The History of Ogston Sailing Club
Sailing was first allowed on Ogston in 1960, following an inaugural meeting held on 4th January and attended by 70 interested people. Ogston was the first drinking water reservoir in the country to be used for sailing. Ron Daley was the first Commodore and Colonel Turbutt of Ogston Hall was invited to become Club President, with the Turbutt family crest forming the Club logo. Harry Pye, the fourth Club President was elected in 2010.
When sailing began at Ogston the race officer stood under a tree and rang a handbell to start and finish races. Nowadays we have a two storey race hut, however this is usually used for non competitors to watch the racing and races are run on the water from our committee boat, “Retreat”.
Initially the number of boats allowed on the water was 50, however in the 1970s sailing became an increasingly popular sport and the demand for membership increased rapidly. The Water Board allowed the Club to increase its membership numbers and the amount of boats allowed on the water, however all new members had to sail recognised types of boats and race regularly. In those early days the recognised classes were Ospreys, Enterprises, GP14s and 505s. Since then various other classes have enjoyed fleet status including Larks, Flying Fifteens, Sailboards, Lasers and Fireballs. The current recognised classes are Enterprises, Lasers and Supernovas, but we also have a number of classes racing regularly in the general handicap fleets.
Ogston held its first Open Meeting in 1967, when 60 boats competed in the 505 Midland Championships. Since then Ogston has hosted open meetings for many classes and associations and has gained a reputation for friendliness, good race organisation and great hospitality. In 1997 the National Schools Team Racing Championships was held at the club involving 200 competitors competing in 250 races over 2 days. The club hosted the Challenger English National Championships in 2000 and 2014, the National Fireball Youth Championships in 2008 and the Enterprise Masters Championships in 2009 and 2015. 2022 saw the club hold the Enterprise Inland Championships. in 2023 the club had the honour of hosting the Comet National Championships.
In 2021, a year late due to the pandemic, Ogston celebrated 60 years of sailing on the reservoir with a grand ball attended by members old and new including former commodores and founder members.
From the very start Ogston has relied upon club members’ work parties to develop and maintain the buildings and grounds. The original members worked hard to lay many tons of hard core to produce a hard standing that has lasted, with some additions, to the present day. The site for the club was a former Derbyshire Education School Camp, three buildings were kept for club use, the largest becoming the clubhouse and the other two, which were near the water, were used mainly for storage and training. In the 1980s and 90s, again with the help of members, the clubhouse saw major improvements made to the changing rooms and the main clubroom. In 2001 the club obtained a lottery grant, which enabled us to replace the two old wooden huts with a purpose built stone building to store club boats and provide a base for the training courses. We also replaced the old OOD hut with the new two-storey building, which provides an excellent vantage point for viewing the racing. These work parties are an intrinsic part of the Club’s ethos. This is partly the reason why the club remains strong to the present day.
Sailing was first allowed on Ogston in 1960, following an inaugural meeting held on 4th January and attended by 70 interested people. Ogston was the first drinking water reservoir in the country to be used for sailing. Ron Daley was the first Commodore and Colonel Turbutt of Ogston Hall was invited to become Club President, with the Turbutt family crest forming the Club logo. Harry Pye, the fourth Club President was elected in 2010.
When sailing began at Ogston the race officer stood under a tree and rang a handbell to start and finish races. Nowadays we have a two storey race hut, however this is usually used for non competitors to watch the racing and races are run on the water from our committee boat, “Retreat”.
Initially the number of boats allowed on the water was 50, however in the 1970s sailing became an increasingly popular sport and the demand for membership increased rapidly. The Water Board allowed the Club to increase its membership numbers and the amount of boats allowed on the water, however all new members had to sail recognised types of boats and race regularly. In those early days the recognised classes were Ospreys, Enterprises, GP14s and 505s. Since then various other classes have enjoyed fleet status including Larks, Flying Fifteens, Sailboards, Lasers and Fireballs. The current recognised classes are Enterprises, Lasers and Supernovas, but we also have a number of classes racing regularly in the general handicap fleets.
Ogston held its first Open Meeting in 1967, when 60 boats competed in the 505 Midland Championships. Since then Ogston has hosted open meetings for many classes and associations and has gained a reputation for friendliness, good race organisation and great hospitality. In 1997 the National Schools Team Racing Championships was held at the club involving 200 competitors competing in 250 races over 2 days. The club hosted the Challenger English National Championships in 2000 and 2014, the National Fireball Youth Championships in 2008 and the Enterprise Masters Championships in 2009 and 2015. 2022 saw the club hold the Enterprise Inland Championships. in 2023 the club had the honour of hosting the Comet National Championships.
In 2021, a year late due to the pandemic, Ogston celebrated 60 years of sailing on the reservoir with a grand ball attended by members old and new including former commodores and founder members.
From the very start Ogston has relied upon club members’ work parties to develop and maintain the buildings and grounds. The original members worked hard to lay many tons of hard core to produce a hard standing that has lasted, with some additions, to the present day. The site for the club was a former Derbyshire Education School Camp, three buildings were kept for club use, the largest becoming the clubhouse and the other two, which were near the water, were used mainly for storage and training. In the 1980s and 90s, again with the help of members, the clubhouse saw major improvements made to the changing rooms and the main clubroom. In 2001 the club obtained a lottery grant, which enabled us to replace the two old wooden huts with a purpose built stone building to store club boats and provide a base for the training courses. We also replaced the old OOD hut with the new two-storey building, which provides an excellent vantage point for viewing the racing. These work parties are an intrinsic part of the Club’s ethos. This is partly the reason why the club remains strong to the present day.
