Medway Watersports

Medway Watersports runs a community watersports centre on Strand Approach Road in Gillingham, on the river below the Great Lines. Set up as a not-for-profit and registered charity, it exists to get people onto the water regardless of background, running junior and adult sailing through the RYA OnBoard scheme, kayaking taster sessions and other river activities with qualified instructors. It operates from this single Gillingham site with its own fleet of dinghies, kayaks and powerboats. While it is a charity rather than a commercial operator, sessions and courses are open to the public to book, which makes it a practical way for visitors and residents to get out on the Medway. The tidal river and its history give the paddling and sailing here a particular character, with the historic dockyard and the estuary islands within reach downstream.