Clubs in decline

An interesting response from our Administrator ! Perhaps it is the cynic in me that questions a hidden agenda. The boat magazines charge what I perceive as outrageous fees to new boaters for joining cruises in company. This I have always seen as paying for the boat magazine staff ‘jollies’. Many boat clubs do similar cruises without any charge at all to members. PS I know many people who have enjoyed e.g. MBM cruises and I am all for improving boating skills.
 
534l4rk said:
An interesting response from our Administrator ! Perhaps it is the cynic in me that questions a hidden agenda. The boat magazines charge what I perceive as outrageous fees to new boaters for joining cruises in company. This I have always seen as paying for the boat magazine staff ‘jollies’. Many boat clubs do similar cruises without any charge at all to members. PS I know many people who have enjoyed e.g. MBM cruises and I am all for improving boating skills.
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No a response from someone that grew up on the Thames and was dragged to many a yacht club function every weekend ...there is also only so much 70's music you can force a kid to listen to ..

The MBM cruises have been suspended for this year anyhow.

Sorry to add. These staff jollies you speak of ? I am assuming you mean the two staff that organised the events that also traveled with the event as lead boats ? I would like to hear of another organisation that did this free of charge and offered the same level of organisation ? Eg berthing paid for in advance. Also the two staff on jollies also did their day job via laptops etc. I am sure if you asked Claire Frew who also grew up on the Thames she would be happy to tell you the work involved.

As I said that was my opinion.

If you were to check out the latest water sports participation survey you will see quite clearly that boating (power and sail) has been in decline for the last 7 years. Although I will add other areas are on the up such as kayaking and paddle boarding etc. also have you noticed the dramatic increase in cycling ?

Too much to do with too little time ...
 
Captain Coochie said:
Every club I have been invited to join has tried to tell me how I should dress . Are they for real ?
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I am a member of several clubs including two 'Royal' clubs. Other than having a fair enufski dress code after 7pm in the restaurant or bar (who wants to stand next to a barefoot dude in a Speedo with his Dick hanging out) none tell you how to dress. Frankly I don't believe you. "Would you like to join our club and by the way you must wear a Reefer" the very thought is derisory.
 
Fascinating thread with some well made comments. If I was involved in a club I would push for the full use of internet , social network, email, text and forum tools. Film anything that splashes and whack it on YouTube . use apps like glympse to real time track individuals movements. Use this to build an online community that then gets people to come in for a bbq or whatever.

Reflecting on my own practice, there seems to be less time around these days. Kids and work will do that. Or perhaps we are spoiled with too many ways to waste it. But if canoeing and cycling can build a good club base then sailing should be able to also. That said, I both canoe and cycle but have avoided joining a club. I get info from the web. Does this convenience mean i am not willing to put the time in to forge links with others? Probably. But there is no point in lamenting change. As has been said by others those that care need to crack on, but don't fear the tech, use i and it will lead to something more real.
 
byron said:
I am a member of several clubs including two 'Royal' clubs. Other than having a fair enufski dress code after 7pm in the restaurant or bar (who wants to stand next to a barefoot dude in a Speedo with his Dick hanging out) none tell you how to dress. Frankly I don't believe you. "Would you like to join our club and by the way you must wear a Reefer" the very thought is derisory.
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Maybe you already dress like all the other members so they don't need to mention it to you ;)
 
Captain Coochie said:
Every club I have been invited to join has tried to tell me how I should dress . Are they for real ?
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The only time you need to dress up in a blazer is for certain events.If you do not want to attend those sort of events then fine.Personally try to avoid all the dressy up social evenings (much to my wifes annoyance) as do not enjoy that sort of thing at all.There are several on our committee whos absence is notable at these functions.
However there are less formal things where smart casual is the norm,by gritting my teeth I can usually force myself along.
It would be a great shame to avoid meeting a whole host of new people with a vast wealth of boating experience (aka disasters) simply because you are convinced that you will be frog marched to the front of the clubhouse and forcibly be dressed in a Blazer and Whites/Greys (dependant on event).
There is a also tendancy to assume that everyone in a club has more years of boating experience than you,it can come as a suprise that many club members have done very little boating indeed, it may even be their first boat. You may well have fun by helping to give them the confidence to enjoy boats as much as you.
 
