Llanishen Sailing Centre

Llanishen Sailing Centre is one of the foremost sail training centres in Wales and is based at Llanishen Reservoir. Although it runs courses for all ages, the majority of people attending its courses are youngsters between 8 and 16 years old. The Centre is approved by the Royal Yachting Association and caters for beginners right through to advanced courses for sailing instructors. One of the key advantages of sail training at Llanishen is the high water quality which does not pose a health risk to young sailors or those with less experience. The reservoir also has a unrestricted panorma, which offers little wind shadow, another positive feature for sailing.

The centre has produced some very accomplished young sailors in recent years. For example, Edward Green was a member of the WYA Nations Cup winning team in 2001, a member of the 2001 Welsh National Laser Squad and a member of the UK National Laser Squad. David Evans was a member of the UK Optimist Team which went to the world championships in China during 2001, and also came second in the Optimist European Championship in 2000. Hannah Mills was a member of the UK Optimist European Championships, is ranked 3rd in the UK Optimist fleet and 1st in Wales.

The proposed development by Western Power at the reservoir would greatly reduce the area available for sailing. The impact of this would be to reduce the level of sailing provision that could be provided by the centre. Whilst it might still be possible to train beginners on a smaller lake, there would be a serious loss in the Centre's ability to offer higher level courses, and to train young sailors to a level where they could compete either nationally or internationally.

In a letter to local AM Jenny Randerson, the Welsh Yachting Association expressed their concern about the proposed development of the reservoir and its effect on sail training in South Wales. They pointed out that the poor water quality in Cardiff Bay makes it unsuitable as an alternative site for training young sailors and inexperienced adults.