News
Lake Status
22nd June Clear to sail
Chris and Vic attended a meeting with the Environment Agency on 12th June. At the meeting the Environment Agency announced that they had revisited the plans to turn valley parkway into a flood water storage area.
This proposal will have a significant effect on the club if it proceeds.
The Environment Agency has set up 3 consultation sessions to canvas the opinion of people in the area who will be impacted by this proposed scheme.
The sessions are listed . Members are encouraged to visit these sessions to understand more about the proposals
Posted 16/6/25
Listed Building Blue Plaque
A smart Blue Plaque has now been affixed to the exterior wall of the boathouse!
This looks terrific, adding a real touch of class and gravitas to the building and to our club.
Many thanks go to Peter Moore for specifying, sourcing and placing the plaque for the club.
Posted 31/5/25
Pond Yacht event Sunday 25th May
Today we held our first world pond yacht day. A blustery day but sun did grace us with its presence. Fourteen pond yachts were sailed during the afternoon in between members taking the opportunity to enjoy the refreshments available in the club house. A new gallery page has been created with a few pictures from the day
Posted 25/5/25
Submarine event 4th May pictures
The galley pages have been updated with some pictures from our submarine event on the 4th May
Posted 11/5/25
Boat house Maintenance 11th - 24th August 2025
The Boat house will be closed from Monday 11th August 2025 to Sunday 24th August while the floor is repaired and repainted.
The Bosun has requested that owners of all boats stored on the floor please remove the boats from the boathouse prior to Monday 11th August. This will greatly assist those who have volunteered to help with this work
Posted 6/4/25
Forthcoming events
The lighter nights are here and hopefully they are joined by warmer weather to make the days much more enjoyable for sailing model boats.
We have regular events planned from April to October for everyone to enjoy. Click on the links below to see our events and to let us know you will be coming.
Posted 31/3/25
Club Boathouse and Lake listed as Grade 2
On the 27th February 2025 Historic England granted grade 2 listed status to our boathouse and lake for the following reasons.
Architectural Interest:
The boathouse possesses special interest as an example of a rare type of recreational building and demonstrates a good level of craftsmanship in its design. These buildings are a carefully considered and cohesive scheme demonstrating the intrinsic link between the boathouse and lake.
Historic Interest
The Bournville boathouse and boating lake form an important part of Birmingham’s social history, both through the association with the Cadbury family and business, and as a relief scheme for the unemployed.
Posted 19/3/25
Club 500 joins "have a go" fleet
We have now commenced a refurbishment of the Club 500 fleet of powered "have a go boats" to join the fleet of Dragon Force 65 yachts. The first Club 500 has now been completed complete with a 2.4GHz radio system. The Club has invested in high capacity batteries to ensure longer running periods during our open days. We look forward to sharing our " have a go" fleet with visitors at our open day on 25th June, Heritage day on 13th September and our illuminated regatta on 4th October. ( activities are subject to the weather being fine)
Posted 16/3/25
Members Boating Day
A Bournville members 'Boating Day’ is to be held on Saturday 22nd March.
The idea is that Club Members can enjoy a day on the lake, from 10am to 4pm messing about with virtually anything that floats with an emphasis on the older craft - although the latest are definitely included as well.
The scale boat skippers are at the ready, along with sailing skippers starting with J-Boats and Americas Cup offerings. Pond yachts, as we all had them as kids, are particularly welcome.
Light catering will be available in our Club House and we will only have some simple rules to make the day go well.
No racing just, ‘Messing About’ with our models, some on the water, others on display.
The public (all potential members) love to see the lake used.
Assistance with the setting up and breaking down would be most welcome. If you can help please be at the boathouse around 9am.
Posted 3/3/25
Trial of Personal Handicap racing
Following requests from some members, a trial of personal handicap racing was run last week. This produced a good result with a complete mix of experience/abilities.
It is intended to continue this format on the last Wednesday of each month before our usual visit to a local hostelry for lunch. Ian Green will be coordinating these days.
Looking ahead for other Wednesday's we are looking at the opportunity of holding brief rules / tactics training sessions during an extended mid-morning break.
For further information on these activities please contact our sailing secretary Roger.
Update 27/2/25
New 6M class sailing on Saturdays
Our Sailing secretary has now set up a 6M single class racing series to be held on Saturdays from April to October. These Saturday racing sessions have been added to the club calendar and will run from 10am to 3pm with breaks for tea and lunch. (please bring your own refreshments). Non club members are welcome for a £2 fee per session.
Posted 27/2/25