Club History 

The present clubhouse was built in 1973.  Club members paid a three-year subscription in one year to raise the necessary funds.  The clubhouse toilet was established in the space between the clubhouse and the boathouse in about 1980.  Paul Passemard, who was a club member and deputy manager of the refinery, was involved in the design of this. 

 

The club has always relied upon members volunteering their time and skills to develop facilities and keep costs to a minimum.  Dave McKinley and Doug Wilson were heavily involved in the construction of the jetty, while Arthur and Mike Malone led a small team of members in building the dolphin at the end of the jetty.  This was in about 1978/9.  It was about this time that the toilet block was extended.  When Arthur was offered a considerable quantity of concrete at short notice, he endeavoured to recruit a work party to use it in expanding the slipway.  Time was brief, and it resulted in Arthur and one other member working furiously to use the concrete before it set.

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At this time, there was a small pound in which the club was required to allocate two berths to the fishing section.  Providing this space became increasingly irksome and led to a bit of friction between the sections, which was eventually resolved by the fishermen graduating to motorboats that required moorings.  I understand that at one time, the fishermen used a garage as their base.

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You will see from the early photographs of the creek that the south bank was not protected with the concrete-facing slabs that we see today.  I understand that the armouring of the banks took place in the mid 50’s.  The saltings were infilled in 1948.  I learned this fact from David Ride, a former resident of Fawley, who, as a youth, used to crawl inside the large bore pipe that delivered the dredged material from the dredging taking place on an awkward bend in the main channel near the West Bramble buoy.  

 

The pipe was laid in the channel known as the Twistletoe.  Later, the Hampshire Water Authority needed to lay a new outfall from the Ashlett sewage plant, and they used the “Twistletoe” as the route.  During the negotiations, the Club successfully persuaded them to deepen the channel.  I believe this was done in 1972 or 1973.  It significantly improved the water quality in the creek, as previously, the sewage works overflowed into the corner of the creek opposite the mill.  Digging in moorings often results in toilet paper around your ankles!  Many members will remember the Twistletoe as a shortcut with a goalpost turn and a very narrow channel.  Due to rapid changes in the channel, this is now only navigable by canoes.

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In the early days, the club was essentially a dinghy racing club.  Racing was organised on Wednesdays and Saturdays when the tide served.  In the 60s, Fred Gale had a strong following of dinghy sailors.  He was very popular with the younger members whom he had taught to sail and then race.  Take a look at the shoreline where the dinghy pontoon is situated, and you will see some concrete with a name and date: 1969.  I understand there were plans to construct a slipway for dinghies here. 

 

Fred left the club and played a key role in establishing Calshot Sailing Club.  In approximately 1974-5, a gravel beach was created in front of the clubhouse to make the area more suitable for dinghies.  Members completed this task with the assistance of a dumper truck, which Fawley Engineering kindly loaned.  Jim Hopwood told me that members of the Sunday morning work parties had great fun driving the dumper truck.  Dinghy sailing activities included an annual outing to Gurnard for Cowes Dinghy Week, and it became a significant part of the race calendar, with everyone camping in the garden of one of the Gurnard club members.  The dinghy sailors were escorted over by the rescue boat on the morning tide for a day’s racing and lunch, then back again in the afternoon.  Dinghy classes owned by members included the following: Flying Dutchman, GP14, 420, Laser, Topper, Solo, Cherub, and Fireball.

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As younger members grew up and went to university and older members aged, there was an increase in sailing cruiser ownership.  The dinghy racing fleet was still very active until the mid–1980s.  The creek now needed to have a number of fore and aft moorings and trots established.  In about 1981, Arthur was the mooring secretary. He has provided me with a photograph on which he has numbered the moorings. 

 

Terry Martin told me how he and Arthur used “Zizzz”, Arthur’s Macwester 26, to move mooring blocks, suspended from the bow, into position.  Arthur marked out the site for each block with a withy.  He used a sixty-foot length of rope to space out the fore and aft moorings along the centre of the creek.  About eight moorings were laid here for boats up to 26 feet in length.  Members who had a mooring allocated to them had to use two people standing on each block to both “jump” and dig them into position.  Another eight moorings were laid along the turn mark going east, but these were designed for boats no longer than 30 feet. 

 

Apparently, the initial moorings were designed for boats about 26 to 30 feet in length.  Around the mid 70’s, the limit was set at a maximum of 30 feet.  In recent years, due to changes in the creek channels, several moorings have had to be lifted and relocated to maintain a clear navigation channel.  An examination of the photograph showing the Nauticat 33 shows how narrow this area was forty years ago.

