Sailing Club
All members are welcome to join the Ras al Hamra Sailing Club (RAHSC), a sports section of the RAHRC. We have an excellent fleet of light sailing boats and windsurfers which we launch from our beach, for competitive and recreational sailing, for children and adults.
Our main priorities are for sailing activities to be safe and enjoyable, thus before taking out a club boat or a board you need to get a Helms Ticket. To obtain a Helms Ticket, depending on previous sailing experience, qualifications and personal fitness, you can either join a beginners course, an intermediate course or be directly assessed for a Helms Ticket.
We organise competitive and recreational sailing events, including club championships, monthly team races, fun sailing events and overnight sailing trips. The highlight of each year is the Regatta, a weekend full of sailing races, family fun events, and parties, held on our beautiful beach in early March.
Our Fleet
Club boats available to members are:
- 12 Hobie 16s (double handed catamaran).
- 16 Lasers (single handed dingey, standard or smaller sails for youth).
- 2 Laser Bahias, 2 RS Quests and 2 Laser 2000 (double handed sailing dinghies).
- 12 Toppers (youth single handed sailing dinghies).
- 10 Optimists (children single handed).
- 1 RIB (power boat used by the race committee and in support of training
- Broad selection of boards and sails (see Windsurfing page for page for details)
Private Sailing Euipment
You can store your private boat or board at our boat yard at a fee, subject to availability of suitable boat yard space.
Sailing Conditions
The water is clear and warm and usually we have light to moderate winds and calm seas. In July and August we are blessed with steady southeasterly Kharif winds which can be super exciting when double trapezing around Fahal island. In winter we have the occasional strong westerly wind and surf which stops us from launching boats from the beach.
To become a sailor at RAHSC you have to be a confident swimmer and, because we only have light boats on the open sea, you need a minimum level of fitness and balance, and expect to get some bruises when learning.
Safety and Support
The Club Safety Post (CSP) provides daylight hour support to the sailing activities. The first aid qualified and highly motivated CSP staff present the sailors with sea condition signals, book boats in and out, provide safety and recovery support as required on the water using their fully equipped safety RIB and perform many other duties to ensure you will have a safe and enjoyable experience.