Less than welcoming boat clubs

[Fr J Hackett]

Perhaps it was Daydream believer that Bristolfashion met.

 

[Mister E]

Dd fits the description.

 

[Daydream believer]

Perhaps it was Daydream believer that Bristolfashion met.

Having had a few years practice on our moorings, I can spot a freeloader before they even get near

 

[Frank Holden]

Of course, I was actually taking photos for my "Yacht Club Hall of Shame" website and for the Boat Club member wooden spoon trophy

Bearing in mind that he knew that we had a special reason to visit (my FIL was evacuated there and had very fond memories), we'd tried to make contact, it's a pretty waterscape with both historic & industrial heritage interest and it's a lovely morning to take a snap, you'd have to be pretty paranoid to suspect foul play. The quay area isn't even private & they must have tourists photographing things continually.

Even were I of a kleptomaniac persuasion, I'm not sure that the mostly shabby collection of old boats would hold much attraction.

It was probably suspected that your inconsiderate running of lines would inconvenience some itinerant crab fisherman.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Having had a few years practice on our moorings, I can spot a freeloader before they even get near

So it was you

 

[billskip]

Having had a few years practice on our moorings, I can spot a freeloader before they even get near

And exactly what would you do if I (because I woud) ignored you.

 

[benjenbav]

Your implication is rather insulting.

I have NEVER failed to pay for any boating facility whatsoever, sometimes going to some lengths to ensure I pay, as I've mentioned previously. We always attempt to make contact in advance where this is requested or indicated.

In Fowey we came in after the harbour master launch was off duty and headed way upstream to a mooring that a local that we met elsewhere had offered - and, on walking into Fowey the next day, I went into the harbour master's office, registered & paid the dues.

Indeed, if the option is between paid visitors moorings & free anchoring, we tend to the mooring to support the facility. Even if the facility is provided by, say, a harbour authority, we'll try & visit any local boat club & buy a beer and/or meal.

In the same way, we always try to buy stuff from the local chandler wherever possible.

If a facility is offered for free (like local authority visitor's buoys in parts of ROI), I make every effort to put something back by supporting businesses, community events or charities in that location.

I'm a member of the cruising association which makes a lot of its information available generally - just look in YM and at the Almanac. I support that, both philosophically and with my fee.

I'm also a member of a local club which I joined specifically because they were so friendly when I visited casually (by boat) after having just bought the current boat. Despite having been away from my home ground on a four year project, I continue to pay my dues 'cos they're a good club. Rather than "mouldy unmaintained moorings", we have very well maintained moorings, a rather good pontoon, a scrubbing grid and a splendid club house - all available to visitors. And, rather than "up a river" somewhere, we are in a major, popular boating location.

In the same way, I have my monthly donation to the RNLI - I hope to never use them, but I'm happy to make a small contribution so that they can help others.

I understand booking things and am uncomfortable with what to my mind is a wonderfully adventurous approach of setting sail with a target destination that’s not set in stone.

I think it’s disappointing that you were met with such a degree of unwelcome. Hopefully on your circumnavigation that will prove to be the exception rather than the rule.

 

[steve yates]

In #23 I asked Bristolfashion if he was a member of a club. He has - so far- chosen not to reply.
I asked because I have little sympathy for freeloaders who turn up at clubs expecting to use their facilities. True they say that they sometimes say that they offered to pay. Many do not. But they have not actually contributed to the "Pot", by not leaving a home club somewhere to offer the same facilities, that they think that they might be entitled to ask for.
They are effectively getting a cheap ride. Leaving a mouldy unmaintained mooring up a river somewhere, then saying some visitor can borrow it whilst they are away, using another club's facilities, is not the same thing.
So when they whinge that they do not get the reception they expected, I have little sympathy. Pay your full dues cheap skates.

Your such a pleasant chap!

 

[Sandy]

Your such a pleasant chap!

Thankfully, we have an ignore function.

