A POOLE yacht club that prides itself on being the friendliest in Dorset has celebrated its 50th anniversary.

North Haven Yacht Club, built with panoramic views over Poole Harbour, is a sailing, fishing and boating club, welcoming power and sailing craft equally.

Founder member Don Small, who has written a history of the club, said: “We have an active and enthusiastic group of fishermen along with a keen group of sailing enthusiasts.”

The 300-strong membership threw open the doors of the clubhouse, next to the parade of shops at Sandbanks, for a two-day Golden Jubilee celebration.

Founder members Don and Terry Pafford were there, explaining how the club arose during the 1960s out of a dispute private boat owners had with a ferry company that placed a mobile jetty across their moorings.

An angry deputation went to see the harbour master who advised them to form an association which became the North Haven Lake Boat Owners Association on February 22 1965.

The self-help club prospered, laying moorings for hire and raising funds to build their own pier and eventually a clubhouse. It became North Haven Yacht Club in 1988.

Poole mayor Cllr Peter Adams was among many visitors who packed the club during the two days, viewing the exhibits and discovering more of the history of the harbour.

“Fifty years is not a great deal of history,” said club trustee David Hipkiss.

“So we invited local charities and organisations to come and tell us and our visitors all aspects of what happens in Poole Harbour.”

These included the Maritime Volunteer Service, Poole Maritime Trust, RLSS, Poole Flying Boats Celebration, Bournemouth University’s work on the Swash Channel wreck, the National Coastwatch Institution, RNLI and members demonstrating how to tie intricate fishing flies.