Captain Coochie said:
Maybe you already dress like all the other members so they don't need to mention it to you ;)
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The fact is no one has ever offered you club membership and qualified it with a condition on dress code. To make such a erroneous statement here fosters an already false impression some people have of clubs. Even clubs such as the Squadron are relaxed on dress until 7 pm. Certainly no Thames based club lays down such rules. Some clubs have annual events where members are expected to look presentable but if you don't want to let your wife wear her best frock for an annual Ball then so be it. Just don't go.
 
We are now seeing new members joining to garner new knowledge about boating, often for the purposes of going tidal.

This is no bad thing from either parties point of view, and we encourage it. All we ask is that the members reciprocate. Thats what a club is all about: Helping, Sharing and Caring.
 
byron said:
The fact is no one has ever offered you club membership and qualified it with a condition on dress code.
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Its happened twice actually but you think what you like . I think No Regrets even mentions a dress code in his advert for Bray but that is as you say for functions . I assume the rest of the time youre allowed to wear your speedos ?
 
We dont have a dress code for events like BBQs. The only time people dress up is for formal dinners or Commodore's Sail past.

"Dogsbody" is our Commodore. If you check out his post you will see that he himself was wary of the whole dressing up thing!
 
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I overheard at a local club (there's a clue in my forum profile......) a conversation regarding falling membership.

'Why are we encouraging new members?'.......'if the club needs more funds, up the subscriptions to meet the expenditure.'

Great. Follow that logic and you've got two wealthy individuals and a dead club - nice legacy fellas!
 
Captain Coochie said:
To be honest I think its the attitude of the old guard that puts people off clubs .
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The Old Guard are long dead, todays Old Guard are yesterdays Mods & Rockers, products of the swinging 60s. Hardly the types who strut about in Blazers bleating about a dress code. What may have an detrimental effect is a few people promoting a misconceived impression of Yacht Clubs as they were before WW2.
 
You asked a question and I am giving you the truth . Its not my fault you don't want to listen to it .
I have no interest in putting clubs out of business I just don't want to be part of them given the two situations I have been in . Three now if you include your attitude towards my facts on this thread .
Good luck with your clubs , I hope you do well and have lots of jolly outings :)
 
Ramage said:
Ok Coochie, name & shame.. who were the clubs who insisted you dress up?
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I don't think I mentioned dressing up . Im talking about every day wear and comments on how to dress when going to the club/boat .
I do understand that its only polite to dress for dinner , my Mother dragged me up good ! But to tell me how I should dress to walk through a club to go to my own boat ( or have a pint at the bar after working on my boat even after I have changed out of dirty clothes ) . Like I say , are they for real ?
I wont be naming and shaming as im not here to have a fight . If you like clubs enjoy it and have fun :)
 
byron said:
The Old Guard are long dead, todays Old Guard are yesterdays Mods & Rockers, products of the swinging 60s. Hardly the types who strut about in Blazers bleating about a dress code. What may have an detrimental effect is a few people promoting a misconceived impression of Yacht Clubs as they were before WW2.
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Not quite so.... I've had more than a few "conversations" with the older members* of our club who don't see eye to eye with something I've done..... usually flag (sorry... ensign) related...... :rolleyes:

* They definitely weren't mods or rockers.... ;)
 
Fantasie 19 said:
Not quite so.... I've had more than a few "conversations" with the older members* of our club who don't see eye to eye with something I've done..... usually flag (sorry... ensign) related...... :rolleyes:

* They definitely weren't mods or rockers.... ;)
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And fenders up, some old guard still scowl at me over that one...
Young blood like MikeT and Plumbob have forgiven me, I think.
 
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