About the clubAldeburgh Yacht Club, situated on the Suffolk coast, is a large and thriving club catering for all aspects of the sport of sailing. Located between the sea and the River Alde one mile south of the town of Aldeburgh the Club is able to organise racing on the river and, for dinghy open meetings and certain other events, on the sea.
Founded in 1897, the Club now benefits from some 1,800 members and has a large modern purpose-built clubhouse constructed in 1992 and extended in 1996. It has also recently received a lottery award from the Sports Council to enable it to improve and extend its dinghy parking and sail training facilities.
There is active racing at weekends from April to December with both keelboat and dinghy classes and a more frequent programme, particularly amongst the youth and junior classes, during August. There is also an active cruiser fleet with organised events both locally, in the Thames Estuary and further afield. Members also own a number of motor boats and RIBs/sports boats of various sizes.
The Club has an active social programme and new members are welcomed. Juniors are particularly encouraged with tuition available for both learning to sail and learning to race. Further detail is given below.
Racing is held on Saturdays and bank holidays from the beginning of April to mid December. The racing season begins each year with a Spring handicap series for the "early birds" which runs into May. There is a Club Regatta at the Spring Bank Holiday weekend followed by class racing from end May through to end September. Most classes also hold annual open meetings when "hot shots" from elsewhere come to challenge our members on their home ground. Evening racing on a Wednesday evening starts in mid May and continues to mid September. 
The Club owns a fleet of six Toppers, six Optimists and a Wayfarer which are used for sail training for juniors. Week long courses are run for both beginner and intermediate children at the start of the summer holidays in late July. The Club’s junior instructors are available throughout August to lead and advise the children as they progress from the training courses to joining in the racing. There is also an active programme of learning to race in Optimist dinghies on Sunday mornings from May to September which is led by the Optimist Admiral and other volunteer parents. 
In addition to the racing programme, the Alde’s safe and very attractive waters, located on Suffolk’s heritage coast, offer many opportunities for simply enjoying the sport of sailing. Throughout the season club members will typically be found afloat either heading down river where Orford, the Butley River and the narrow shingle spit opposite Havergate Island are favourite destinations or upriver to the sandy beaches of Iken and "Little Japan". At high water, it is possible to sail right up river to Snape where the Concert Hall, the Maltings shopping area and several public houses await the intrepid sailor. 
