Cruising Association - membership vs non-membership

[Angele]

I wish that were possible! How do I detect people who choose not to join? What we do is survey a percentage of visitors to the web site who are not members - to find out what their needs are. And talk with those who leave (or at least, as many as we can track down), to find out why they leave

I understand it is difficult, but most organisations who are interested in improving their customer services manage it. For a starter, why not ask some Owners' Associations to ask their members to fill out a survey ("Are you a member of the CA? If not, why not?"), with a bit of an incentive to complete it (like a prize draw of a bottle of bubbly)? Also, surveying people at Boat Shows who walk away from the stand without joining.

you've made an excellent case for increasing the differential for non-members!

I did say it probably wasn't in my best interest to say so. Can I have a special discount for suggesting the idea - the ability to attend at the current rate - at least for my first year of "non-membership"?

Difficult one . . . publish the lists and suppliers get into arguments with people claiming membership who can't prove it . . .

Well, that is what the RYA does. Ask them how it works for them.

 

[Twister_Ken]

There are these mystical discounts which are supposedly there for the taking but, since the CA doesn't tell non-members what they are, I have no way to value them.

From the new brochure, which is necessarily truncated in detail...

Sails – up to 20%
Chandlery – up to 15%
Charts and books – up to 15%
Charter – up to 15%
Insurance – up to 18%, or reduced excess when claiming
Shipyard work – up to 10%
Engineering parts – up to 20%
Stainless work – up to 10%
Watches – up to 25%
Inflatable tenders and RIBs – up to 15%
Outboards and servicing – up to 10%
Boat care products – up to 20%
Gas systems – up to 20%
Canvas and covers – up to 20%
Propellers and sterngear – up to 10%
Surveying services – up to 15%
RYA training – up to 20%
Marinas and moorings – up to 20% on moorings, plus free night offers

I've heard it said that there are hundreds of discount suppliers, but I've never tried to count them up!

Whether you want to belong or not, why not drop by for a chat if you're at the London Boat Show. Not sure of the stand number or location for 2015, but it's usually just off the central corridor. The folks on the stand are friendly!

 

[Angele]

From the new brochure, which is necessarily truncated in detail...

[snip]

:encouragement:

BUT, the devil is in the detail. For example, is that the same 15% off Imray charts that I already get as a member of the RYA, and similarly for Bishop Skinner insurance or Honda outboards, etc? I'm sure you get the picture. For them to have a value to me, they have to be discounts that I can't get through other means.

Whether you want to belong or not, why not drop by for a chat if you're at the London Boat Show. Not sure of the stand number or location for 2015, but it's usually just off the central corridor. The folks on the stand are friendly!

Dufour yachts won't be there. Nor will Arcona. (I know you've got one of them ), but I had a good chat with both at Southampton back in September, so I'll probably be skipping Excel - after all, I'd rather spend Saturday 17 Jan at the CA seminar on North France and the CI

Actually, yes, I am more likely to see you at Limehouse than at Excel, but as a non-member (unless Jim gets round to a price hike before the tickets go on sale...)

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Was very impressed with the library, all the pilot books and charts they have. They sold a lot of their historical library to Cambridge Uni which paid for the building of CA House. As a member you do have access to the library in Cambridge too.

You just took away a reason for me to join! I already have access to Cambridge University libraries, if I wish it

More seriously, my Dad was a member many moons ago (probably 50 years ago), and ISTR that my brother and I had some sort of cadet membership as part of a family deal. I do recall that there were useful publications available at the time - cruising guides and such-like. However, living in Yorkshire and sailing in Scotland meant that we never visited London. In those days, I don't think it was the world-wide organization it is now; far fewer people were able to travel in those days than can now.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Also, surveying people at Boat Shows who walk away from the stand without joining.

Yes, we catch a number of those.

 

[Koeketiene]

And talk with those who leave (or at least, as many as we can track down), to find out why they leave

We were members in 2005-2006

- See my post #17
- The website was a mess at the time. From a friend who's a member I learned that this still is the case. The 'blue water' section in particular seems to be a 'work in progress'. It was my impression at the time that the CA is heavily focused on the Baltic and the Med. Two areas which are not on our itinerary.
- Some of the discounts are not as good value as they seem. At the time I needed to renew my RYA first aid certificate. The course was offered buy a London based outfit with a 15% CA discount. All the schools based on the Orwell easily beat that discounted price.
And whilst we're talking training, I was disappointed at the time that the CA did not offer training to take the LRC exam.

As retirement is just 2 years down the road, I've been thinking of re-joining - access to the library (for planning purposes) is essential. As others have also commented that this is problematic at times, I am still not entirely convinced it would be money well spent.

 

[Twister_Ken]

2005-6 was close to the dark days - things really have changed a lot since then!

Your comments about the website are relevant. There are 12000+ pages of live information plus another 3000 or so of archived stuff that is occasionally accessed. The site is slowly being reworked, but the web management people are volunteers, so there's not 40 man hours per week per employee that can be devoted to it, and the task is substantial. What they're doing at the moment (my understanding - I'm not involved) is improve the navigation and the organisational logic, rather than prettifying things. That may come later.

