Chris I just applied to WYC, Wilson NY. They do a lot of cruises to Toronto with reciprocal accomodations.
Are you part of a formal group of sailors
- Thread starter Ken Cross
- Start date
Exactly why it took me 25 years to return to sailing. Worked in a marina while I owned my previous boat. Ever see a pool installer or service person own one?
We have been a member of the Mukilteo Yacht Club for several years. A social club mix of two thirds power boats, one third sail boats. Used to participate in their monthly cruises, but then my cruising plans changed. Still a member, but we now have our own little flotilla of four sail boats (coined AMEE).
http://mukilteoyachtclub.com
http://mukilteoyachtclub.com
I belong to a great yacht club of about 70 members. We own no physical property other than some picnic equipment. Our members are from various marinas in the Barnegat Bay, NJ area. Yearly dues are very small. We have about 80% sailboats and 20% motorboats. We have activities both on and off the water throughout the year. We share our passion for boating through picnics, dinners, sailing trips, raft-ups, seminars, racing and just hanging out at the docks helping each other. There's no pressure to participate and most of us miss several events each season due to other things in life. I'm met some very interesting people and gained many good friends through the club. Check out our web site www.CedarMar.org
Yacht clubs don't work well for me because they are located on the water and I live 150 miles inland from my sailboat. That distance makes it very difficult to partake of the frequent social events.
However I am a member of the Berkshire Sail & Power Squadron. Member for 29 years, teaching courses, serving on officer positions including commander for 6 years. Lots of experienced boaters- power and sail. And great educational courses too- I've taken them all- from Seamanship to Celestial Navigation.
However I am a member of the Berkshire Sail & Power Squadron. Member for 29 years, teaching courses, serving on officer positions including commander for 6 years. Lots of experienced boaters- power and sail. And great educational courses too- I've taken them all- from Seamanship to Celestial Navigation.
I belong to a small yacht club, however, my boat is not part of their activities. I crew for some of them when they race. We were kicked out of our facility after 47 years there and are in the process of developing a new facility.
I race my boat with another group on a different lake as well as just fun evening sailing with them but am not a member of any organized club there.
I race my boat with another group on a different lake as well as just fun evening sailing with them but am not a member of any organized club there.
Was a member of the Gulfstream Sailing Club Fort Lauderdale for many years before we got our boat. Crewed on a lot of weekend races and annual regattas etc. When we had our kids, weekend free time dried up. The kids are now going off to college, and I have been thinking about rejoining GSC, or possibly joining the Hilssboro Inlet Sailing Club. Hillsboro Inlet is the port I currently sail the Stargazer from, while GSC sails out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. HISC would be a lot more convenient, but I haven't visited them, or made a decision yet
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I belong to Everett Yacht Club - not a sailing club, there are a couple other sailboats listed in the Members Directory, but I've never seen them or their owners. I initially joined for the reciprocal moorage agreements, but now stay mostly for the socializing at Wednesday Night Dinners. I do go on many of the clubs cruises, basically just a weekend drinking party at another north Puget Sound marina. I don't know much about Milltown Sailing, but I assume they're the local racing club, but I'm not interested in racing.
I also belong to Cascadia Sailing Association, just an email list of (mainly) sailors in the Cascade region, Columbia River to Desolation Sound. They meet up occasionally wherever they happen to be.
www.cascadiasailing.org
Its a little like an email version of the Ask All Sailors forum.
I also belong to Cascadia Sailing Association, just an email list of (mainly) sailors in the Cascade region, Columbia River to Desolation Sound. They meet up occasionally wherever they happen to be.
www.cascadiasailing.org
Its a little like an email version of the Ask All Sailors forum.
As a teen I was a junior member of the Sausalito Yacht Club and it was a pretty terrific club, especially for us kids. They brought in these Scandinavian all wood, varnished sailing dinghies for the kids. They had lots of activities for us and golly gee it sure was a swell place on the waterfront to hang out.
After I sailed west, I never joined another yacht club, though I think the benefits for cruisers would be nice as most clubs have very good reciprocal privileges.
I've checked into a few and the annual costs are quite high and certainly not worth it, considering I might visit the club once or twice a decade, and use the reciprocal privileges only occasionally. Last one was in East Providence and they wanted $500 a year, basically just to fly their burgee. Ouch!
After I sailed west, I never joined another yacht club, though I think the benefits for cruisers would be nice as most clubs have very good reciprocal privileges.
I've checked into a few and the annual costs are quite high and certainly not worth it, considering I might visit the club once or twice a decade, and use the reciprocal privileges only occasionally. Last one was in East Providence and they wanted $500 a year, basically just to fly their burgee. Ouch!
