Hampton – Thames Motor Yacht Club

SOME motor boat clubs have the reputation of being a bit ‘sniffy’ – a little on the exclusive side if you don’t happen to be wearing the right tie or have attended the right school.
So it’s a delight, in this day and age, to come across a club which actively welcomes members from all walks of life and which encourages children to become a part of the set-up.
One such organisation is the Thames Motor Yacht Club based just upstream of Hampton Court Bridge and right opposite Molesey Lock.

TMYC is situated in its own grounds, with a delightful clubhouse and bar overlooking the river and in excess of 100m of river frontage that can accommodate more than 30 member’s boats.

The club was formed way back in 1930 – originally as the Thames Motor Cruising Club – and offers a full programme of boating and social events throughout the year.

One of the best things about belonging to any kind of boat club is that when you first get on the water, there is an awful lot to learn. Books and practical courses, like those run by the Royal Yachting Association, can certainly help to smooth your passage but there’s nothing quite so handy as being able to talk to someone who has been there and done it themselves – and TMYC members are always conscious of the fact that everyone has to start somewhere.

To that end the club runs many social gatherings along with boating events and boat-handling tuition – invaluable aid for the novice helmsman and his or her crew.
The club lists as one of its objectives the instruction of techniques in safe boat-handling and general seamanship – but they aim to make it as much fun as possible for all the family.

So TMYC runs a series of competitions and instructional events ranging from straightforward navigation, navigation in the Thames Estuary, which combines a test of navigational ability with a fixed throttle reliability trial, boat-handling exercises and something they call Family Watermanship, when the whole family – mum, dad and kids – take part in a light-hearted competition at the club’s headquarters consisting of simple exercises and emergency manouevres. There are also specific competitions aimed at the younger members of the community.

Boating is a wonderful pastime – particularly when you’re doing in on the beautiful stretches of the River Thames that run through our area, but it’s always more fun when you can share the enjoyment with like-minded individuals who are keen to help you get the most from your leisure pursuit.

As most boaters will know, the flag commonly flown by most river craft is the red ensign – long a symbol of the British mercantile marine and privately owned vessels of all sizes.

But TMYC is privileged to be the only boat club on the non-tidal Thames to have been given the honour of being allowed to fly a defaced blue ensign. That privilege was granted to the club by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in 1951 – on the occasion of the club’s 21st birthday – a fitting coming of age gift.

It’s certainly a club worth investigating if you’re contemplating getting afloat.

For more information, visit www.tmyc.co.uk