 

[ylop]

Isn't it a sort of communal system - I'm never likely to get any benefit from 99.9% of the people I've helped - or (probably) visit most of their clubs or home ports, but I help them, they help someone else and so on. Even a boat owner in the Fowey might welcome a friendly greeting in the Fal.

To some extent it is, and yacht clubs do make a bit of a thing about how they welcome visitors. Perhaps the RYA should be pushing for a formal “reciprocal arrangement scheme” so people know what to expect? They could probably have a special burgee to show you are one of the gang.

but it specifically welcomed visiting yachts, indicated moorings could be made available and provided contact details.

it feels like this is where you’ve fallen down though - is there was an offer for visitors to contact X, which you did, but went anyway without a reply from X. Small clubs run on volunteer manpower with infrequent visitors probably don’t have robust systems for 1. Updating the website so X details are right; 2. Ensuring that X is covered when on holiday/sick/working etc; 3. Everyone in the club knowing how visitor requests are managed.

Of course, I was actually taking photos for my "Yacht Club Hall of Shame" website and for the Boat Club member wooden spoon trophy

Bearing in mind that he knew that we had a special reason to visit (my FIL was evacuated there and had very fond memories), we'd tried to make contact,

you are drip feeding us information - you didn’t tell us you had shared your life history and motivations with the surly gentleman in your photos.

it's a pretty waterscape with both historic & industrial heritage interest and it's a lovely morning to take a snap, you'd have to be pretty paranoid to suspect foul play.

you’ve not done much customer service stuff recently have you? The first inclination of “Karens” when upset with the service is to start recording! Are you a Karen? The second step by Karens is to post a complaint on line!

And, rather than "up a river" somewhere, we are in a major, popular boating location.

is this where your astonishment arises? At your home base it’s busy, easily accessible and so gets a stream of visitors and people know what to do and how to help them? But if they see two visitors a year and they have managed to make contact with the club first a stranger who failed the initial test is an anomaly. But even in your home club - do you think everyone is equally as welcoming as you? I can’t think of a sailing club I’ve visited that didn’t have a grumpy guy lurking ready to share their misery.

 

[Sandy]

To some extent it is, and yacht clubs do make a bit of a thing about how they welcome visitors. Perhaps the RYA should be pushing for a formal “reciprocal arrangement scheme” so people know what to expect? They could probably have a special burgee to show you are one of the gang.

I am sure that the RYA have a wee burgee.

I've always had a warm welcome in every club I've visited, even posh ones with Royal in their title, hence I find this thread rather odd.

 

[Bristolfashion]

The other side of visiting yacht is the opportunity to meet new people, exchange information and inspire each other. I certainly both given & received this kind of thing.

One of the reasons I like the CA is not their discounts, facilities or information, but the excuse to meet new people.

And, anyway, learning about a great new anchorage, destination, passage tip or even pub or being inspired to try something new is worth more than the price of an overnight berth anyway!

 

[Bristolfashion]

If I was making a long, difficult passage where the boat club was the only form of succour, I wouldn't go without being damn sure of what was going to happen when I arrived.

Overnighting at a nearby, safe & comfortable anchorage and then, still having received no reply, popping a few miles up a pretty river in calm conditions with the "back up" being able to pop down the river doesn't really feel like a catastrophic failure of research & planning - it is the research and planning!

 

[Bristolfashion]

I am sure that the RYA have a wee burgee.

I've always had a warm welcome in every club I've visited, even posh ones with Royal in their title, hence I find this thread rather odd.

Yes, I think that this is the first time on an (almost complete) circumnavigation. The "Royals" really do seem to be much more friendly than of yore - my FIL tells tales of his guests being refused entry for minor dress code infringements.

The Royal at Fowey was very welcoming recently. The sum total of bureaucracy was a polite request to sign the visitors book.

 

[Bristolfashion]

I don't really know, but is this scrounging thing a real problem, or just the hobby horse of a few?

