What's the point of yacht clubs?

[Seven Spades]

Says it all really!

Best watched full screen.​

 

[jac]

Great video from the second best club on Rope Walk

 

[Seven Spades]

They don't let any riff RAF in you know!

 

[jac]

They don't let any riff RAF in you know!

Probably a good call.

 

[Wansworth]

I had a gf who was a member of the southern,don’t think I cut the mustered with father

 

[The Q]

This is the point, families, 8 year olds up to 108 year olds competing equally.
Note this was a quiet year during COVID. Light winds that year too.

 

[Stemar]

I love my club - not snooty in any way, just a great friendly place where someone will always take your lines - or the piss if you screw up, then help you out of your hole. A cheap bar, decent galley and useful facilities, including a mooring at little more than KHM's harbour dues - what's not to like? It's why I can afford to sail.

Nothing like the Island sailing Club, where I forgot to take my hat off in the bar and was politely rebuked for it.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Yes there are some clubs where the sailing is the main point but there are lot of others where the piss up afterwards is the main draw.

I call then pink gin and yachting caps

I would love to see sone stats on the various catigory of members

racing keel boats / multyhulls
cruising keel boats / multihulls
dingy racing
social / drinking members

for clubs in the UK and around the world

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Yes there are some clubs where the sailing is the main point but there are lot of others where the piss up afterwards is the main draw.

I call then pink gin and yachting caps

I would love to see sone stats on the various catigory of members

racing keel boats / multyhulls
cruising keel boats / multihulls
dingy racing
social / drinking members

for clubs in the UK and around the world

I can tell you that our club has around 1200 members, about 250 of them take to the water in some form, and we are the only multihullers of any description.

 

[Stemar]

Hardway is mostly cruisers though cruiser races get a good enough turnout, a few racing dinghies and some mobos.

AFAIK, no social/drinking members apart from those who've sailed then swallowed the anchor due to age or infirmity.

 

[The Q]

No multi hullers at my club as you may notice from the video, totally unsuitable.
We have a few who only cruise but the majority of our 400 ish members race.

We do have associate membership, but that's mostly those wishing still to be a member when they've retired from sailing. Or have moved away and hope to return.

 

[RobbieW]

They don't let any riff RAF in you know!

There were a few got in under the wire that night

 

[SaltyC]

I love my club - not snooty in any way, just a great friendly place where someone will always take your lines - or the piss if you screw up, then help you out of your hole. A cheap bar, decent galley and useful facilities, including a mooring at little more than KHM's harbour dues - what's not to like? It's why I can afford to sail.

Nothing like the Island sailing Club, where I forgot to take my hat off in the bar and was politely rebuked for it.

Not sure if I am Rif or Raf from a previous post but your club sounds like I would be comfortable. Each to their own.
Last summer I waded through the carpet at Royal Southern in search of the showers, staff were very accomodating and friendly, had a great reception at Royal Lymington.

Next week will see how the Royal Cornwall fares.

Personnally, I have found ALL clubs welcoming, from small wooden huts with a local dinghy club to prestigous Royal YC.

BUT, like Stemar, I have been politely rebuked in the Royal Ulster YC for putting my jacket on the back of my bar stool! The Barman was called over by the VC who was dining, came and had a 'word' jackets should be in the cloakroom, I apologised but the Barman insisted we carry on and he took the coats.

Feeling a little out of our comfort zone, at the end of his meal the VC came over and introduced himself, explained the rules and gave us a conducted tour of the clubhouse and the Thomas Lipton room. A brilliant evening, and we felt totally welcome at the end.

 

[ashtead]

Last club I took a beer at was the Royal Dart -sat quietly on upper terrace and very pleasant welcome. Down below the classic contessa lot were partying and looked to having a sociable time . People tend to find a club that suits their needs and expectations. I have always found the staff at the island calling club most welcoming. I once visited the royal southern for a meal at ocean village and the service reminded me of that classic acorn antiques though -Julie w with a tea trolley - time warp club it seemed to me. Have been disappointed by food at RYS even if lovely views but again staff seemed welcoming.

 

[Praxinoscope]

What's the point of yacht clubs?
Much the same as any club whether it be tennis, golf, chess or stamp collecting, it ia somewhere to meet others with similar interests, pick up tips, advice, help, find crew, if you wish to race against your fellow members, join in social activities, even volunteer, often provision of training, many arrange lift-in lift-out, a lot have a youth section helping to introduce youngsters to sailing.
I am sure there are many more positive functions that can be added to the above.
Exclusivity? Of course there will be clubs that cater to the 'posher end' of sailing, but again this happens in any sphere of life, try joining the Royal Birkbeck, the MCC or perhaps the Wig & Pen, however the 'upper' club end of sailing clubs is heavily out numbered by the down to earth clubs that re very easy to join and don't put massive hurdles in the way of new membership. The majority of sailing in this country is no more exclusive than holding a season ticket to a popular football club, golf club membership or even the local gym, its possible to pick up a second hand dinghy for a couple of hundred pounds (far cheaper than most smart phones that everyone seems to think essential) here the membership of a club helps, in that many offer a safe and instructive environment and to learn how to sail that Topper you have just bought off eBay, as well as a stretch of water suitable on which to sail it.
We changed the name our club from simply Aberaeron Yacht Club to Aberaeron Yacht and Watersports Club as a start to increase inclusivity, oping to bring anyone who enjoyed 'mucking about' on the water, whether it was fishing, dinghy sailing, paddle boarding of just swimming. (It's not an instant solution, but we are very slowly seeing wider range of member interests developing, lthough the social membership probably still out numbers the water users).

 

[capnsensible]

I wouldn't join a club that would have me as a member.

Actually, RNSA. Great.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I wouldn't join a club that would have me as a member.

Actually, RNSA. Great.

They are notoriously unfussy. They might even accept me.

 

[rotrax]

That is a certainty.

After all, they accepted me......................................

 

[rotrax]

Last club I took a beer at was the Royal Dart -sat quietly on upper terrace and very pleasant welcome. Down below the classic contessa lot were partying and looked to having a sociable time . People tend to find a club that suits their needs and expectations. I have always found the staff at the island calling club most welcoming. I once visited the royal southern for a meal at ocean village and the service reminded me of that classic acorn antiques though -Julie w with a tea trolley - time warp club it seemed to me. Have been disappointed by food at RYS even if lovely views but again staff seemed welcoming.

I thought it was the Royal Southampton at Ocean Village?

They were Posh. Any club that has a 'Master at Arms' instead of a Bosun MUST be Posh!

On the other hand First Mate and I met the Secretary at their Gins Farm premises. She and her husband were a delightful down to earth 'ordinary' couple.

 

[Lightwave395]

I was a member of the Southern for many years and found it to be a great Yacht club, it has a good number of members who actually race along with a good cruising section. I only left as it became pointless to remain, living on the IOW and my boat moved to the West Country then subsequently to France. My OH and I joined a local club here for a couple of years and having been to a number of social functions sharing tables with others, rarely found anyone who had a boat...