Up Early...

[oldgit]

Sailpast and short cruise to say goodbye to our outgoing RCC Commodore, lunch and "refreshments" afterwards at the clubhouse.

20 boats on the list. Blazers and Whites

OG has about 10 crew on this adventure,some are positively ancient,but most are under the grand old age of 5.
This is the starting gun for a months worth of conjecture as to if any body is daft enough to put their name down for the next committee, a lot of internicene warfare and arm twisting, before the AGM.
Whereapon everthing seems to carry on much as before since 1905.

This years outrageous proposal most likely to bring the club to a quick and premature demise
Yes, youve guessed it................introducing Social membership !

Does your club have a social membership scheme. ?

Last trip of the year still to come . November Xmas cruise to Allington.
Really must get the Eberspacher working.

70 hours so far since buying new boat...and 2 bashed props.

 

[Newbroom]

Yes, youve guessed it................introducing Social membership !

Does your club have a social membership scheme. ?

Last trip of the year still to come . November Xmas cruise to Allington.
Really must get the Eberspacher working.

70 hours so far since buying new boat...and 2 bashed props.

Among other things social membership caused the demise of the The British Motor Yacht Club one of the oldest clubs on the river and which I had the pleasure of being its commodore of in 96/7 now (spit) just a sailing club with no mention of its origins

 

[boatone]

Suspect move to adopt social membership is just a failure of old brigade to come to terms with need for change. Club needs sufficient income to service costs and provide attractive proposition for new members to want to join. How do club mooring costs equate to locally available alternatives - if they are substantially lower a privileged few will be benefitting at the expense of the membership at large. Bottom line is active members paying their way.

 

[Leighb]

The Social membership thing has come up several times at our club over the years.
The thorny problem is how do you define it? If offered as a lower cost option how do you stop existing members from switching thus further reducing revenue?

 

[oldgit]

If offered as a lower cost option how do you stop existing members from switching thus further reducing revenue?

This argument has often expressed as a reason to delay/ prevent any change in the club regards membership.
Would much appreciate any comments on the following....

A very important reason to become full member of our club is the fact that all our moorings and other facilities , if we have the capability, are club member built and serviced in house .
This means that being a full member offers some not inconsiderable savings compared to the mooring charges of surrounding commercially run marinas.
There is very long waiting list indeed for in house moorings by existing club members who are moored away elsewhere.
Becoming a social member instead of full member removes you instantly from the moorings waiting list.
This would save you about £100 pounds PA in membership fees but you would be paying probably £2-3000 pounds more PA remaining in a off site marina . ?

 

[Leighb]

Would much appreciate any comments on the following....

A very important reason to become full member of our club is the fact that all our moorings and other facilities , if we have the capability, are club member built and serviced in house .
This means that being a full member offers some not inconsiderable savings compared to the mooring charges of surrounding commercially run marinas.
There is very long waiting list indeed for in house moorings by existing club members who are moored away elsewhere.

Our situation is not altogether different, as we have a waiting list for berths in our Marina, and we have swinging moorings - not fully taken up - for both of which you must be a member. However we have a quite large number of active sailing members who keep their boats in other local marinas from choice and do not use the club's "boating facilities" at all - such as slipway dinghy park etc. We also have a number of members who no longer sail.
The last time a serious proposal for Social Membership was put forward the authors said that it would only be open to members who did not use any of the club boating facilities but only wanted to use the bar and restaurant, at the GC meeting our then Rear Commodore House, said "I would switch to Social membership", others said "how do you qualify" and he replied, "I keep my boat at another marina, I don't keep a dinghy here nor do I use the slipway so I would qualify under that definition." !!! The proposition failed.
I am sure it will emerge again and perhaps a formula can be found which is fair to existing Full members and attractive to potential Social members but no-one has yet found it.

 

[oldgit]

at the GC meeting our then Rear Commodore House, said "I would switch to Social membership", others said "how do you qualify" and he replied, "I keep my boat at another marina, I don't keep a dinghy here nor do I use the slipway so I would qualify under that definition." !!!

Only full members are eligible to stand for election to serve on any committee.
Unless co-opted.
We would almost certainly have a few objecting members who would downgrade their membership from full to social, possibly from poverty or to express an objection to the scheme and wish to somehow punish the club.
However we have a number of guests plus members with family over the age of 18 who are not allowed to bring their children into the club for more than 6 visits per year.
Children over the age of 18 must take out a full membership and have to pay( more probably mum and dad) the full going rate for the privilege of coming into the club with their parents .
Would argue that a reduced fee social membership would at least cancel out any financial downside from the change. It could actually improve galley and bar finances by the number of people coming onto the premises . ?
As for retirees, our club is extremely generous indeed regards giving impressive discounts to those no longer active afloat, to the extent that something like 70% of the club no longer pays the full fee..

 

[boatone]

As for retirees, our club is extremely generous indeed regards giving impressive discounts to those no longer active afloat, to the extent that something like 70% of the club no longer pays the full fee..

so there's the real problem - the group most likely able to pay their way don't want to face up to a changing world where age alone is no longer an inalienable right to expect largesse. If over 18s want to visit club more than 6 times a year why shouldn't they expect to join in their own right? Bank of M&D could cough up the readies? Need to follow the money and stop dwelling on historical privileges that no longer justifiable.

 

[oldgit]

so there's the real problem - the group most likely able to pay their way don't want to face up to a changing world ............ stop dwelling on historical privileges that no longer justifiable.

Surely your not suggesting that old people would vote against something purely for selfish reasons

Dare one suggest that club politics are not unlike the real world.

 

[boatone]

Surely your not suggesting that old people would vote against something purely for selfish reasons
Dare one suggest that club politics are not unlike the real world.

Be interesting to see what the outcome is ....... bet they duck the issue and another year will pass before the next chance to look to the future.