From New Clubhouse to Relocation

By the late 1970s, with strong membership and high-water levels, the Club decided to build a new clubhouse. With funding support from Sport England and the Northumbrian Water Authority, and labour provided by members, planning permission was obtained for a £100,000 Swedish log-cabin kit.

Selset Sailing Club Limited was incorporated on 16 October 1980. The 42-ton log cabin arrived in four 40-foot containers in October 1979. The numbered logs were laid out in the car park and assembled by members, many taking time off work, onto concrete foundations prepared by contractors. The shell was erected in just three weeks, though fitting out and installing services took a further two years. The clubhouse was formally opened on 6 June 1983 by Dickie Jeeps, Chairman of the Sports Council.

"Selset Week," held each August, became a highlight of the calendar, combining sailing and social activities. Camping was popular, especially in the Quarry, where competition for the best pitches was fierce. The Club also offered children's activities, summer camps and a licensed bar that was notably successful in the pre-breathalyser era.

Rescue boats included dories and a notorious committee boat with a top-heavy cabin that frequently capsized, sometimes requiring ten members standing on the hull to right it. Later, a 10-foot Humber rescue boat was purchasedthe first with a steering wheel.

By 1986, rising annual rent made finances difficult and required renegotiation. In 1988, Selset was drained for major dam works following the failure of a similar dam in Italy, prompting a temporary move to Grassholme. Further works in the early 1990s led to another temporary relocation to Blackton Reservoir, where members changed in a continental tent and launched directly from the grass banks.

By the mid-1990s, water levels fluctuated badly, the clubhouse deteriorated, membership declined and aged, and increasing effort was spent on maintenance rather than sailing. The Club was responsible for internal maintenance, while the water authority managed the exterior.

In 1997, a permanent move to Grassholme Reservoir became unavoidable. The Club was renamed Teesdale Sailing Club Ltd, reflecting a wider Teesdale identity. A former construction building at Grassholme was converted into the new clubhouse, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the Club's history.