Overview
Loch Earn Sailing Club began in 1954 when it was founded by four keen sailors: W. G. Leckie, K. Sturrock, J. Brown and Lewis Drysdale on a site belonging to Crieff Hydro on the south side of Loch Earn.
These recollections are correct to the best of our knowledge. However, if you can supply any names or more accurate dates, please get in touch.
In 1957 it moved to its current location when the 3rd Earl of Ancaster, owner of the Drummond Estate, gifted land to the club where the clubhouse and dinghy park are currently sited.
Two years later, he gifted a strip of land on the other side of the burn to the club that became the beginning of the club’s caravan and camping site. The Earl maintained an interest in the club and was its Honorary Commodore for almost thirty years from 1954-1983. Today our Honorary Commodore is his daughter, the Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
In 1959 Commodore Jack Brown started the “Brown Cup” School Sailing Championship, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019. His daughter, Morag Donaldson, attended the anniversary event and gave out the prizes. Morag was LESC’s first lady Commodore in 1976, following in her father Jack Brown’s footsteps, who was commodore from 1962-1963. (Details of all the club Commodores, Presidents, Honorary Commodores and Honorary Presidents are displayed in the clubhouse.)
In the early years, the Enterprise and Hornet were the most popular boats and LESC hosted the 1964 Hornet World Championships. As the 1960s progressed, Flying Fifteens became established at the club, and by the 1980s, there was also a fleet of Yeomans racing. Neil MacDougall, an excellent Yeoman sailor, helped to build our current clubhouse in the 1990s. A lottery grant further expanded the clubhouse enabling the toilet block and showers to be added. In 1993 a group of club members formed the LESC Development Company and purchased the caravan site field from the Drummond Estate and the club grew to its current size.
Today Loch Earn Sailing Club supports a wide variety of boats from keelboats to dinghies, and at the 2021 AGM, we welcomed our second lady Commodore, Susan McGeorge. Recently, the club hosted the 2021 Scottish Flying Fifteen Championships with four local boats and some travelling from as far as Blackpool.
Recollections of the 1964 Hornet World Championships at Loch Earn Sailing Club
Stuart and I arrived very early at St Fillans and camped across the road in a field. One morning I awoke early and walked across to the club to be amazed that the puddles in the boat covers had frozen solid – in August? We were told that no matter what the wind would blow either E-W or W-E. Of course it blew N-S the entire regatta. As I am sure you are aware this produced some savage squalls which seemed to concentrate on one of the marks moored close to the N shore. Everyone had to sail into the mark, take a compulsory capsize and hope you came out the other side. Of course there was a lot of reaching which we were good at, hence our good placing.
I remember the regatta being sponsored by Rothmans and on the day we won a race being offered a cigarette as we came ashore.
Being a non smoker but crewing for Stuart who was, I politely took it but was taken aback when he wanted to light it for me.
That same day when we came ashore there was great excitement as a golden eagle had been flying over the loch. Had we noticed it? I am afraid we were a bit busy.
I also recall the Polish sailors who were accompanied by an allegedly armed guard whose job it was to prevent them escaping from the Iron Curtain. Certainly they never seemed to let them out of their sight.
The 1964 World Hornet championship was my highest ever placing though I had some quite good ones in Solos later.
In 1974 we emigrated to NZ and I have had a long “career” both professionally and as a hobby in yachting.
I have fond memories of the 1964 Worlds and Loch Earn but it looked prettier this time in bright sunshine as opposed to the 25kts Northerly with rain we experienced then.
Former member, Richard Brown, has kindly shared his recollections of the 1964 Hornet World Championships at LESC.
Stuart (left) and I (right) after arriving back at Topsham in Devon. I think we drove all night and slept on the clubhouse floor, hence our appearance.
Stuart and I approaching Dartmouth to clear customs as we completed a trip from the Azores last year. We flew from NZ to join the boat in Horta and eventually fulfill a lifetime’s ambition to sail into the river Exe from “somewhere exotic.”
I am currently an International Race Officer and have a lovely 32ft keelboat which I use from time to time as a committee boat. I can’t resist attaching a photo of her.
