Sadly Taplow Lake Sailing Club will cease sailing on Taplow Lake from 31st March 2010 after 53 years of developing the lake and facilities at this location.
We encourage anyone interested in learning to sail to contact Maidenhead Sailing Club – www.maidenheadsc.org.uk
The 30 acre lake was used to extract gravel in the late 1950’s to build part of what became the M4. The lease to sail was obtained by the Paints Division of ICI based in Slough. The sailing club flourished on that site as a section of ICI Paints Recreation Club and then became Taplow Lake Sailing Club in 2004. During this time the sailing club built a brick clubhouse, slipways and boat storage areas.
Whilst ICI held the lease the sailing club shared the water with several other lake users including another small sailing club, a fishing group and 2 groups of water skiers. In 2004, ICI Paints decided not to renew the lease with Summerlease and the landlord increased the rent very significantly. During prolonged negotiations the water skiers negotiated a lease solely in their name.
For the next 5 years the fishermen and the sailors continued to have use the water much as before by means of a sub-lease from the water skiers. For the sailing club this was principally all day Saturdays and afternoons on Sundays throughout the year plus Monday and Wednesday evenings each week. This arrangement had allowed Taplow Lake SC to flourish through running sailing courses for beginners, working with local schools as well as running all-year racing programmes for more experienced sailors.
This sublease is now due for renewal however Taplow Board & Ski wishes to change their status from a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) to a vehicle by which the owner can generate an income for himself. This requires the ski club to maximise the use of all prime times on the water during spring, summer and autumn including Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Unfortunately the TLSC membership has decided that it is not possible to run a viable club with limited access to the water outside the times being used by the water skiers. The club has recommended that members join Maidenhead Sailing Club (MSC) which is located about a mile away from Taplow Lake.
