About the Orwell Yacht Club (OYC)
The Orwell Yacht Club (OYC), originally founded in 1918, is today a thriving club that offers exceptional facilities to its five hundred or so members. It is located in Ostrich Creek that it shares with Foxs marina at the head of the beautiful River Orwell. Ostrich creek is dredged giving deep water access to the river from the Clubhouse easily accessible at all states of the tide.
It is justifiably proud of its friendly atmosphere and of the spirit of self-help that has resulted in continuous improvements to the services and facilities offered to its members; Club members are very willing to help each other when this is needed. Most of the Club facilities have been created by members working together, mostly on out-of-season Saturday morning working parties that we have each spring or autumn; these are important to the Club so that costs can be kept down, but also provide a good social opportunity for members to get to know each other.
OYC is a Club that is entirely run by Members, for Members, making it possible to keep costs to a minimum so that all Members can enjoy excellent facilities at affordable rates Our premises which comprise a modern two-storey, purpose built Clubhouse with bar plus kitchen and main meeting/socialising room, showers and changing rooms, and other meeting rooms; we also have large car, boat and dinghy parks. The club is easy to get to, being conveniently situated just off the A12/A14.
For the people with cruisers we offer a programme of cruises-in company to the nearby River Deben, Walton Backwaters, Bradwell-on-Sea and other venues. Dinghy sailors enjoy races, and optional race training, every week. We also offer junior training for the younger people who would like to learn to sail; this is given by RYA qualified instructors. During the winter members enjoy a full programme that includes formal and less formal dinners, shanty evenings, dance bands, talks and slide shows. Members can borrow the Clubhouse for private parties at no charge. Other facilities that we have include a Dolphin staging, that allows owners of cruisers to go alongside it, dry out, and then scrub and anti-foul the bottoms of their boats; the Dolphin has a crane for raising or lowering of masts. We have our own pressure washer. All these items are free of charge for members.
The Club has its own boat carrier and tractor for launching and recovering boats up to eight tons.. Perhaps most importantly, we have extensive moorings both in the River Orwell and within Ostrich Creek; in both locations some of these are deep-water and some dry out. However, we are likely to be able to offer a mooring to new members, particularly if they have a bilge-keel or shallow-draft vessel. (the photos show some of our moorings in Ostrich creek). In short, we believe that OYC offers its members boating facilities which are amongst the finest on the East Coast and caters for a wide range of interests tailored to the needs of the keen yachtsman and dinghy sailor.
Last updated 15:20 on 8 May 2025