north devon yacht club membership fees

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North Devon Yacht Club

North Devon Yacht Club was originally formed in 1905 as the Taw and Torridge SC.

Two years later the Round House on the quay was leased as the clubhouse and heated arguments arose between the members over finance. Some influential members had joined only to play bridge, so when in 1910 a deficit arose in the accounts, it was suggested that one of the club’s few boats be sold. Sailing members were not amused.

Another issue was that women members had been given equal rights to the men, which some on the committee wished to revoke. The result was a breakaway group forming the North Devon SC. Hostilities were postponed in the Great War and they eventually reunited in 1926 – with the name changing to North Devon YC after World War II. The first sailing craft of the club were designed by Morgan Gites, and the commission was to build a sturdy boat able to stand the strong winds from the Atlantic and the conditions of the estuary. The boat was called the Taw and Torridge One-Design and was built by the Appledore firm of Hinks, Waters and Blackmore for a cost of £24 complete with sails, iron centre board, oars, ballast and anchor. These lasted until 1926, being replaced by a new one-design fitted with the ultra-modern Bermuda Rig. These boats were in service until the Wayfarers were introduced in 1960. In 1971, the old railway line closed — it now has wide leisure use as the Tarka Trail — and the former Instow station and yard was purchased, and a new clubhouse built.

There are some famous names associated with the club. The first commodore was Rear Admiral Sir Edward Chichester who played a significant part in the Spanish-American War of 1898. At any rate on his death, a squadron of USA ships escorted his body home. The Chichester name will give a clue to another famous member, Sir Francis Chichester, who sailed the world in ‘Gypsy Moth IV’. Henry Williamson, author of Tarka the Otter , was an active member in the 1930s. Nowadays the club has 550 members, of which just over 100 are cadets. The majority of members own boats, there are some 70 cruisers, 25 dayboats, 40 motor boats, a large monohull and fast catamaran fleet and 35 Sprint 15 Sports — the largest such fleet in the country. The club owns a fleet of Picos, Sport 14s and Wayfarers for training purposes. The club is also an RYA teaching establishment, providing instructors and safety boat courses, dinghy sailing courses and RYA courses for cadets.

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Location and sailing area of North Devon Yacht Club North Devon YC is near Instow, a picturesque village on the estuary of the Rivers Taw and Torridge. The village is six miles from Barnstaple and three miles from Bideford. Most visitors travel from junction 27 of the M5 up the North Devon link road A361 to Barnstaple, then following the grandly-named Atlantic Highway A39 towards Bideford. Instow is signposted off this road. The sailing waters are always interesting. Tides at Bideford range from 6.3m on a high spring tide to 2.9m on a neap. As we sail on the estuary, we can only get on the water about two hours before high tide. Most races start from Inner Home about one and a half hours before high tide and head out to Puttermouth buoy or up towards Bideford bar at Inner Pulley. In light winds you have to get out of the tide if possible. The tide runs less fiercely off Instow beach and there are back eddies off Appledore. The downside is that you run the risk of running aground on Instow beach and the wind is often fickle off Appledore. The tide runs particularly fiercely in the main channel between Appledore and Inner Pulleys, especially near the lifeboat moorings. The solution is to go amongst the moorings off Appledore where the tide is lighter. The danger is catching your rudder in moorings, or worse still, being too brave and catching rudders on the rocks at the edge of the water – very expensive! Once out into Skern Bay or by Pulleys, you usually get more constant wind. The water round Inner Pulley is often a challenge. The prevailing wind is straight off the sea. Inner and Outer Pulley buoys guard the notorious Bideford Bar, which visiting yachts are rightfully wary about. The waves as the water reaches the bar are often breaking above you. For the dinghy sailors keeping upright is the main issue here. With a good Force 4-5 wind, the sailing is however superb. Dinghy sailors should give Inner Pulleys a wide berth. As you round it the tide is pushing you onto it – it’s big and green and makes an awful sound when you hit it. For visiting cruisers, getting into the estuary requires careful handling. On the one side is Bideford Bar, on the other is North Shore – basically an extension of Saunton Sands beach, with Braunton Burrows behind. At night, entrance involves lining up the leading lights which gives a safe passage into the estuary but the margin for error is not that great.

