History of BLSC

 

Sailors at the London Hospital started as members of the United Hospitals sailing club, founded in 1924.  UHSC was founded with the object of providing facilities for students of the London teaching hospitals to learn and practice the use of sailing craft. Under the guidance of Mr Claud Worth (the first commodore), the club was established at Fambridge in Essex. The expansion of the club was so rapid that it soon had to move to Burnham-on-Crouch. During the pre-war years, a fleet of 12 one design 15-foot lugsail dinghies was built up, and in the early thirties an old Thames barge, the ‘Harry’, was converted to a floating clubhouse. The fleet also included a Montague whaler and an 18 foot half-decker, the ‘Oyster-Catcher’. 

 

This happy state of affairs was interrupted by the War. The navy requisitioned the barge, sailing was prohibited at Burnham and all the club’s officers left for active service. After the war, the club was very fortunate in obtaining a lease from it’s old friend the Royal Burnham Yacht Club of the WRNS sick quarters, which had been built on that club’s ground. These consisted of a series of modified Nissen huts, which could accommodate some 40 members. After experimentation with many new classes of boats, 7 Bermudan rig centre-board dinghies of the Burnham Sailing club one design were purchased. The 1948 season was the most successful of the period. The club had some 250 members, the boats were in constant use in inter-hospital racing and the UHSC won the 1948 Inter-University races on the Clyde.

 

In 1949 the club commodore was Dr A. E. Clark-Kennedy, Dean of the London Hospital Medical College and historian of the London. Each year from the 40s until the 80s the club organised the Annual Regatta, a day of assorted sports for sailors and non-sailors followed by dinner and drinks. Some of the events included: undergraduate and post graduate races, the cross river swim, rowing races, dinghy pulling races, the annual soot and flour fight and finally the infamous greasy pole. This event consisted of attaching a long pole to the front of a motor boat, covering it with grease and challenging competitors to retrieve a flag at the end over the murky waters of the crouch. After the regatta, the owners of the boats that had been borrowed for the day were invited to the clubhouse for a ‘liquid and convivial reception’. The regatta brought 200 medics to the crouch in its heyday.

 

In 1953 the club bought the Royal Burnham One Design ‘Geraldine’. This was the club’s proudest possession, and greatest expense, for many years.  Club members also took part in local and international yacht races.

 In the early 60s the London Hospital members of the UHSC heavily outnumbered medics from the other hospitals. This led to the London having it’s own sailing operations and running the annual regatta.

 

In 1970 the London sailing club was given a cottage on the banks of the river crouch, 2 doors down from the Royal Burnham Sailing club. This cottage was the centre of sailing and social events for 30 years, being in a prime location and free accommodation. When Barts and the London medical school merged with Queen Mary College, this cottage that had been given to the student body was scandalously sold by the accountants of QMC to pay for refurbishment of the non-medic student union, with nothing being given to the sailing club. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/mar/27/highereducation.uk3 

 

 Since the sale of Anchor Cottage, much of the clubs activity has been based at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club and the Docklands Sailing Centre. In 1995, after the merge of the Royal London and St Bartholomew’s medical schools, the sailing club opened it’s arms to the students of Barts hospital. Notable alumni include Dr Clark-Kennedy, Dean of the London Hospital Medical college, 

Dr James Grogono, designer of the first hydrofoil catamaran and Mr Laird of Laird hall.

 

If you would like to add to this history please use the club contact form.