Marine services in Clayton Bay

Sailing club

Every other club in this South Australian collection races on salt water. Clayton Bay Boat Club does its sailing on the fresh water of the Lower Murray, about an hour's drive from Adelaide, and that single fact shapes everything about it — the fleet, the calendar and the culture. The club began life in 1974 on the riverbank at Clayton Bay, between Milang and Goolwa, with Lake Alexandrina opening out nearby. Its stated mission is to encourage recreational boating in every form across the Murray Lakes and the Lower Murray River, welcoming all ages, experience levels and skills, and it styles itself — with a wink — among the best-kept secrets in the state. The club pays respect to the Ngarrindjeri people, naming them the traditional custodians of the country and waters where it meets. The fleet tells the story of the place: trailer yachts are the mainstay, with dinghies and catamarans appearing in smaller numbers, all of them chasing club trophies through a mixed-fleet program and usually finishing the day around a club barbecue. The annual Rat Race Regatta, sailed near Rat Island with divisions for juniors, dinghies, trailer sailers and multihulls, is the signature event, while the