Facilities There is a large clubhouse with lounge, bar and kitchen facilities, plus a control tower is on the second floor. The changing rooms are housed in the old station waiting room – but much refurbished. Access is easy with good parking at the clubhouse and vehicule access to the boat park. The boat park accommodates all cruisers for winter storage.

What the sailors say

Steve Richardson is a member of the Sprint 15 fleet and also owns a Wayfarer. He has been a member for four years.

“When I moved to Instow, I wanted to get back into sailing which I hadn’t done for a number of years. This club has been fantastic. It’s really friendly and has a brilliant atmosphere. People came out with me to get me going again, and nobody seemed to mind when I was last in by miles, keeping the rescue boat out long after the rest were in!”

“The Sprint 15 fleet is very active. Sunday races are the busiest with 20-plus 15s sometimes. Helms take it seriously, but there is a good level of banter. The bar is a good place to mull over the race and discuss the near misses and the capsizes. On a summer’s day after a race, sitting on the balcony with a pint, looking out over the estuary after a race has got to be one of life’s little pleasures.”

“Throughout the winter and in the season, there are many dinners, barbeques and other events that keep people together.”

Pat Hughes is vice commodore. She sails a 30ft MacWester Wight ketch ‘Hideaway’.

She said, “The club is a jolly and friendly place. It is so diverse, and with all the different boats it makes it interesting. The club is in a stunning setting. It is special because a lot of people who sail here started off as cadets so they keep an attachment to the club.”

Marylee Scott is aged 17, and a cadet member and instructor. She has sailed at the club for some eight years. “The club is very welcoming to new members. People are always willing to help. Cadets are a great opportunity to meet new people, making new friends but learning to sail as well. We have social events every month when we all meet up. In cadets week we sail off to Crow Point for a picnic. The racing games are a lot of fun.”

Vital statistics

Contact: North Devon YC, Instow, Bideford EX39 4HW

Website: www.ndyc.org includes pictures, weather information and a webcam

Membership fees: Family £80 plus £14 joining fee, Cadet £31; temporary membership £26 per week

Boat park: Cruiser winter fees £3.80/ft

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North Devon Yacht Club

• Opportunity to earn RYA sailing qualifications
• Excellent instructors for both adult and junior courses
• Variety of classes for racing including Darts, monohulls, crabbers & shrimpers

Highlighted reviews

Know before you go.

• Consider joining as a member to benefit from the supportive community and facilities
• Book in advance if interested in trying out their popular Sunday Roast lunch offering
• Visit during Cadet week for young beginners interested in learning how to sail from an early age (possibly starting at 12)
• Check out the RNLI art exhibition events held at the club for a pleasant morning experience

Attractions

Popular road trips from Bideford

What's the weather like in bideford.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Bideford for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

• Weather in Bideford in January
• Weather in Bideford in February
• Weather in Bideford in March
• Weather in Bideford in April
• Weather in Bideford in May
• Weather in Bideford in June
• Weather in Bideford in July
• Weather in Bideford in August
• Weather in Bideford in September
• Weather in Bideford in October
• Weather in Bideford in November
• Weather in Bideford in December

All road trips from Bideford

• Bideford to London drive
• Bideford to Paris drive
• Bideford to Amsterdam drive
• Bideford to Dublin drive
• Bideford to Edinburgh drive
• Bideford to Barcelona drive
• Bideford to Rome drive
• Bideford to Bath drive
• Bideford to Berlin drive
• Bideford to Prague drive
• Bideford to York drive
• Bideford to Madrid drive
• Bideford to Cardiff drive
• Bideford to Brussels drive
• Bideford to Birmingham drive
• Bideford to Liverpool drive
• Bideford to Florence drive
• Bideford to Blackpool drive
• Bideford to Milan drive
• Bideford to Vienna drive
• Bideford to Portsmouth drive
• Bideford to Budapest drive
• Bideford to Venice drive
• Bideford to Lisbon drive
• Bideford to Bruges drive
• Bideford to Bournemouth drive
• Bideford to Manchester drive
• Bideford to Torquay drive
• Bideford to Weymouth drive

