A society for offshore sailors who understand that the sea is not a destination — it is a way of life. Ocean racing, seamanship, and maritime fellowship.
The sea humbles all who sail upon it. Our society is built upon three principles that define what it means to be a true blue water sailor.
The sea demands respect. Every passage is planned with meticulous care, every crew briefed, every safety system tested. We never let ambition override prudence.
Anyone can sail in fair weather. We train for the hard days — the squalls, the gear failures, the navigation challenges that separate sailors from passengers.
The bonds forged offshore are unlike any formed on land. We are a community that looks after one another — on the water and off it.
Our clubhouse on the Hamble River has been the social heart of the society since 1923. From here, members have set off on passages to every ocean in the world.
The clubhouse offers full berthing facilities, a chart room, a weather station, and a bar where the best sea stories are told — and occasionally exaggerated.
Our five-level seamanship programme takes sailors from inshore daysailing to confident offshore ocean passages.
Coastal sailing, basic navigation, and boat handling in protected waters.
Night passages, passage planning, weather awareness and crew management.
Short offshore passages up to 200nm from a safe haven. First ocean taste.
Atlantic or Pacific crossings under experienced skipper supervision.
Independent offshore command qualification — the mark of a blue water sailor.
Twelve Solent sailors formed the Blue Water Sailing Society with a single ambition: to sail beyond the English Channel and never look back.
The current clubhouse on the Hamble River opened, providing the society's first permanent base and marina facilities for the growing fleet.
Society members completed the first organised Atlantic passage — Falmouth to Barbados in 32 days aboard the gaff cutter Perseverance.
A society crew won the Fastnet Race outright for the first time in the society's history aboard the 40-footer Windward.
A society crew completed the first Pacific passage in 130 years of history — Panama to New Zealand, 7,600nm over 45 days.
Membership opens the door to one of the UK's most respected offshore sailing communities — access to the clubhouse, berthing facilities, a full racing programme, and the seamanship training programme.