Maintaining Reciprocal information

[David W]

Greetings interweb sailors, I’m hoping you can help me.

I’m looking for some input from sailing club members on how your sailing club manages its reciprocal information. My club is challenged to maintain the currency of its reciprocal listings; lack of resources, technology... there’s a number of issues.

None the less I’m confident that the smart people on this board will have some good ideas!

You can respond here or PM, whatever is your preference...

Many thanks,
David

 

[Ed Schenck]

Our fleet captain recently started a Facebook for information sharing(Atwood Sailing Fleet). Our club has a decent website but management just doesn't keep it current. Facebook is a really simple way to announce race schedule changes and cancellations for example. Not sure though if this is what you are asking.

 

[Stu Jackson]

How about a simple spreadsheet, and as Ed suggests, assigning someone to be RESPONSIBLE and accountable to keep it current?

 

[David W]

How about a simple spreadsheet, and as Ed suggests, assigning someone to be RESPONSIBLE and accountable to keep it current?

Herein lies the challenge; the volume of information is quite large as each club has specific reciprocal information it wants its reciprocal clubs to know.

I'm thinking a wiki could be an option... I have to think that every club is keeping its own 'database' of reciprocal information.

If contribution were restricted to only the reciprocal clubs, each club could maintain it's own info on the central space, likewise the clubs could view the other clubs info. This would reduce the duplication of effort from each club contacting one another to make sure their info is current. I'm sure it needs more brainpower but it seems logical to me...

 

[Don12364]

Bypass the whole darned thing. Think big. Be generous. Keep 'Open House'.
My club is on the very busy Solent (UK. Cowes, Southampton, Portsmouth etc.).
My address list shows 160 local clubs and class associations etc.

We keep open house. We have no 'Reciprocal arrangements'. But we do not welcome charter skippers and their crews.
Occasionally our members meet resistance when they visit other clubs and, as Commodore, on one occasion I needed to write to a fellow Commodore of another (rather stuffy) club that our members were gregarious and couldn't understand the niceties of 'Reciprocals'.
Our club rules and bar rules simply state that, if visitors arrive by boat then they bona-fide yachtsmen and they are welcome to use all our facilities including showers, bar, restaurant etc.
We also allow free overnight mooring for visitors which is something discourage for our own members.
Works a treat and we now have small groups from other clubs visit us on a regular basis. Mostly retired guys out for a day sail on weekdays. They respect our hospitality even if their own club is still too starchy to do likewise.
Our members are welcome everywhere.
Our caterer is pleased and our bar profits look good. Our bar staff are all club member volunteers so our drinks are vastly less expensive than elsewhere. This is good for members getting to know each other.
We get plenty of membership applications too - often from members of less open minded clubs.
We are a large(ish) club of 1600 members and run the largest open race series on the Solent with over 250 boats taking part.
Our guests always say "We don't know how you do it".
But they dare not try.

 

[David W]

Fascinating!

Bypass the whole darned thing. Think big. Be generous. Keep 'Open House'.
My club is on the very busy Solent (UK. Cowes, Southampton, Portsmouth etc.).
My address list shows 160 local clubs and class associations etc.

We keep open house. We have no 'Reciprocal arrangements'. But we do not welcome charter skippers and their crews.
Occasionally our members meet resistance when they visit other clubs and, as Commodore, on one occasion I needed to write to a fellow Commodore of another (rather stuffy) club that our members were gregarious and couldn't understand the niceties of 'Reciprocals'.
Our club rules and bar rules simply state that, if visitors arrive by boat then they bona-fide yachtsmen and they are welcome to use all our facilities including showers, bar, restaurant etc.
We also allow free overnight mooring for visitors which is something discourage for our own members.
Works a treat and we now have small groups from other clubs visit us on a regular basis. Mostly retired guys out for a day sail on weekdays. They respect our hospitality even if their own club is still too starchy to do likewise.
Our members are welcome everywhere.
Our caterer is pleased and our bar profits look good. Our bar staff are all club member volunteers so our drinks are vastly less expensive than elsewhere. This is good for members getting to know each other.
We get plenty of membership applications too - often from members of less open minded clubs.
We are a large(ish) club of 1600 members and run the largest open race series on the Solent with over 250 boats taking part.
Our guests always say "We don't know how you do it".
But they dare not try.

From your description, it sounds like our two clubs are very similar in circumstance; we have a limited amount of dock space, we have a bar and restaurant with great food and drinks and we have an active racing program. The only difference is size; with around 450 members we're about a quarter of your size however I see that as an advantage to moving to this type of arrangement.

I wonder if an "honour stand" approach would translate from the UK culture to a Canadian/US culture?

Thoughts?

 

[Bill Roosa]

And I though all I needed was a current club membership card to show folks. Our club does not even address reciprocal information (whatever that is) and some of us have used our membership card in harbors in the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Caribbean...... I think you are trying to make more work for yourselves. Just send the member a business card with their name on it and "current through" date when they renew and be done with it. Course you then have to honor other clubs cards. I'm not thinking this is going to be an enormous drain on recourses as most folks from far away are quite reasonable.

Control is an illusion.

 

[Winkfish]

We (Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans) have a membership card. We do a lot of stuff with the other yacht clubs along the gulf coast, and they all (or most) belong to the Gulf Yachting Association. This means that if I go to the Bay Waveland Yacht Club, or the Pass Christian YC, I show my card and can use the facilities, buy food and drink by signing a chit, and my SYC account gets billed. If I don't have my card, they call SYC to confirm my status and I'm good. If I'm going to visit a club that doesn't have "reciprocity" the SYC will call to see if the other YC will allow my entrance and possibly signing for purchases. No hassles yet.

It's a pretty simple method.

By the way, our club does NOT take cash, which is why they need reciprocity.