EXTENDED facilities at Gins were formally opened in September 2004 by HRH the Princess Royal.

The facilities at Gins, on the estuary of the Beaulieu river, have been modernised and refurbished under a quarter of a million pounds development programme and received the royal seal of approval from the Princess in her capacity as a patron of the Royal Yachting Association’s Sailability, the leading UK charity for disabled sailing and the official charity of the RYA. Gins has been awarded RYA Sailability Foundation status.

The Princess unveiled a commemorative plaque in the club to honour the occasion and signed the visitors’ book.

The Princess arrived by helicopter from Cowes to be met by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mrs Mary Fagan JP, and was greeted by the then Commodore, Roger Townsend and Clive Clifford, then chief executive of Sailability, along with club guests, the chairman of Hampshire County Council, Councillor John Bryant and Mrs Pamela Bryant and the chairman of New Forest District Council, Lieut Col Mike Shand and Mrs Shand.

She inspected the club’s upgraded facilities and spent time on the pontoon and jetty to speak with Eric Blyth, chairman of New Forest Sailability and a number disabled sailors and volunteers.