Land-locked yacht club sets sail in Chipping Norton

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-21338804

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A land-locked yacht club almost 100 miles from the coast in Oxfordshire has attracted worldwide attention.

Sailing fans from as far as Australia and the Caribbean have applied to join the new Chipping Norton Yacht Club.

Acting commodore Trevor Taylor is organising rallies in Greece for the club's 106 members to "take a little bit of Chipping Norton to the Ionian".

He set up the club to give sailing enthusiasts chance to socialise without having to travel to the coast.

Retired Mr Taylor, 66, from Chipping Norton, said: "We've got a lot of members who either sail or have boats in the Ionian, so many in fact that we are currently organising two rallies of all members in Greece.

"In the summer there will be a little bit of Chipping Norton in the Ionian."

'It's fantastic'

Grandfather Mr Taylor, who has 42 years of sailing experience, has been overwhelmed by the interest in his club.

He said: "I thought when we started we might get 20 or 30 members if we were lucky. We've got more than 100 and 81 of them turned up for the first meeting, so it's fantastic.

"It isn't as daft as it sounds. A lot of people throughout the UK have boats and are interested in boating.

"Lots of people have got boats who don't live on the coast. The problem was there was no obvious place for people meet.

"Having created the club, all of a sudden there's a focal point to get people together."