Fleets

The main fleets which race at Loch Lomond Sailing Club (LLSC) are Keelboats and Dinghies. These are both raced on handicap, using local versions of the RYA Portsmouth Yardstick. Over the years the makeup of the fleets have varied as different classes fall in and out of fashion, but the priority is always to get boats on the water, so we vary the racing to suit what is most popular at the time.

 

Sailing facilities at LLSC include an all year round dinghy and keelboat park, moorings for the season and a large slipway for launch and retrieval of boats, including equipment for the launch of keelboats. Please note that boat space is allocated to member who regularly participate in our activities and there may be a waiting list.

Dinghies and catamarans

The dinghy fleet has at times been split into one or more sub division of fast, medium and slow handicap. As the popularity of the faster boats such as performance catamarans and foiling boats has increased, this split has lost its importance and we now favour a single fleet to keep the fleet size larger. For our round-the-buoys racing we use average lap scoring to allow boats of different speeds to compete fairly.

LLSC is a popular destination for many class traveller events and national championships, which are often run in parallel with our Dinghy Open Weekend in September or as required throughout the year. Our heritage with Sailing Canoes (check out the club history on the About page) has made us a popular venue for International Canoes and we've previously hosted the Europa Cup.

Classes with three or more boats at the club include.

• Dart 18
• Shadow
• RS200
• International Moth (foiling and non-foiling)
• RS Aero

Flying Fifteen and K1s

Loch Lomond Sailing Club has always had a close affinity with the Flying Fifteen class, and in recent years the K1 class has gained in popularity amongst sailors wanting a single-handed small keelboat. These compete with dinghies and catamarans in the club racing series, but sail with Keelboats in our Keelboat open weekend. We often see many visiting boats travelling to our Keelboat Open Weekend in October, and have hosted a number of traveller and national events over the years. Flying Fifteens and K1s are a favourable boat choice on Loch Lomond especially for the island styles of racing that LLSC provides. 

Keelboats

With around forty permanent moorings, the club supports a substantial keelboat fleet.  In recent years the most popular class has been the Hawk 20 day boat which has added to the more traditional small yachts such as the GK24s and Sonatas. From only one Hawk a few years ago, we now have more than ten boats with a good number racing regularly. The Hawks' lifting keel and large cockpit makes them ideal to explore the islands with family and friends, while the small headsail is ideal for racing with smaller crews. 

Keelboats tend to prefer the passage style racing around the islands and taking advantage of some of our permanent marks laid out within the immediate bay in front of the club. These races tend to last about two hours and cover several miles. We also have some longer passage races which are popular, such as the Head of the Loch race to Ardlui at the loch's most northerly point on a Saturday, dinner and an overnight stay and a race back on the Sunday

Last updated 18:19 on 18 June 2025