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Mike Harvey, who joined the club in 1962, owned an Alacrity 18 feet 6 inches sailing cruiser called “Seraphina”.  He later owned a Tomahawk cruiser/racer called “Mojave”.  By the end of the 1960s, the number of sailing cruisers owned by members was increasing.  The necessary increase in moorings laid in the creek made dinghy sailing more difficult.  Gradually, members created a variety of walkways and pontoons to provide access to boats moored along the south bank.  All members will be familiar with the club rule that all boats moored in the creek must not exceed 34 feet in overall length. This figure was arrived at in stages. 

 

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Air Vice Marshal David McKinley had a Nauticat 33 moored in the creek.  (Having heard some fascinating stories about this man, I read his obituary published in The Telegraph.  In the club, he only wanted to be treated as an equal member and was happy to be involved in tasks such as clearing mud from the slipway.  I would urge all readers to refer to his obituary.  To say that he had quite a fantastic career is to put it very mildly.  I was pretty astounded at what he had achieved.  He was the first RAF pilot to fly entirely around the world and over the North Pole.  He must have been an exceptionally talented person, and he was certainly highly regarded by club members. 

 

At that time, the rule stated that the maximum length of boat allowed to moor in the creek was 30 feet.  This was deemed unfair, so the limit was raised to a nominal 33 feet. Some years later, a member purchased a new Moody 33 and then discovered that it was actually 33 feet 6 inches long.  I remember the AGM when the overall length rule was extended to an absolute maximum of 34 feet.  In the early days of the club, all members had to be Esso employees and also members of the Esso Sports Club.  Associate members were allowed to join only if they lived in the Parish of Fawley.  I understand that for some years, Esso required the club to allow no more than fifty per cent of members to be “associate” members.  Thankfully for me and many other members, this rule was relaxed.

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The present security gate, located near the Parish Moorings, was installed in 1983 to prevent unauthorised vehicles from entering and to keep the horses safe.  John Ward carried out the necessary engineering work, and Colin Dale did the welding work on the gate posts.   A high-specification security lock was fitted, and members were issued with special keys.  Other locks within the club were fitted to suit these keys, and this is the system we use today.  Mike Malone gave me the original letter that Esso sent to the club agreeing to the security gate.  Mike was responsible for obtaining the club’s first tractor and also organised the supply and construction of the tractor garage with the help of other members.  Mike was also responsible for sourcing, collecting, and installing the plastic cladding panels on the outside of the clubhouse, which was showing signs of deterioration at this time. Mike and others added the cladding over several evenings. 

 

The pound has been mentioned before, but in the mid-80s, it had clearly become too small to accommodate the members’ needs.  Permission was sought from Esso and the New Forest District Council to expand it.  With planning permission in hand, numerous work parties, led by Keith Robinson, constructed the new fence. Theft by outsiders was a significant problem at this time, and considerable effort was devoted to enhancing security.  John Smedley sourced some concrete rubble, which was incorporated into the earth bank to the south of the compound. 

 

One part of this project, along with a requirement from NFDC that the pound needed to be screened from the south, led to the development of the tree screen.  Iris Harvey supervised the planting of this screen over many weeks.  She was also extensively involved in the development of the flower boats in front of the Clubhouse in 2006.  A write-up by her on the gardening activities will be attached in the appendices.  Russ Bassett donated the anchor in front of the clubhouse.  He and Peter Hall brought it down to the creek from Russ’s home, which was then near Basingstoke.

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The club has had many interesting personalities.  Len and Doris Jenkins were active members in the 60’s and 70’s.  They owned a wooden sailing boat on the south bank.  Len was a very helpful and valuable member who contributed significantly to the club, providing seamanship classes to the youngsters.  Doris was a stalwart in the kitchen.  She ensured that teas and cakes were provided on race days.  It was routine for the Officer of the Day (OOD) to supply these and man the galley after racing, but Doris was always on hand to help or stand in.  She also provided sustenance during the work parties in the winter months.  I understand that Doris’ dinners were legendary.

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The shallow depth of water in the creek means that most members have shallow-draught boats; however, three particular deep-keeled boats come to mind.  “Girlie” was a Folkboat built by Dick Sougnez.  He first had to create a workshop at his home.  This was his first and only boat, which he maintained in excellent condition. Doctor Colin Wood owns a Vancouver 32, and Sue Doyle owns a Victoria 30.  Both have made good use of the sea-keeping abilities of their boats and have made long sea passages in them.

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Club activities have included a number of very enjoyable regattas, which have had evening entertainment featuring the ASC music group and Ray Woodason’s music group.  There have been many weekend cruises to various places, both within and beyond the Solent, as well as annual dinners and dances, social events, and, during the off-season, Sunday morning coffee socials. For several years, there have also been bonfire night events.  In past years, some members have given short talks on a variety of topics, including binoculars, a trip to Antarctica, and the design of propellers.  Sue Doyle also conducted a series of theory training sessions specifically designed for women.  A practical session on the water followed this.