If it is a real problem, perhaps the CA (or someone else) could run an "honest cruiser" scheme - you pay a £100 deposit, put a picture of the owners, boat & tender on the website, provide contact details, boat name etc. If a provider thinks they've been "stiffed", first port of call is to contact the boat owner, but, with clear evidence of a "grab & run", the fund pays up. You could have a membership card, membership number & burgee.

This may be overkill, but I'd happily join up if providers felt more confident to give a service/ facilities.

It's either that or Daydream Believer with a shotgun

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Yes, I think that this is the first time on an (almost complete) circumnavigation. The "Royals" really do seem to be much more friendly than of yore - my FIL tells tales of his guests being refused entry for minor dress code infringements.

The Royal at Fowey was very welcoming recently. The sum total of bureaucracy was a polite request to sign the visitors book.

Going back over 20 years ago owning a modest cruising yacht I enquired at a very well known "Royal" club and on learning of my boat I was waved away if politely with "I don't think this is the club for you"

 

[billskip]

Going back over 20 years ago owning a modest cruising yacht I enquired at a very well known "Royal" club and on learning of my boat I was waved away if politely with "I don't think this is the club for you"

I can understand that.....

 

[johnalison]

I think that the royals at Dover, Weymouth and Fowey were the only ones we visited regularly, and they were certainly welcoming. Some of the Solent clubs have formed a circle and visitors are only welcomed from within that circle, which is understandable given the numbers there, though I believe they will welcome 'royal' visitors from outside the area, but as a commoner myself I don't know for sure.

Not having been there, it is hard to tell, but I wonder if there might have been an opportunity for Bf to just say something like "can I just explain why we've come, and I think you'll understand?"

 

[Bristolfashion]

Having had a few years practice on our moorings, I can spot a freeloader before they even get near

I wonder how? I've noticed than some of the owners of big, posh boats can be tighter than those with more modest vessels.

I crewed on a delivery trip of an almost new Bav 44 - a long way, but the owners (who were skippering,) wouldn't pay to moor anywhere - as I remember it, the choices included,

1. Someone else's mooring without any attempt to pay
2. The private pontoon of a deep sea fishing club - which caused mayhem when a potentially record breaking big fish was brought in for weighing at 3am
3. A harbour wall reserved for fishing boats. Quite a shouting match in the morning.
4. A berth in a fishing cooperative. A slightly less shouty exchange.
5. Perhaps the most cheeky, a pontoon berth in a marina on a yacht brokers berth on the basis that they were "definitely" going to upgrade the boat. They didn't!

Shortly after these events, the obviously cash strapped owners reupholstered in white leatherette, had new racing sails and fitted a swanky autopilot!

When I was caretaking in a remote, national park location, the owner of a big, luxury yacht tendered ashore two huge, flimsy, stinky bags of rubbish and deposited them in the airstrip waiting room for someone else to deal with. Luckily, we had the yacht name & could give it to the airstrip operator - he made such an angry call that they came back and picked 'em up (although I had to mop up the spillage).

At some marinas, there do appear to be a few bigger boats that anchor off and "tailgate" into the facilities - although I'm sure that others do it as well. I remember it specifically at Airlie Beach marina.

Anyway, in our case, we have a very distinctive appearance, our name in huge letters, display on AIS and, in this case and many others, the club had both our phone number and email, so we're hardly trying to slip under the radar!

 

[Bristolfashion]

Going back over 20 years ago owning a modest cruising yacht I enquired at a very well known "Royal" club and on learning of my boat I was waved away if politely with "I don't think this is the club for you"

I picked up an old "how to sail" book at a jumble - it had a brilliant section on how to look after your blazer, which tie to wear, how to maintain your trousers crease and the proper way to hang the memsahib's dress - all for visits to "the club".

The section on the galley was illustrated with a B&W picture of an attractive young lady in a fetching fair isle jumper & hot pants, cooking a lobster! We have a copy on our galley wall - I live in hope!