A sailing club is taking part in a national open day to introduce landlubbers to the water.

Marconi Sailing Club’s Push the Boat Out open day is on Saturday, May 25, from noon to 4pm.

Based on the River Blackwater, this year’s event will see the club take visitors out on the water on all sorts of craft, including windsurfers, dinghies, catamarans and cruisers.

Club spokesman Graham Cross said: “Every year we make hundreds of trips out on to the estuary for visitors free of charge to introduce them to sailing.

“There will be family fun with cadet sailing and children’s activities, including an art tent, plus we’ll lay on refreshments and a barbecue with live music in our bar for the bigger kids, so it’s an event not to be missed.”

There are 20 venues across Essex hosting their own Push The Boat Out events, including Blackwater Sailing Club, Brightlingsea Sailing Club, Burnham Sailing Club, Maylandsea Bay Sailing Club and Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.

Development officer for the Royal Yachting Association Robbie Bell said: “Push the Boat Out provides a fantastic opportunity for sailing clubs to encourage the local community to come and give sailing a go.”

Last year, more than 200 people attended Marconi’s open day and more than 39,000 people across the UK attended an open day at their local club. For more details, visit rya.org.uk/ptbo.