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Later Developments

​I joined the Esso Sailing Club about twenty years ago.  I recall the rather frail pontoon, which had a rule stating that if the wind reached a force 6, boats had to be removed from mooring alongside it.  This was created from a number of pontoons purchased from Chichester Yacht Basin in the late 1980s.  John Ward and Jim Collis organised this project, and John told me that by buying a certain number of pontoons, the final deal included two finger pontoons and free transport to the public hard.  

Some pontoons were sold to club members, marking the beginning of the establishment of pontoons on the south bank.  The club pontoon was installed in the area between the present pontoon and the shingle beach by a team led by John and Jim.  The pontoons were held in place by old 3-inch boiler pipes donated by Esso.  Hence, the requirement to vacate the pontoon in very windy weather.  These pontoons were disinvested and sold off to club members when the replacement pontoons were established.  These were replaced in 2004 by a dedicated team of members led by Trevor Page, Steve Cox and Steve Daniels.  They refurbished several pontoons that had been purchased from Marchwood Sailing Club. 

 

New piles were professionally installed in a new position.  A long list of all the people who helped with the project is engraved in the concrete under the bridge to the pontoons.  After several years of use, it became impractical to continue repairing these refurbished pontoons.  In 2013/4, Trevor Ennion organised the much-needed replacement of the old pontoons with the present professionally manufactured “Walcon” pontoons.  The pontoons were officially opened on April the 24th, by Dennis Skillicorn, a well-known former local radio presenter of sailing programmes.  Many visitors, as well as club members, now utilise this facility.

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When the pontoons on the south bank were established, a spate of vandalism and theft ensued.  To counter this, Colin Dale sourced a company that was then commissioned to install a professional alarm system, linked via an automatic dialling system to Esso security, a siren, and a very locally based committee member.  Boat owners were then able to purchase and install a high-quality alarm system, linking it to reed switches on every hatch.  I fitted one to all hatches on my boat as soon as I joined the club.  This system is professionally maintained and is also used on all the doors of the club property.  Last year, new security locks were fitted to all doors, and new padlocks were fitted to all the gates.  We are now using the third change of locks and keys. The club also uses CCTV.

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Until the mid-to-late 1980s, electrical power was supplied via overhead cables on a series of telegraph poles from a substation at Fawley Power Station, terminating just behind the boat house.  Boats being laid up in the compound were thus required to have their masts taken down.  The mast derrick was thus in very high demand.  When the electricity cables were put underground, one problem was solved, and another was created.  After feasting themselves on blackberries, the starlings, who had previously deposited their guano on the ground, now moved to the rigging of boats and made an unwanted mess on many unfortunate vessels.

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Each autumn, a number of boats are lifted out by a hired crane and stored in the hard-standing area.  To prevent the cranes’ outriggers from sinking into the hard-standing concrete pads, they were constructed in about 2006 by a work party led by Tony Andrews.  The concrete blocks are a metre deep.  Tony was also responsible for designing and installing the mast crane on the quay.  I once took a photograph of a member’s son rowing around the boathouse.  He was able to do this due to an exceptionally high tide. 

 

To prevent flooding like this, the area in front of the boathouse and the boathouse floor was raised by over 30cm.  A flood prevention wall was built around the toilets, and access for people with disabilities was provided into the changing room.  Tom Hatch crafted the replacement flagpole, and benches were generously supplied by Dawn Minard to commemorate her late husband, Keith, a much-loved member of the club.  It was he who invited me to join the club.  Sadly, he died from cancer while he was serving as our commodore.  In 2014, the compound lighting was professionally upgraded with LED floodlights.

 

Since the 1990s, the club has maintained a website, which has been enhanced several times over the years.  To stay up to date with modern social media, it also now has a Facebook page.  In 2015, a new Club Website was created.  This is a valuable asset that receives frequent use.  To save expenditure and be more environmentally friendly, Creek News is now published on the website, with only a limited number printed.  Alongside the website, the club has had CCTV in use for a long time.

Many club members have been or are now active in supporting The “Alison MacGregor”, which takes groups of disabled people out on trips around Southampton Water.  You can find out more about The Dolphin Trust in an article written by Mike West in a past edition of Creek News, which I will include in the appendices.

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Several members have been involved with the Calshot Lifeboat.  At least three have served as coxswains, while others have held positions such as crew members, launch secretaries, and training managers, and one has held the position of press officer.  When John Street was a crewmember, he was awarded a bronze medal for rescuing both a man from a boat in the creek and members of the Hamble Rescue crew who were in trouble on the sedge.