Explore nearby places

• Westward Ho!
• Great Torrington
• Bucks Mills
• Higher Clovelly
• Putsborough
• West Putford
• High Bickington

All related maps of Bideford

• Map of Bideford
• Map of Northam
• Map of Westward Ho!
• Map of Appledore
• Map of Instow
• Map of Fremington
• Map of Great Torrington
• Map of Bucks Mills
• Map of Braunton
• Map of Saunton
• Map of Yarnscombe
• Map of Langtree
• Map of Croyde
• Map of Barnstaple
• Map of Georgeham
• Map of Woolsery
• Map of Higher Clovelly
• Map of Clovelly
• Map of Putsborough
• Map of West Putford
• Map of Marwood
• Map of Umberleigh
• Map of Woolacombe
• Map of Muddiford
• Map of High Bickington
• Map of Swimbridge
• Map of Shirwell
• Map of Bradworthy
• Map of Mortehoe
• Map of Dolton

Bideford throughout the year

• Bideford in January
• Bideford in February
• Bideford in March
• Bideford in April
• Bideford in May
• Bideford in June
• Bideford in July
• Bideford in August
• Bideford in September
• Bideford in October
• Bideford in November
• Bideford in December

Looking for day-by-day itineraries in Bideford?

Get inspired for your trip to Bideford with our curated itineraries that are jam-packed with popular attractions everyday! Check them out here:

• 1-Day Bideford Itinerary
• 2-Day Bideford Itinerary
• 3-Day Bideford Itinerary
• 4-Day Bideford Itinerary

• Things to do

North Devon Yacht Club

Instow Bideford EX39 4HW United Kingdom

North Devon Yacht Club - Home | Facebook

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• Pelican Week 18th-22nd August 2025 (Under 18s)
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Latest news articles

• Winter Storage Application
• October Newsletter
• Two Rivers map with racing marks
• 2024 Year Book
• Pelican Week
• Summer Social Programe
• New Club Managers
• UKHO Delays Phase Out of Admiralty Paper Charts Till At Least 2030
• New Flare Disposal Requirements Commencing 2023
• Lundy Island Race 2023
• Notification of Seaweed Farm
• Over the Bar - interview with Jonathan Miles, Rear Commodore
• Winter Racing

New Website is Launched

• Boat Park Winter Storage

Published 5:33pm on 7 Sep 2022

We have now launched the new website based on Sailing Club Manager on our standard web address.  The old website will be available through the links page.

The new website is the front end of Sailing Club Manager which is an all encompassing sailing club management system.  All members will slowly start seeing the benefits at the system is rolled out.  Currently all members should have access to the site and all data the club maintains on them as individuals.  This is accessed through the members portal.  You have to login and enter your password to access the members area.  Here you will see your data and can upload and maintain details about your boats, and personal data.  We encourage you to keep this data up to date. 

Also through the membership portal you can upload any qualifications you have and include images of certificates and any expiry dates.  It is useful for you is you are chartering abroad and need access to a certificate.

Also if you are an instructor in the club it will be essential for you to add all your RYA certification, and keep your personal data, emergency contact data and any health conditions current.  This will be essential data for you to offer services to the club.

The Calendar is easy to manage and will keep you up to date with all events and activities in the club.  Race results are managed here together with duties replacing dutyman over the winter and beyond.

Your Boat park fees and allocations are bing managed now through the system, and in December / January you will receive detailed requests for payment or invoices detailing your membership fees and any extras such as engine sheds and tender storage.  The requests for payment will be itemised so you can see exactly what you are paying for and we can see exactly what has been paid and when.  Better financial management of the club will be a benefit to all members.

We encourage all members to use the new systems where possible and to feed back information or suggested improvements.  The Boat Park Allocations is such an area under development for improvement in the New Year.

Last updated 12:04pm on 9 August 2024