About the Army Offshore Sailing Centre
The Army Offshore Sailing Centre (AOSC) is based at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport, Hampshire and is the home of Army Offshore Sailing in the United Kingdom. The AOSC is where all RYA practical and shorebased offshore courses are carried out. It also houses the ASA Inspectorate comprising the Regional Coach and Offshore Chief Instructor as well as offices and stores for the Army’s British Solider offshore racing team and the bosuns of the Regimental and Corps Yacht Clubs.
AOSC Courses
For the full list of courses and application form please click on the buttons below
A brief history of the AOSC
The AOSC was originally located in Clarence Yard in Gosport with 25 alongside moorings until 1999 when the MOD sold what was now a surplus area for development. At this point the Army had already decided to move location as the Clarence yard site was becoming unworkable.
In 2000 General Walker, the ASA Admiral, and Maj Gen Elliott, the ASA Commodore, negotiated an MoU between the Royal Naval Sailing Association (RNSA) and the ASA for the Army yachts to be berthed in Dolphin Pool and as a result the ASA moved to its new home. Over the following years, the arrangement has worked well and the ASA and RNSA continue to work together for the best interests of Service personnel.
The AOSC was first located in Building 37 at Fort Blockhouse, a small building which provided communal offices space and some storage away from Dolphin Pool. The AOSC also had a number of storage areas around Blockhouse. The acquisition of the ‘Green Cathedral’ in January 2012 was a major step forward though there was much work to be carried out to ensure that the building was fit for purpose.
The Green Cathedral used to be the Submarine Torpedo and Periscope Workshop when Fort Blockhouse was HMS Dolphin. It is well located overlooking both Dolphin Pool berths and the Solent allowing the Chief Instructor to keep a weather eye on proceedings from his office window. The building was used as the offices and stores for the logistic staff at Fort Blockhouse when HMS Dolphin closed but, when these were relocated, the building lay dormant for some 18 months before the ASA occupied it.