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John Horton, who holds a Master Mariner’s Ticket, has owned “Penmarric” for over thirty-seven years.  I believe that he holds the record for owning possibly the oldest boat in the club.  There are many other long-standing members whom I enjoy meeting and chatting with, such as John Street, John Ward, Mike Malone, Dave Young, Peter Hall, Jim Hopwood, Mike West, Brian Cornelius, Tom Brown and Russ Bassett.  They, along with many others, possess a wealth of local knowledge. 

 

Many other members have also contributed to my knowledge, and I look forward to incorporating aspects of their memories into future articles.  The Esso Sailing Club became The Ashlett Sailing Club in 2004.  Iris Harvey was responsible for gathering the information and producing the honours board, which provided details about the club’s former commodores.  She asked me to help her with this task because she knew I enjoyed exploring local history.  I was able to keep in contact with Iris and Mike Harvey in later years when I would see them planting out the flower boats in front of the balcony.

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Facilities around the compound, including hardstanding, quay, jetty, and the Marchwood pontoon, have been improved by the addition of water points installed by John Ward, Mike Mould, and Brian Oakley.  All the electrical points in the compound, on the hardstanding (Marchwood) pontoon, slipway, and the original compound security lights, were established by John Ward and Peter Savage in approximately 2004.

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In recent years, there has been a fairly dramatic change to the channel within the creek.  Mike Cooper informs me that it is quite possibly due to a number of circumstances, the most significant being that the eastern flap gates on the millpond have rotted to the point where the tide can quite freely flow both in and out of them, with no restrictions.  The jetty is also now in need of replacement, and this is another major project being considered by the committee.  The upsurge in interest in dinghy sailing and trailer sailing by the Drascombe fleet, as well as canoeing, is now creating the need to reflect on existing facilities.  Keen dinghy sailing members of the 70’s used an artificial “beach” in front of the clubhouse.  Plans for developing this area are now being considered.

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Over the last thirty years, several members have contributed to producing up-to-date charts of the channel in the creek.  Peter Sutton, his son Andy and his brother carried out annual surveys and created charts in the 1970s and 1980s to help the dinghy racing enthusiasts.  I have included one in the appendices.  Brian Cornelius used to deliberately dry out his “Pageant” near to where the sedge ends and the mud flats begin.  He would then use his dinghy and photograph the channel and display the pictures in the clubhouse as an aid to navigation. 

 

Richard Biggs produced a LIDAR image.  In approximately 2006, it became apparent that the main channel from the Fawley port hand buoy was undergoing a significant change.  A shell and gravel bank was forming across the channel, marked by port and starboard posts.  The main channel now runs 062 degrees mag and is marked by numbered buoys.  See the chart and photograph in the appendices for details.  The channel within the creek has undergone considerable changes in recent years.  The “cut-through” in front of the club balcony is now a significant feature.  In the autumn of 2015, the creek was surveyed by some members of the committee and the new positions of the creek marks were agreed upon by ABP and Trinity House.

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The latest projects undertaken during the winter of 2015/16 are the completion of writing “The History of Ashlett Sailing Club” and the construction, in our boathouse, of a catamaran raft for lifting and positioning mooring blocks.  This will be a much-needed and handy addition to the club's fleet of workboats and will undoubtedly be heavily used in 2016.

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I have always felt fortunate and privileged to be a member of The Esso Sailing Club and then, since 2004, The Ashlett Sailing Club.  We ought not to forget that it is thanks to Esso that we can enjoy our hobby in the unique setting of Ashlett Creek.  We should not forget the considerable time, effort and devotion that many members have given to being active members of committees and work parties.  There are many “unsung heroes” among our members.  Please consider what skills and knowledge you can contribute to help make the club an even better place to be, where we can relax, meet friends and enjoy our leisure time.

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Thanks to the help of many people and extensive research, I have collected a number of photographs that show the creek over the last hundred years. Amongst the pictures that Arthur has given me, there is a photograph of his father presenting a fishing trophy to Des Jones over fifty years ago.  (Des was a partner in a small boat-building business, Randle and Jones.  They built a number of dinghies in a shed situated on what is now the small car park between The Hollies and the quay.  I know that some members are very keen fishermen and knowledgeable about this nautical activity, but I have yet to learn about this aspect of the club's history.  Also, could anyone enlighten me on when the first canoe or kayak was introduced to the club?  Jim Hopwood used his in the 1980s, and he still has it.  If you can provide me with photographs of the creek and sailing club activities or information with dates and details, I would be very pleased to hear from you.

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Finally, although I have mentioned quite a few members by name, the club would not be what it is today without the contribution of many more who have given their time and effort to develop it into the happy club that it is.  I am anxious not to upset individuals by failing to include them and the details of the projects in which they were involved.  I would be grateful if you would alert me to any omissions or mistakes which you think I may have made.  I hope that you have enjoyed reading this history and now have a greater understanding of what members have achieved.

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Mike Gillingham   January 2016

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