Speaking of blue blazers and ascots, I started off as a member of a no-property sailing club mainly because I bought a sailboat. 4 boats later in 4 years, and those buggers got me to be Rear Commodore of Cruising, and now they volun-told me I'm the Commodore now. I remember my parents coming out for a sail early on, and asking what I did with the club, and I said "Mostly nothing." Now look at me! The joke's on the club, because I'm gonna get a Commodore flag which I will make anyone fly if I'm on their boat (should be interesting when I crew on a Thistle or Flying Scot. I'm also looking into getting a military-looking hat with bonafide Commodore scrambled eggs embroidered badge, and a matching badge for a navy blue sport coat. The joke is that I can show up after regatta days (when we have small trophies for the top 3) and don the hat and coat, to hand out awards. Careful what you ask for! 
Honestly, we have about 120 members, with roughly 50 racers and the rest cruisers. We have Thistles and Flying Scots as our two racing fleets, and no clubhouse or property. After racing, racers meet in the parking lot picnic table. Cruisers tend to scatter like a herd of cats once they hit the lake, but sometimes gather up for raft-ups, picnics, and a few sailing events. Every so often we convince a few to race. We have 6 Sunfish which we lease from the park, and we maintain, and that's a good draw for some boat-less members. We have many members who I have not met in 4 or 5 years - I think they have bought bigger boats and absconded to the Chesapeake. Not sure why they are still members if they don't have a boat at the lake, but if it works for them... Most members with boats at the lake get help launching and retrieving, and pitch in to help just about anyone who needs it.
Honestly, we have about 120 members, with roughly 50 racers and the rest cruisers. We have Thistles and Flying Scots as our two racing fleets, and no clubhouse or property. After racing, racers meet in the parking lot picnic table. Cruisers tend to scatter like a herd of cats once they hit the lake, but sometimes gather up for raft-ups, picnics, and a few sailing events. Every so often we convince a few to race. We have 6 Sunfish which we lease from the park, and we maintain, and that's a good draw for some boat-less members. We have many members who I have not met in 4 or 5 years - I think they have bought bigger boats and absconded to the Chesapeake. Not sure why they are still members if they don't have a boat at the lake, but if it works for them... Most members with boats at the lake get help launching and retrieving, and pitch in to help just about anyone who needs it.
We belong to a club with facilities 18 miles west of Wichita, Kansas including sandy beaches, beautiful log clubhouse, pump-out station(s), crane, lighted yard spaces and 170 wet slips each w/power, water, etc.
It's a great part of our lives. Has many social events, and most of our best friends play with us every week or
weekend....Ninnescah has hosted many national regattas as well as the Olympic qualifying trials a few years back.. we have a work credit program that repays the avg. member $ 160.00 a year to work 16 hours on
various committee's, etc. We also have an extremely active Youth Sailing Program with great participation. Find aerial photos at www. ninnescahyachtclub.org (I think)...even have a
weather station that can be accessed w/live data from our computers 24 hours a day....Patrick
It's a great part of our lives. Has many social events, and most of our best friends play with us every week or
weekend....Ninnescah has hosted many national regattas as well as the Olympic qualifying trials a few years back.. we have a work credit program that repays the avg. member $ 160.00 a year to work 16 hours on
various committee's, etc. We also have an extremely active Youth Sailing Program with great participation. Find aerial photos at www. ninnescahyachtclub.org (I think)...even have a
weather station that can be accessed w/live data from our computers 24 hours a day....Patrick
I belong to MOBYC (My Own Bloody Yacht Club). I sometimes enter a race (Nanaimo Single-handed Race) and they accept my membership in the Power Squadron as "Yacht Club Membership". Although I like some socializing at docks and anchorages, I sail mainly to be alone.
druid
druid
I too belong to my local Power Squadron group, coincidentally also in Maryland, and we do have raft ups and social gatherings. Since it's all voluntary and you get to pick and choose what to do, I find it fun and easy. I also belong to a yacht club, and although I agree it's political, I still enjoy raft ups and cruises with them.
That said, I understand that some people like to sail alone, some in groups, and some mix it up. That's one reason that an avocation like sailing suits people of different interests and personalities. It's all good.
I belong to a yacht club of two...my wife and me. We don't have much interest in someones elses rules, regulations, and schedules. We don't hang out or stay in marinas and do much of our sailing in remote areas. Sometimes we hook up with another boat but are content to go it alone. We have made friends on a one to one basis and cruised together with people over the years but we have little interest in "the social aspect of organized group activities". We have tried but we always bail out after a short time.