Haven Ports Yacht Club - worth it?

DennisF said:
Well, I've decided to join with family membership for a year and see how much I actually use it. Being relatively new to the area the cruises in company hold some appeal, as does the prospect of beer and food near the boat, but if at the end of the year I find it isn't worth the candle I can always think again next year. That you all for your input!
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Welcome Dennis, I hope our club lives up to your expectations.

You should note that the Social Programme includes a welcome evening for new members on Friday 5 May, which is one opportunity for you to meet other members. I will possibly be there and look forward to meeting you if I am.

Peter
 
Cheers Peter. I posted the application (and cheque!) yesterday, but have no idea how long it will take for them to find a Flag officer and committee member to propose me. Still, the boat doesn't move there until April so no great rush.....
 
sailorman said:
did you contact the office as soon as you realised
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I didn't, because I wrongly assumed that was the standard practice. I now see from the "copied post" below I ought to have done.

Bob@SYH said:
Hi, I'm really sorry to hear that. I can be reasonably confident we weren't trying to get rid of you ;)

Just so you are aware how the system works and by means of explanation; Generally our electricity system for visitors works on a timer basis (although it can be overridden), we will switch it on when the visitor books in if power is requested for the required no. of nights. So we don't forget to turn it off again (as invariably there is a change over of staff and these things can get 'overlooked') it is set to take care of that for us. As such I can only assume it was an unfortunate case of timing with no malice intended. If it had been switched off manually then again I assume it was because the duty Berthing Master was under the (incorrect) belief you had already left...we would have had no reason to do otherwise.

I realise it's like the proverbial stable door now, but please rest assured that we would have been more than happy to re instate it if it had been brought to our attention until your actual departure.


Best regards

Bob
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Bob,
Thank you for your response. I now realise I was mistaken and if I'd thought about going back to the office all would have been sorted. It wasn't too much inconvenience to not have power, there were many ports and anchorages on my way round that had no power at all, so I was not unduly inconvenienced.
I am most grateful for your explanation, and the taking time to explain the situation. That's the sort of practices that excellent businesses maintain, and SYH / HPYC certainly were excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed being "stuck" there.
I look forward to returning some time in the future.

Robert W
 
I also have used the Lightship on a few occasions - maybe 2 or 3 times a year as a visiting yacht and during the Autumn Yacht & Boat Sale. I understood as a member of another yacht club that one was entitled to visit other yacht clubs without any problems, but perhaps I was wrong. We have usually signed in though(but not every time ...) Very friendly and food & beer is good.
 
We generally visit at least a couple of evenings a year, sometimes more, when we're over that way. Never encountered anything 'stuffy', always found the place to be welcoming and friendly and people in there perfectly happy to natter.
I often read on here about people finding stuffy unwelcoming clubs, even saying they will never join a club because they're all like that. I visit a lot of clubs (on the strength of membership of our own hugely friendly little local cruising club at Faversham, and membership of the RYA, and writing a pilot book) and can't say I've ever found any of them remotely stuffy or unwelcoming, with one exception. About 50 years ago I walked into the carpeted bar of a club at Dawlish in squelching wet shoes having paddling up their slipway, and was asked to leave and come back in dry shoes. But then I was a 20-year-old prat, rather than the amiable but senile delinquent that I am now.
 
Cantata said:
We generally visit at least a couple of evenings a year, sometimes more, when we're over that way. Never encountered anything 'stuffy', always found the place to be welcoming and friendly and people in there perfectly happy to natter.
I often read on here about people finding stuffy unwelcoming clubs, even saying they will never join a club because they're all like that. I visit a lot of clubs (on the strength of membership of our own hugely friendly little local cruising club at Faversham, and membership of the RYA, and writing a pilot book) and can't say I've ever found any of them remotely stuffy or unwelcoming, with one exception. About 50 years ago I walked into the carpeted bar of a club at Dawlish in squelching wet shoes having paddling up their slipway, and was asked to leave and come back in dry shoes. But then I was a 20-year-old prat, rather than the amiable but senile delinquent that I am now.
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Advancing age does have its benefits. Even if it is just increasing tolerance and condescension of we A b S Ds :encouragement:
 
DennisF said:
Cheers Peter. I posted the application (and cheque!) yesterday, but have no idea how long it will take for them to find a Flag officer and committee member to propose me. Still, the boat doesn't move there until April so no great rush.....
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Hi Dennis,

I don't believe you will have to wait long, Hon Sec Martine is pretty slick and it's a rare day that no Flag Officer turns up in the lightship.

Peter
 
Reading some of the comments here, it left me wondering if some people just shouldn't join any yacht club, rather than a particular yacht club as mentioned.

It's fair to say it's unlikely that 100% of your fees will be spent just on you wherever you join.

