The Princess Royal watched Lymington's £1-a-week junior sailing on 23 September, two years after an accident kept her from its 40th birthday.

The Princess Royal was on the Lymington River on Wednesday afternoon to watch the last junior sailing session of the season. She came to mark more than 40 years of Wednesday Junior Sailing at Royal Lymington Yacht Club, which still charges each child £1 a week.

It was the visit she could not make two years ago. The Princess has been the club’s Patron since 1979. When the club held its 40th anniversary celebration for the programme in June 2024, she was unable to attend because of a recent accident. That is according to the programme’s sponsor, Lymington Yacht Haven.

What happened on Wednesday

The club’s own account of the visit, published on its Sail-World club page, says the Princess:

  • met children, volunteers, members and sponsors at the clubhouse
  • went out on the river to watch the sailors in action
  • presented the trophies at the season’s Grand Finale and prize giving

The club says the Mayor helped present the trophies. Afterwards more than 110 children, families and volunteers stayed on for an end-of-season party.

The club singled out Jane Corden, who took on the lead volunteer role this year and coordinates the team needed every Wednesday.

Why it matters locally

Wednesday Junior Sailing, known to most Lymington families as WJS, is one of the cheapest ways anywhere on the south coast for a child to learn to sail. The club gives these figures:

Wednesday Junior Sailing
Cost per child £1 a session, traditionally with a hot chocolate and a doughnut
Season April to September, two sessions every Wednesday afternoon
Children each week around 100
Headline sponsor Lymington Yacht Haven, since 2002

The scheme was started in 1984 by two Lymington doctors, Jonathan Rogers and Tom McEwen, with 15 local schoolchildren and a handful of borrowed boats. By its 40th year, Lymington Yacht Haven wrote in 2024, “over 7,000 local children have learnt to sail, row and enjoy fun on the water”.

The low price works because the costs are shared. The club supplies the facilities, boats and equipment. The yacht haven has paid a substantial share of the bill for more than two decades. The rest is volunteers, on the pontoons and in the safety boats, every week of the season.

The Princess Royal, seen from behind in a white jacket, talking to a large group of young sailors in buoyancy aids on the Royal Lymington Yacht Club pontoon, with dinghies and helpers behind them.
The Princess Royal talking to Wednesday Junior Sailing children on the club pontoon. Photo: Tristan Jones / nautipics.co.uk, supplied by Royal Lymington Yacht Club.

What the club said

Sally Kalis, Commodore of Royal Lymington Yacht Club, said the programme’s success “belongs to the remarkable team of volunteers who make it happen”.

“Every Wednesday the children get out on the water, build confidence, make friendships and, we hope, develop a lifelong love of sailing,” she said.

“Having our Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, with us to see WJS in action and celebrate our young sailors is a very special way to recognise everything they have achieved this season and the volunteers who make it possible.”

Buckingham Palace had not published its own account of the engagement when we checked, and the Court Circular had not yet reached 23 September.

What it means for you

  • If you have a school-age child, WJS runs again from April 2027. The season has now finished, so there are no sessions until spring. Watch the club’s junior and youth page for how to sign up.
  • If you sail or used to, the scheme depends on volunteers ashore and on the water. The club is the place to ask.
  • If you are driving to the river for it next year, Lymington’s own parking charges and the Forestry England charges are separate. Our parking in the New Forest page sets out both.

Sources