About Lakeside Sailing Club - Pakenham
A sailing club where the entire fleet was given away. That, in one line, is the story of Lakeside Sailing Club in Pakenham — a community dinghy and kayaking club whose boats arrived almost entirely through donations, grants and the generosity of local families, and whose members sail them for free. The club's stated mission is to offer a low-barrier, all-inclusive setting where anyone can learn dinghy sailing, whatever their means, ability, gender or age, and the donated fleet is that mission made physical.
The club sails on the lake at the Lakeside Estate in Pakenham, in the Shire of Cardinia, roughly 56 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne, where suburbia gives way to West Gippsland. It is one of the youngest sailing clubs in Victoria, launched in 2011, and it operates as an incorporated association affiliated with Australian Sailing. Cardinia Shire's community directory describes it simply as open to all wanting to learn to sail, meeting at the Cormorant Parade boat ramp at the lake's north end.
The club's character is best caught in its own framing: great camaraderie, though the competitive instinct is never far below the surface. Youngsters pick up their skills from seasoned sailors, the social membership keeps an onshore welcome going with refreshments, and the committee even styles itself nautically — Admiral, Captain, Commodore, Rear Commodore and the rest. Female participation is actively encouraged, tandem kayaking has lately joined the offering, and the club regularly takes its sailors to other clubs' events at Rhyll, Lysterfield and Westernport. Small, young and deliberately cheap to join, Lakeside exists to prove that sailing does not need deep pockets.
Services and expertise
- Sailing club
Service area: Pakenham, VIC
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