The town of Fareham is mentioned in the Doomsday Book when it was called “Fernham” and was recorded as having 30 villeines and 6 serfs. There was a church and two mills. The earliest record of shipbuilding is October 13th 1403 which states that a ship called ‘Marie’ was to be ready for Henry IV by the end of that month. In 1636, during wars with France and Spain Fareham was required by Charles I to provide a ship of 400 tons and 160 men. During the Napoleonic Wars up to eighteen prison hulks were moored in Fareham Lake and by the end of the war the prisoners numbered about 9,000. The FSMBC clubhouse and workshop were used as a naval hospital for the sick French prisoners of war from these hulks. In 1672 the area was referred to as “the buildings at Lower Quay, Fareham known as Hospital Yard”.

Although it is not known exactly when the club was founded there is evidence that it existed as a rowing club as far back as 1850 and in 1858 a regatta was staged which included sailing races. By this time the population of Fareham had risen to 5,000 and it was a busy port with ships bringing in coal and taking out local produce.

In 1883 The Fareham Rowing Club acquired two barges  which were moored end-to-end to form a pier. They also persuaded the council to build a hard to be used by the club and the town. By 1905 The Fareham Rowing Club had become the Fareham Sailing Club and by 1908 they were winning prizes in regattas all round the Solent.

In 1914 war broke out and Portsmouth Harbour was closed to boats so this put an end to sailing on the creek. The war was followed by the depression of the 1920s and it was just the rich who could afford to sail. Restarting the club was put off until March 1931 when the name was changed to Fareham Sailing & Motor Boat Club. The annual subscription was 5 shillings and among the first rules it stated that  “lady members should be admitted to the club on equal terms with the men”. FSMBC were obviously pioneers in the “Women’s Lib” movement! The club purchased a converted WW1 motor launch which had a galley, saloon and two cabins. This served as the clubhouse and the club gained strength. The rowing section and cadet section was joined by a motor cruiser section which arranged cruises to Wooton Creek and Seaview  

In 1939 the harbour was again closed by war. The club was kept ticking over, each AGM consisting of the club secretary and the log book. The club ship was vandalised and later towed away and beached at Gosport where revellers set her alight during the victory celebrations.

In 1946 restrictions on boat movements were lifted in the harbour and the club resumed business and moved to its present building. In 1948 class racing began for the new National 12 dinghies. In 1949 the town regatta was revived and later that year FSMBC became pioneers of winter racing on the south coast. The Roughay Bowl was presented as a trophy for the winner of the final event of the winter season. At first the boats raced were National 12s and Fireflies and later Fireballs and Albacores took over.

In the mid eighties It was decided to build a class of small dinghies to race in the creek. It needed to fulfil the role of a rowing tender, a single-handed sailing dinghy and to take an outboard engine. The Fareham Lugger was the result. It is a 9ft GRP hull with a standing lug rig and tan sails. They are regularly seen racing all year round including competing for the Roughay Bowl. They were later manufactured by the Meridian Trust in Portsmouth, a trust set up to help young people learn boat-building skills. They are now made by Fairweather Marine, a mere stone's throw from the Clubhouse.