A small, family-friendly Sailing Club and Sailing School with a casual atmosphere offering fun and affordable ways to get out sailing in London, Ontario
Sailing Lessons are a Great Gift Idea for the Holidays!!
Dec. 5, 2024
The Sailing School Registration Portals for Youth and Adults Lessons in 2025 are now Open! For more info about Sailing School Lessons and to access the Portals, please click the Blue Button below.
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Fanshawe Yacht Club
London, Ontario, CANADA
Fanshawe Yacht Club has been encouraging sailing in London for over 70 years!
Click Here or click on the photo to watch a wonderful Video by Kate Dubinski from CBC Radio in 2023 where she interviews our current Commodore Stacey, our past Commodore Bonita and our Club Steward Bob about Fanshawe Yacht Club!
About FYC
Fanshawe Yacht Club is a small, private, not-for-profit Sailing Club and Sailing School mostly run by Volunteers. FYC is located on Fanshawe Lake, a man-made reservoir on the historic Thames River within Fanshawe Conservation Area in London, Ontario, Canada.
Though FYC has the term “yacht” in the name, it is a casual and fun sailing club… No crested blazers and white trousers required here!
FYC was founded in 1953 just after the creation of the Fanshawe Lake reservoir. Read more about FYC’s origins in History of FYC.
FYC and Fanshawe Conservation Area Park are within the Traditional Territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapeewak peoples. Scroll down or click on the link above to learn more about the Traditional Territory in this area.
Our Vision, Our Mission & Our Goals
Our Vision: The vision for the Fanshawe Yacht Club is first and foremost for our members, and the use of the facilities for the purpose of sailing, whether that be racing, cruising and or social interaction. We will commit resources to enable individuals of all ages to become competent sailors. This is an opportunity for individuals in the community to become members of Fanshawe Yacht Club and take hold of an opportunity to enjoy new adventures on the water.
Our Mission: Our mission is to cultivate a diverse membership with shared interests and to passionately promote and uphold our reputation as a club dedicated to providing an outstanding sailing instruction, racing regattas, and social events held within a picturesque setting at Fanshawe Lake.
We are a member of Ontario Sailing which is an organization that champions the sport of sailing, enabling it to flourish and grow, becoming the leading, lifelong recreational and competitive sport in Ontario. We at Fanshawe Yacht Club, share their philosophy.
Our Goals:
- To provide a first class, cost efficient Sailing Facility
- To provide a Sailing School for all ages with Certified Instructors
- To promote and foster safe recreational sailing
- To stimulate an interest in seamanship, navigation and small craft handling
- To promote water safety
- To develop racing skills in sailing by racing against seasoned sailors
- To be a valued asset to our community by providing a safe environment for charity groups to enjoy.
Fun Stuff
FYC provides a wonderfully-casual atmosphere for families and all those who want to get out and have fun on or near the water.
At the beginning of each sailing season, FYC opens its doors to the Public during a two day Open House. Folks can tour the club facilities, learn about how accessible & affordable sailing can be, discuss Learn to Sail opportunities, and even try sailing!
FYC and the Sailing School can also offer opportunities for various public groups to try sailing and enjoy some time out on the water. For example, host team building events, have a group try sailing as a new adventure, or host a fun regatta with the Sailing School such as the 2024 Kiwanis Thrills & Skills Youth Open Regatta in August.
For new members, FYC offers a Mentorship program in which current members guide those new to the club through use of the facilities, safe boating practices refreshers, rigging a sailboat assistance if needed, and more.
FYC offers recreational sailing, as well as weekly informal race nights/days for club members (rookie racers and students are always welcome!), social events such as Barbeques, Pot Luck Dinners, Music Jams, Bonfires, and a Fun Poker Run.
For Racers, FYC hosts club Regattas and Open Regattas for club & non-club members. Our most active racing fleets include Laser, Laser Radial, Wayfarer, CS-22, open cruising classes, etc.
Click Here to learn more about Membership at FYC.
The FYC Sailing School has programs for both youth and adults to learn sailing. Summer camps for youth are available during the day, as well as evening and weekend courses for adults.
Licensees
We encourage Community and Charity Organizations to lease space on our grounds for a nominal fee and make use of our wonderful facilities so everyone can have fun on the water. Click on the logos below to learn more about some of our current Licensees such as Abilities in Motion (Adaptive Paddling), Community Living London (Able Sail Program), London Dragon Boat Club, and Rowbust Dragon Boat Breast Cancer Survivors Team.
Presented on the AMI+ Streaming Network in early May 2024, the wonderful Video below showcases how folks with disabilities get out and enjoy fresh air, exercise and good times with friends on the water in canoes and kayaks at FYC with Abilities in Motion!
Visitor/Participant Waiver
**Visitor/Participant Waiver** = Printable Version: This Waiver is to be signed by all those who visit FYC and/or participate in events at the club. Please fill in and print out for your visit.
Have Questions?
Drop us a line if you'd like more info about FYC or click the buttons below to learn more about Membership and our Sailing School.
A View of the Harbour & FYC Mooring Field on Fanshawe Lake
Video below of Laser Sailing on Fanshawe Lake by K. Biskaborn!
"Sailing's Health Starts at Home" from Sailing World Magazine
Sailing on a small inland lake like Fanshawe Lake can be a great pastime. It can lead to years of fun, companionship with others who love the water, and can even be a stepping stone to sailing and racing on a wider stage. For example, the current President of Sailing Operations and Skipper of the New York Yacht Club’s 2024 America’s Cup campaign Terry Hutchinson, has raced on Fanshawe Lake! Click Here to read more about the 37th America’s Cup to be held in Barcelona in the Fall of 2024. While many of our FYC Members have not only raced in International Regattas around the world, many have also cruised sailboats in some of the most beautiful cruising grounds there are…Greece, the BVI’s, BC’s Inside Passage, and the glorious North Channel of Georgian Bay to name a few.
Sailing on a small lake is infinitely rewarding for one’s physical health and overall well-being. For local sailors, getting out on our lake is like an immediate vacation, a way to decompress, to enjoy life, and hopefully, to grow the sport. But don’t just take your editor’s word on this. Click Here to read a wonderful article “Sailing’s Health Starts at Home” by Dave Powlison published April 15, 2024 in Sailing World magazine online.
Brooke W having a blast on a Laser on Fanshawe Lake.
FYC and First Nations Traditional Territory
Fanshawe Yacht Club wishes to acknowledge that the club is “… within the Traditional Territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapeewak peoples, who have longstanding relationships to the land, water and region of southwestern Ontario.
The local First Nation communities of this area include Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, Munsee Delaware Nation and Delaware Nation at Moraviantown. In the region, there are eleven First Nation communities and a growing Indigenous urban population.
We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations and all of the Original peoples of Turtle Island (North America).”*
* This acknowledgement is excerpted from the UTRCA website. Please Click Here for more information about the Traditional Territory in this area.