About the Club

The club has its sailing waters at Setley Pond (click for directions) located in the New Forest close to Lymington, Christchurch and Brockenhurst. The pond is co-located with a Picnic Area and model boaters can park directly adjacent to the pond which we share with the New Forest ponies and cattle that come to drink and the herons and cormorants who come to eat! The Club was founded in 1978 as a Model Yacht Racing Club, the Scale Model Section was established a few years later. Nowadays the two sections of the Club are run separately but in collaboration.

Scale Section

The Scale Model Section meets on Thursday and Sunday mornings at 10 am throughout the year (weather permitting), and a very friendly welcome is extended to all visitors. Our models range from rowing boats to liners and from sailing dinghies to square rigged ships (but note that fast electric racing boats or IC boats are not allowed by the Forestry Commission Regulations).

This web site describes the Scale Section activities. We have a thriving membership of over 150 modellers. We hold an exhibition in Highcliffe every Spring in aid of the RNLI, typically there are over 70 boats on display and several hundred pounds are raised for the RNLI. Our members also visit other clubs, exhibitions, and Life Boat open days in the area, and we support a number of charities.

Anyone interested in starting the hobby or joining the club is welcome to come along to the lake on a club morning. A membership application form is available here (PDF format please download and print) but please note that the committee reserves the right to approve applications. To get in touch with the Scale Section please see the Contact Us page.

The Scale Section is affiliated to the South West Association of Model Boat Clubs.

Sailing Section

The "Sailing Section" (i.e. Yacht Racing) meets at the lake on Tuesday and Friday Mornings at 10am. They race International RM and 1m Class, National R Class and 6m yachts. Contact details for the Sailing Section are available on the Sailing Section pages.