Non-members see a much simplified version (http://www.cruising.org.uk/home) with limited access to the goodies, and those pages have been improved and will be again.

Bear in mind that the CA is not spending members' money on fees to web design agencies, so things will probably always be a bit clunky compared to commercial websites that costs tens of thousands to put together and thousands more per month to maintain.

 

[jerrytug]

To OR4751, it is a bit focused on the Med and Baltic, but I have had a quick look just now, and there are no less than 6 Cruising Reports for South Georgia ! for example, with practical tips, eg, Grytvyken, 'the new jetty is in place, just mind the seals' etc !

 

[vyv_cox]

To me the point is not how much money I might save on expenses by being a member, although that is a welcome bonus. Membership puts us in touch with like-minded people in a wide variety of places. How many times has someone approached you in a marina or anchorage saying 'I saw your RYA burgee so I thought I would come over and invite you on board for a drink'? This is a common occurrence when you fly a CA burgee, throughout the Mediterranean in our experience. We live a good distance from Limehouse but we manage to visit once or twice a year, renewing friendships with people we might have met in a port a thousand miles away. As they say, priceless.

 

[KellysEye]

>Honorary Local Representatives in Hundreds of ports both British Isles and Worldwide

When I was a CA member their Port Officers were in the UK, Med and Baltic. Which is why we switched, after qualifying, to the Ocean Cruising Club when we went long distance sailing because they have Port Officers around the world. Has the CA expanded around the world?

 

[vyv_cox]

HLR numbers possibly cannot compete with OCC yet but there is quite an impressive list worldwide. About 10 in the Caribbean, Panama and Mexico, perhaps another 40 around the world.

 

[vertford]

Following TKen's post about the Autumn lectures I attended 4. I forgot to pre book the one about Heavy Weather and the NW Passage and they were full. The 4 I went to were well organised and interesting. Bar seemed to do a roaring business.
We sold the boat in May so probably not worth me joining. Happy to pay for the lectures. As Vyv said it is a bit more than the discounts. Look forward to the spring series. And I just paid £127 to join The Royal Geographical Society so I can go and listen to stories of people of who have walked barefoot over Greenland backwards :encouragement:

 

[Tony Cross]

An example of the respect in which the CA is held dropped into my inbox the other day. The editor of an Italian sailing magazine was looking for current and accurate information on the regulations for yachts visiting Greece. Who did he call? The CA of course. I know this because I'm one of the volunteers who maintains the Greek regulations pages on the CA members website, so his request ended up in my inbox. So now the CA has another friend inside the Italian sailing community, doubtless the CA membership will benefit from this connection in the future.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Tony and JimB are both people that a wider community should be grateful to, for helping make sense of some very badly conceived and communicated plans by the Greek government (as well as local harbour authorities) to impose taxes, fees and paperwork on visiting boat owners. Similarly, it was a few CA members and an HLR who got the Norwegian authorities to revise plans that would have seen VAT at full vessel value charged to any visiting yacht overwintering in Norway. I believe, but don't have chapter and verse, that good work has also been done with Turkey on making holding tank rules less draconian and more practical.

Invisible (to most) benefits, but tangible benefits nonetheless.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Tony and JimB are both people that a wider community should be grateful to, for helping make sense of some very badly conceived and communicated plans by the Greek government (as well as local harbour authorities) to impose taxes, fees and paperwork on visiting boat owners. Similarly, it was a few CA members and an HLR who got the Norwegian authorities to revise plans that would have seen VAT at full vessel value charged to any visiting yacht overwintering in Norway. I believe, but don't have chapter and verse, that good work has also been done with Turkey on making holding tank rules less draconian and more practical.

Invisible (to most) benefits, but tangible benefits nonetheless.

+1

 

[Monique]

Tony and JimB are both people that a wider community should be grateful to, for helping make sense of some very badly conceived and communicated plans by the Greek government (as well as local harbour authorities) to impose taxes, fees and paperwork on visiting boat owners. Similarly, it was a few CA members and an HLR who got the Norwegian authorities to revise plans that would have seen VAT at full vessel value charged to any visiting yacht overwintering in Norway. I believe, but don't have chapter and verse, that good work has also been done with Turkey on making holding tank rules less draconian and more practical.

Invisible (to most) benefits, but tangible benefits nonetheless.

I agree but only if you add Vyv Cox and Tony Cross to your list

 

[Twister_Ken]

I agree but only if you add Vyv Cox and Tony Cross to your list

Errrr - Tony is already there!

 

[sailaboutvic]

An example of the respect in which the CA is held dropped into my inbox the other day. The editor of an Italian sailing magazine was looking for current and accurate information on the regulations for yachts visiting Greece. Who did he call? The CA of course. I know this because I'm one of the volunteers who maintains the Greek regulations pages on the CA members website, so his request ended up in my inbox. So now the CA has another friend inside the Italian sailing community, doubtless the CA membership will benefit from this connection in the future.

He also emailed me Tony and I put him into you

 

[Tony Cross]

He also emailed me Tony and I put him into you

Thank you!

 

[Tony Cross]

Errrr - Tony is already there!

Indeed I am, though some would argue that I'm not always all there! :unconscious: