family-oriented environment. We offer a wide variety of social activities and our Clubs Within a Club meet a plethora of special interests for our members where they can mix and mingle.

Membership is by Invitation Only Founded 1909

Our Club Members

Bird Key Yacht Club

Bradenton Yacht Club

Captiva Island Yacht Club

Carlouel Beach & Yacht Club

Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club

Clearwater Yacht Club

Coral Reef Yacht Club

Coral Ridge Yacht Club

Davis Island Yacht Club

Eau Gallie Yacht Club

Florida Yacht Club

Fort Walton Yacht Club

Halifax River Yacht Club

Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club

Isles Yacht Club

Key Biscayne Yacht Club

Lake Beresford

Lauderdale Yacht Club

Marathon Yacht Club

Marco Island Yacht Club

Naples Sailing & Yacht Club

Naples Yacht Club

Oyster Bay Yacht Club

Pelican Isle Yacht Club

Pensacola Yacht Club

Sarasota Yacht Club

Smyrna Yacht Club

St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club

St. Charles Yacht Club

Tampa Yacht & Country Club

Tarpon Springs Yacht Club

The Field Club

The Moorings Yacht & Country Club

Venice Yacht Club

Vero Beach Yacht Club

Medway Yacht Club

Founded and registered with the Yacht Racing Association in 1880 early members included the Earl of Cavendish, Lord Beresford, marine artist W.L. Wylie and author of adventure books for children A Henty. By 1894 it is reported that the club had 86 members.

1898 saw the start of one-design racing that continues today when MYC successfully answered a challenge laid down by the Sydney Flying Squadron which resulted in MYC winning the Anglo-Australian Shield. The challenge was revived and re-run at Upnor in 1998 and in Sydney in 2001 using replica 1880’s skiffs.

Early meetings were held in Rochester and in 1920 a clubhouse was opened on the Esplanade near Rochester Castle. Currently recognised as a safe haven for all the family to sail, the Club was apparently a riskier place in the 1920’s. An incident in the club accident book records that a member was shot when live rather than blank cartridges were supplied for use in the clubs starting cannon.

Always a forward thinking club, MYC admitted ladies for the first time to the annual dinner held at the Sun Hotel in 1934.

Between the two World Wars, motor-boating became very popular. Whilst normal club activities were suspended during both world wars, 1940 saw at least six Medway Yacht Club boats rescuing troops from Dunkirk, and later serving with the defence forces.

After World War II, it was decided to bring all club activities together and in 1948 the current site at Lower Upnor was acquired.

In 1952 the clubhouse which forms the main part of the facilities seen today was built although this has been extended and improved over the years.

1953 saw MYC received its warrant from the Admiralty allowing members the privilege of wearing our defaced Blue Ensign. Two years later saw Bluebottle, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Dragon, given to him as a wedding present by Her Majesty the Queen, competing in a special series of races arranged by MYC. Bluebottle’s racing flag was presented to the club and can be found in the clubhouse today.