Clubs that have different classes of dinghy and keelboat racing, a lively cadet section, a proper galley and of course cruising/social events for larger boats offer year round interest to a potential member.

There's an incredible amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make a club run successfully. When you get involved, give up your time freely and give it your best, then read stuff on the Internet like -

'I went into XYZ YC in 1982 and it was snooty, so I haven't been back since!'
 
sailorman said:
Quite inexpensive in all class`s of membership & a small detour from the A14 for any boaters travelling to or from Felixstowe or either bank of the Orwell & the 2 Rivers Event is not to be missed, a great fun day for all the family.
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Fox's is a great club with a warm welcome and great facilities.

St Edmusdsbury are with you next Friday Roger so hold on to your hat :D

http://www.seyachting.co.uk/#/news/4567973242

A club without a permanant home but with a group of folks who really enjoy the social side of boating with very very reasonable fees; a nicer cross section of all boating types you could not wish for.
 
pks1702 said:
Fox's is a great club with a warm welcome and great facilities.

St Edmusdsbury are with you next Friday Roger so hold on to your hat :D

http://www.seyachting.co.uk/#/news/4567973242

A club without a permanant home but with a group of folks who really enjoy the social side of boating with very very reasonable fees; a nicer cross section of all boating types you could not wish for.
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I note OvA isnt mentioned on the website
 
sailorman said:
RYA or not i think you will still be limited to 6 sign ins

PS all boaters should be RYA members .
Member since 1974
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I didn't know you had to sign in, we've been eating and drinking there for about 6 years and never once came near a signing in book, mostly just lunch etc so why would you need to be a member? Lots of people just come over from a visit to the chandlery for lunch so if you made people become members you'd loose lots of trade.
 
sailorman said:
It is only courtesy when visiting any Sailing Club, to sign in. What club are you a member of, how long an RYA member
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Not a member of any club, should we stop coming for occasional lunch at Fox's?

michael_w said:
Having to sign in is usually a stipulation of the licence.
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I'm sure you're right but I've never been asked, at any club, they always just seem pleased to have visitors.
 
Colvic Watson said:
I didn't know you had to sign in, we've been eating and drinking there for about 6 years and never once came near a signing in book, mostly just lunch etc so why would you need to be a member? Lots of people just come over from a visit to the chandlery for lunch so if you made people become members you'd loose lots of trade.
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Hi CW,

As I wrote in the deleted post above, before an attempt to edit it caused a delete, there are 3 good reasons to sign in as a visitor at a yacht club, or any other sort of club:

It's common courtesy
Most clubs, including HPYC, have a clear notice near the bar requesting visitors to sign in
If you are not a member and fail to sign in, you put the club concerned in breach of their licence, which may result in it being rescinded by the licensing authority.

If you've stood at the bar on the lightship, you've been within a couple of paces of three signing in book, please be a bit more observant.

Peter.
 
I've never been to the lightship except the outstanding one at Gosport marina where we had the best yacht club food ever. If at some point in the future I'm asked to sign in I will old chap, but in the meantime I'll just carry on as I have been doing, it doesn't seem to have bothered any yacht clubs yet...
 
Colvic Watson said:
I've never been to the lightship except the outstanding one at Gosport marina where we had the best yacht club food ever. If at some point in the future I'm asked to sign in I will old chap, but in the meantime I'll just carry on as I have been doing, it doesn't seem to have bothered any yacht clubs yet...
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My apologies. I had assumed in your previous post that you meant you had visited HPYC on several occasions, perhaps understandably in view of the title of the thread and the fact that you chose to quote a post which was about using the HPYC clubhouse.

Peter
 
Colvic Watson said:
I've never been to the lightship except the outstanding one at Gosport marina where we had the best yacht club food ever. If at some point in the future I'm asked to sign in I will old chap, but in the meantime I'll just carry on as I have been doing, it doesn't seem to have bothered any yacht clubs yet...
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What's the hardship with signing the visitors book, it's not a big ask surely?

They're easy to find everywhere I've visited recently.

Mr Colvic Watson - Home port - Your Club/Marina.

Should take about 10 seconds including putting the lid back on the pen!
 
PeterWright said:
My apologies. I had assumed in your previous post that you meant you had visited HPYC on several occasions, perhaps understandably in view of the title of the thread and the fact that you chose to quote a post which was about using the HPYC clubhouse.

Peter
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No apology necessary but the clue was that I mentioned that it was at Fox's ;)

I've never been to any of the other Orwell clubs, maybe they are more visitor-book-focussed than the others I've been to, none of which I've even seen a visitors book in! I find it a charming concept and I look forward to being asked to sign in, I'm inclined to sign it as Amanda Hugankis or in light of the consternation in the thread I think I'll stick to an old fave, Noah Fense.
 
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