VVW Turnhout
VVW Turnhout is the Vlaamse Vereniging voor Watersport Turnhout, an official sailing club at the De Melle nature area and lake south of Turnhout in the Belgian Kempen. The club offers a clubhouse, boat shed with berths, sanitary facilities, changing rooms, a jetty and its own sailing school with a club fleet for training and recreational sailing. The programme includes five-day sailing courses for children, young people and adults, an active youth section with training twice a month on Sunday mornings, and monthly regattas such as Splash Cup and First Sunday Race. Since its founding in 1971/1972 as a VVW club, the association has grown into an accessible family watersports community with more than three hundred members and is affiliated with Wind & Watersport Vlaanderen and Sport Vlaanderen.
History
The story of the Turnhout sailing club begins in 1971, when two sailors met at the Zilvermeer in Mol. The first meeting was held on 21 October 1971; on 4 November 1971 the club was founded with Alfons Verwaest as chairman. In December 1971 they contacted Robert Orlent of the Vlaamse Vereniging voor Watersport (VVW). In July 1972 the club was admitted as the 14th VVW club and took the name VVW Turnhout. From September 1972 the former sand pit of the Intercommunale E3 could be used as sailing water; within months about 50 families joined, including 36 boat owners. On 31 March 1974 the first national race of the 485 class was held; on 22 September 1974 the first interclub race with 22 participants. British soldiers from Emblem joined and donated a wooden chalet inaugurated as clubhouse on 14 September 1975. On 24 October 1976 the first boat shed from British military stock opened, housing Lasers, 420s and surfboards. On 30 June 1979 the sailing school started with three Optimists in cooperation with BLOSO. On 7 December 1979 Verwaest handed over to Eddy Dieltiens. Racing included Vaurien, 420, 470 and later Laser. De Melle was transferred to the Flemish Community in 1983; on 15 October 1988 the club became a VZW. In 1993 Turnhout took on the watersports concession. In 1996 Jan Proost became chairman and expanded the sailing school; the same year a 25-year use agreement with the city was signed. On 16 April 2000 the large new boat shed opened with doubled berths, sanitary facilities, changing rooms, heating and a hoist system. In 2002 the club joined the Vlaamse Yachting Federatie. In 2003 the Optimist fleet was renewed; in 2004 five new 420s arrived. In 2007 the youth section was founded; six Splash boats were bought at the end of 2007, three more taken over from KLYC in 2011, and eight RS Tera in 2013. Eddy Dieltiens died on 2 October 2018. Youth training twice a month on Sunday mornings and the Mega-End-of-Summer Festival in August remain central. Today VVW Turnhout has more than three hundred members and is celebrating its fiftieth sailing season.
Information
Facilities
Clubhouse, boat shed with berths and hoist system, sanitary facilities and changing rooms, jetty for rescue boats, beach carts, walking path around De Melle
Activities
Sailing and windsurfing, five-day sailing courses for children and adults, youth training, monthly Splash Cup and First Sunday races, family trips to the Veerse Meer
Youth section
Active youth section since 2007 with biweekly Sunday morning training, Optimist/Splash/420 courses, night sailing, MEOSS and Mega-End-of-Summer Festival; contact jeugdbestuur@vvwturnhout.be.
Parking
Yes, parking at De Melle domain
Guest berths
Guests only with a member and board approval