West Cheshire Sailing Club is located at Coastal Drive, off Harrison Drive, Wallasey

Wallasey

Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...

, on the Wirral Peninsula

Wirral Peninsula

Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, near Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. The club was founded in 1892 and the members regularly sail on the River Mersey

River Mersey

The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....

 and New Brighton Marine Lake. The club mainly sails dinghy

Dinghy

A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...

s and has a thriving cadet section. The club hosts its annual regatta

Regatta

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

 as part of the Wirral Regattas series where local sailors come to compete on the River Mersey.

History

West Cheshire Sailing Club was founded at New Brighton

New Brighton, Merseyside

New Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Wirral Peninsula, within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and has sandy beaches...

 in 1892 by members of the now defunct Magazine Sailing Club and New Brighton Sailing Club.

The headquarters of the club, was located in a building on the New Brighton Pier. Boats were stored on shore at the pier, or on moorings in the Mersey. The club moved to its present location when the pier was demolished in 1961.

The brass cannon, now kept in the club was a signal gun from a large steam yacht, White Eagle. She was built in Portsmouth, but spent most of her life in the Irish Sea on the Clyde. From time to time club members would fire this gun at special events.

The first Club Dinner held by WCSC was held with the Victoria Rowing Club at the Hotel Victoria, New Brighton, before World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

Two famous members of the club were Sir Ernest Marples

Ernest Marples

Alfred Ernest Marples, Baron Marples PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Postmaster General and Minister of Transport. After his retirement from active politics in 1974 Marples was elevated to the peerage...

 MP, the man who planned the motorways and built the M1, as well as a stint as Postmaster General. He was for many years a member of the committee and Vice President from 1948 to 1958.

Lieutenant Commander Ian Fraser

Ian Edward Fraser

Ian Edward Fraser, VC, DSC, RD and Bar, JP , was an English diving pioneer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Fraser was born in Ealing, London and went to school...

 RN VC, was also a member of the club committee and captain of the club for three years. He served in submarines during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

and was awarded the VC for his part in the attack on Japanese warships in Singapore Harbour in 1945.