What club

We joined UTMYC as it was far enough from our mooring at Bray or now Temple that it provided a nice upstream base for us and the people we met there on a stop were very helpful. Beautiful location, convenient to stop at heading up or down and very welcoming membership. Kids no problem at all. To be fair the typical member is a bit older (than me at least) but I think that is true of almost every yacht club in the UK.

BCC certainly seems active given it comprises much of this forum. But NR is a member which is not to be taken lightly... ;)
 
I too thought about joining a club this season.

Just one observation though - of all the club web sites I've looked at from Shepperton up to Abingdon, most members' boats seem, with the exception of a few, to be 30' plus. Don't know how I'd feel turning up with my 18' weekender on a trailer :o

I'm leaning towards TWYC as I knew a lot of bertholders there many years ago, it has a slipway (which MDL don't want me to use but that's another story) and they've a proper bar ;)

This is a bit like a question from the TV programme "Take me out" - what would you (the club) do to make me feel welcome and at ease because having boated on the Thames for the past 10 years, I still feel there's an atmosphere of "mine's bigger than yours" :confused:.
 
When No Regrets and I joined Bray Cruiser Club we had 25 foot boats. We were made extremely welcome.

It is not the size that matters, nor how posh or otherwise the boat is. The thing that unites us is enthusiasm for boating and the river.
 
I agree with Ramage what unites people is the enthusiasm for boating and the friends you will make. At TWYC we do have boats of all sizes and my boat is on the smaller side :) however myself and the other half have been made to feel extremely welcome by the club and we only joined in October last year.

I am sure which ever club you choose you will enjoy it, it has certainly enhanced our boating! Of course I am biased towards TWYC.... ;)
 
We all start somewhere and most clubs have a range of boats some well past their sink by date up to stuff with nearly a (small) bankers bonus type price tag..
Its you and your attitude that interests other members worth knowing in the club.
A wiilingness to muck and paint the clubhouse,tidy the carpark,turn up meetings in mid January and to offer any skills you may have to the general benefit of the club that will count in the long run.
It is virtually impossible to work out who has which boat in our club bar, sometimes a suprise to find out that the chap with an old white van has got the ginormous posh boat.
 
We all start somewhere and most clubs have a range of boats some well past their sink by date up to stuff with nearly a (small) bankers bonus type price tag..
Its you and your attitude that interests other members worth knowing in the club.
A wiilingness to muck and paint the clubhouse,tidy the carpark,turn up meetings in mid January and to offer any skills you may have to the general benefit of the club that will count in the long run.
It is virtually impossible to work out who has which boat in our club bar, sometimes a suprise to find out that the chap with an old white van has got the ginormous posh boat.


I didn't know you had an old white van...?
 
Na....mine is the old pedal bike well hidden round the back of the bogs ....

The original owner might spot it and want it back :)
 
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