Dinghies
Dinghy sailing is at the heart of what we do at BSC. We have large fleets of classic dayboats and modern dinghies, and very active racing and training schedules. It's not all racing though, and for some, the simple pleasure of sailing their own boats around beautiful Chichester Harbour at their own pace is reward enough.
The classic dayboat (CDB) fleet, which celebrated its Ruby Anniversary in 2025, is unique to Bosham. On high tide Saturdays in the season, large numbers of Chichester Harbour 18s, National 18s, Yachting World Dayboats, Devon Yawls, Tideways, Chichester Scows and other classic dinghies race competitively in fast, medium and slow divisions.
The Chichester Scow is a special dinghy at Bosham, with a super-competitive but friendly fleet, racing regularly in their own class as well as part of the CDB Slow fleet. Quite uniquely, Tideways are also raced regularly here.
The Finn has a long association with Bosham and along with the ILCA comprises the bulk of our handicap fleet, alongside a menageries of boats including Wayfarers, Kestrels, RS Aeros, 200s, 400s, Solos and other dinghies.
Cadet sailing is extremely well supported at the club with big fleets of Optimists, Mirrors, Toppers, RS Fevas, ILCAs and 420s, racing either in the handicap fleet or in their own fleets in Cutmill to the north of the quay. Cadet sailing culminates in August with Junior Week, a highlight of the sailing year, with over 130 boats competing.
With access to the water at all states of tide, racing is held on most weekends from late March through to December. In addition to the Saturday CDB series we run several race series for dinghy sailors across the season, mainly on Sundays:
- Quest Series starts from Bosham Quay and races mainly in the Bosham Channel.
- Harbour Series runs mainly from our start line at Cobnor, giving quick access to Chichester Harbour with courses reaching far and wide.
- Sprint Series runs from the committee boat Glad Emma out in Chichester Channel with three short windward/leeward races per day.
- Sunset Series takes advantage of high tides on spring and summer Friday evenings with racing from the Quay.
- Autumn Series keeps the racing going into November and December with two Sunday races from the Quay.
- New for 2026 is our Telltale Series of lunchtime races on summer Tuesdays. All classes race together in one handicap start from the Quay.
Supplementing our race series with also run club trophy events, pursuit races and open meetings. Highlights of the season include Bosham Masters in the spring and our Regatta in August. Details of the racing programme can be found in the diary section of the Red Book and in the 'Calendar' section of the website. Always check the website for the latest details before planning your racing as timings do sometimes change.
Any questions? Email: rcdinghies@boshamsailingclub.com
Come and join us whatever the weather!
Steven Board is Rear Commodore Dinghies.
Last updated 16:55 on 26 January 2026
