09/04/2026
Most people arrive at a sailing club, rig their boat, go sailing, come back in, pack away and head home, and on the surface that is exactly what most sailing clubs look like.
But it only works because, long before that first sail is hoisted, someone has unlocked the gates, checked the conditions, set the course, launched the safety boats, organised the racing, and made sure that when you arrive, everything simply works.
I see both sides of that, week in, week out.
I volunteer as Commodore and Chief Instructor at my club, I teach adults RYA Level 3 and Start Racing on a Thursday evening, on a Friday evening I work with the kids from Stage 4 onwards, I sit on an RYA Committee, and alongside all of that I still do what every member should do and sign up for duties like everyone else.
And all of this sits alongside a full time non-sailing ‘proper’ job and running Dom Barnes Coaching.
Now I know there are clubs where none of this is needed, where things are paid for, staffed, and taken care of, and if you are part of one of those then you are fortunate.
But most clubs are not built like that.
They are built on people.
People who step forward, people who give their time, people who quietly keep the whole thing moving without ever making a fuss about it.
And here is the bit that often gets missed.
Volunteering is not the sacrifice people think it is.
Yes, you are giving your time so that others can enjoy their sailing, but what you get back is far greater than that.
You start to understand the sport properly, not just your own race, but how everything around you works.
You improve faster, because you are more involved, more aware, more connected to what is going on.
You build real friendships, not just passing conversations, but proper relationships with people who are all pulling in the same direction.
And you become part of something that actually matters.
Because most sailing clubs are not businesses, they are communities, and communities do not run on convenience, they run on contribution.
So next time you walk through the gate, wherever your club is, just ask yourself one simple question.
Are you just enjoying what is there, or are you helping to make it happen?
Because the clubs that really thrive are not the ones with the biggest budgets or the best facilities.
They are the ones where people turn up, get involved, and take a bit of ownership.
