BKYC experiences

[roger]

Michael Chartres complains (in the Jan 2002 PBO) that he was not allowed to have a subsidised meal in the British Kiel Yacht Club Canteen and was generally dissatisfied with his reception there.
The BKYC is a Services training organisation offering "adventurous Training" to services personnel. It is not a yacht club in the conventional sense. It operates under strict regulation because it has distinct financial advantages befitting its "service" nature. It cannot offer cheap food or drink to civilians. If it did so it would be financially penalised.
Nevertheless it offers a warm welcome to visiting yachts as far as it can. The showers are superb with the ladies giving my wife her only bath this summer. The office staff are efficient and helpful and arranged for my boat to be repaired by a german engineer expeditiously.
The moorings are well sheltered, secure and quiet. There is a perfectly adequate restaurant within half a mile and the shops at Friedrichsort are more than adequate. Friedrichsort is indeed 20 mins. walk away but there is a good bus service and taxis are readily available.
in spite of Michael Chartres complaints I heartily recommend the BKYC. Behave courteously and respect their problems and you will be welcomed.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Reminds me a bit of playing rugby against services sides (and the Civil Service). Their bars were always MUCH cheaper than civvie street. The rankle is, of course, that as a Brit Cit it's my taxes subsidising their drinking!

 

[claymore]

Sounds a good service though with the Ladies giving your wife a bath, who sorted you out?

 

[roger]

Regrettably it was DIY for me but at least the water was hot.

 

[BarryD]

Considering the salaries of the non commisiosned ranks (and the junior officers) I think that any subsidies are worth it. Would you willingly put yourself into harms way for £15k or so a year, not forgetting that in essence its a 24 hour job? I have enough trouble getting people to work past 17:30 in London and I pay them more than £15k.

Barry D

 

[chrisc]

Thanks for the info . i shall aim for there in May.

 

[claymore]

Thats a shame - I would think that a hot bath with a large Frau would be an ideal antidote to a North Sea Crossing

 

[david_e]

It is their very presence that keeps you and the rest of us being a Brit Cit one could argue, as mentioned by someone else they deserve it.

I served at BKYC in the past and it is as well to sample the food before making observations about the price! Hopefully it has improved, we always used to say the the hardest exam in the Army was in the Catering Corps, reason being that no-one ever passed it!

Also played rugby against quite a few German teams, were you in one of them-?

 

[Twister_Ken]

I've got nothing against cheap drinking! Just a bit of irony. After all, we pay their wages, buy their toys, and pay for their drinks as well!

incidentally (and I don't know if they still do this) they used to sell off their yachts by sealed bid, after x years use, A friend got a good deal on a HR31 like that. But the upholstelry was in olive drab vinyl! Squaddie-proof apparently.

No my Rugby was confined to this sceptic isle.

 

[Guest]

I was sorry to read the article about the British Kiel Yacht Club as I feel that the short snapshot of time involved does not give a true impression of the BKYC.

I have visited the BKYC on six occasions during the past three years. The last time organizing a get together for a dozen yachts.

On at least half the occasions I have visited, there has been a UK yacht making use of the facilities for an emergency repair.

The trouble seems to be that despite its name, the BKYC is neither yacht club nor marina. It is a military base for Adventurous Training for soldiers. When there is no course in base the place is in fact closed except for moorings and washrooms. Unfortunately this includes the bar. Be thankful that when it is open some of the cheapest booze in the Baltic is available.

Just try taking your caravan to Aldershot and asking to plug-in and use the bath.

Nether-the-less there is always the telephone number of someone on duty ( who may well be working on another part of the base) once contacted the ‘Duty Watch’ will do their best to help.

The BKYC is probably an anachronism left over from the Army of Occupation which some military accountant is always trying to close, as an anachronism that is useful to UK yachtsmen I think it should be supported.