Best yacht club in the US is (or at least used to be) the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego CA. 90% small boats stored on the hard on trailers or dollies. Snipes, Lasers, Victories, Lidos, Lightenings, Thistles and more. Very low initiation fee and dues with no monthly 'must spend' at the club amount. Corinthian style so we were required to donate two weekends a year to club maintenance. I have fond memories of building a portion of a floating dock. Small grill for breakfast, hot dogs, burgers most weekends. Kids running around in diapers. Racing in flat water in Mission Bay - after two races tying up at the club dock and grabbing lunch, then back out for two more. Great bar with a fireplace (not that we needed it much in Southern California). Even held ocean races in the Pacific. I loved being a member until I needed to move for work reasons. Never joined another one. Although I probably could join the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Florida as it was very similar.
What a prig, if you ask me. A true sailing gentleman would have said, “Well, I still can’t SELL you any fuel, but I can gift you a few gallons, to assure your safety — at my expense, of course.” Thirty years ago , a cruising sailor would be treated at most clubs as a guest, as long as there was room. And if there wasn’t, at least allowed to freshen up and get some fuel before carrying on. Cheers!
The secret is make up your own yacht club, print out a membership card and present it when faced with this. You're now no longer and interloper but "A visiting yachtsman" and its' amazing what that will do. Currently I'm secretary of a yacht club in the middle of the inland northwest but have card should I need it. And I sail a 15' Michalak catboat which always makes for interesting conversations. But people LOVE my boat.
I was amused reading this, remembering our experience in Caracas, Venezuela back in 1972. We’d anchored our boat off the Yacht Club and gone off to visit friends in town for a few day. On return, the guard refused us entry. Michael was fluent in Spanish and assured the guard that the NY yacht club welcomed all yacht club members of any yacht club. (He remembered this from his youth in NY)
The guard stepped back, gave a chagrined nod, apologized, and waved us through.
I guess that was the olden days as another reader pointed out.
Hello, I am a paying member and a long time reader of the old hard copy SCA.
I do however find the number of daily posts are sometimes too much ie 3 postings within 3 hours recently. Also I find some articles are re-postings of articles previously read.
By the way, I am a member of a club that only allows land based sailing dinghies, lasers to Fireballs and a few in between.
Hi Len, thanks for the feedback. We've heard from others who would prefer fewer posts, and some who'd like even more. We wish Substack had a feature that allowed readers to select a single "daily digest" version, but so far no such luck.
You could always set a timer on your posts so they go out once a day instead of 3 in an hour, for instance. I love all your articles, and don't care how often you post! But I could see how folks would begrudge that extra few minutes to read wonderful articles that mess up their whole day . . . snicker -
It's pretty easy - when you hit submit, it pops right up asking if you want to schedule your post or not - yo can choose a time and day - you have a lot of posts lately - you could space them out one a day -
Yeah, I know how to do it technically, but just thinking about whether it's the best way to go or not. Some folks undoubtedly enjoy several posts spaced throughout the day and also more than one post per day.
As far as I'm concerned, Josh, you can post at will. I'm not bothered in the least by the frequency nor the repeats. I've forgotten the content of most old articles anyway. So they are actually "new." And if I do remember them and don't care to read it, no big deal.
As a long time print subscriber I bemoaned the loss of the print version. But I'm liking the immediacy of the digital version more and more. More content, timely articles, more photos, and videos to boot. What's not to like?
Yes, that's one workaround for sure. You won't see emails for new posts, but can just come to visit https://smallcraftadvisor.substack.com/ anytime you want to read and catch-up.
I was once a member of the Rudder Club in Jacksonville FL. The Commodore told me that if I wasn't interested in racing I had no business being a member of the Rudder Club so that was th end of that.
Years later I was the Secretary/Treasurer of the Cherokee Lake Sailing Club who while they had at least one race a month I helped move the emphasis of the club to cook outs, cruises up the lake and socializing. A good time was had by all. Then a new upstart member began pushing not only for more races but races actually run under rules (the only rule previously was to keep Miller's Rock on your port side. I dropped out of that club after almost 10 years as a member
Clubs are ok for those who need to dress up in white pants, blue blazers and Striders Dock Shoes. For those of us who just want to sail and enjoy the wind and waves clubs are a royal pain in the ass.
"misspent youth" Isn't that the first priority of being a youth, especially a male youth?
Add to that being on the water, sailing! Which in a way negates the word "misspent" no?
Bravo on your memories, as we all have some in this regard and is why we are here, reading, as there is no better joy than being on the water or remembering our times on the water - and much of the remembering... thanks to SCA and all it's contributors...
For many decades I used or paraphrased the remark here attributed to Groucho. My location or budget as well as many other things both real or imagined were the "reason". I now confess that I have joined such an organization. It's not about the blazers. (They don't exist here) or any of the other things some of us used to speak of. As with the many bow and stern shapes we have recently reviewed, views once commonly held do not always apply. Of course sometimes they do. The idea is to know what you are looking at, just as when you read a chart and put your boat or something more important at risk. Non profit organizations operate under strict guidelines and using bylaws. They can run into serious problems if they are in violation. I'm sorry some member wasn't nearby and kindly disposed to make you a guest.
At one time (but no more) there was a 'yacht club' in Cornucopia Wisconsin that even Groucoho would join. Read about it in one of Marlin Bree's books. 5 bucks and you were a member for life but must follow the rules (none) and smile. Sometimes the membership card would get you in to another yacht club.
My family belonged to North Cape Yacht Club in Monroe, MI when I was a kid and we spent every spare moment there during the brief Michigan summers. Good times. Nice memories.
But ever since I left home for college in 1981, I have rarely set foot in a yacht club again. Although I have regularly sailed, raced, and had innumerable waterborne adventures over the last 4 decades, I have never felt comfortable in a “yacht club” setting.
Someone is always judging the size, speed, or cost of your boat. Worse, they judge your clothes, your shoes, your car, or your family name. Conspicuous consumption typically abounds. Even in the tiny, inexpensive clubs, I’ve encountered extreme snobbery.
Far too many “clubs” (yacht or otherwise) are more defined by who they can “keep out”, rather than by who they let in.
Fortunately, I found WaterTribe. But that’s another story…
I felt that way about clubs to start with, but we have loved belonging to yacht clubs. We met old and new friends at Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego, and really enjoyed the reciprocal benefits all over California. And in recent years we became members of the Port Townsend YC. Such a great group and it has been a real lifesaver to have their reciprocal slip available too!
I was hoping the guy would have relented, after all that friendly I-know-you-friend stuff. What -was- that, an act? Encountering such elitism makes me grind my teeth.
I grew up around folks like that, and being just a wee bit of a rebel, was always in trouble with at least one of those stick-up-the-butts. But at least I was smart enough to move away as soon as I could! Never set foot in one of those yachett-clubbes (as we used to call them) again!
I agree with Groucho, and that fuel attendant proved his point. I too have never been a part of any yacht club, the closest I have come is the TSCA. While none of my boats require fuel, two of them are built of wood and one 60 years old this year (my GP14) and it always elicits kind remarks from even the most hardened of racing types. They either started off in one, or they can admire the care I put into keeping my vessel polished to a high shine. (I enjoy varnishing, I admit it, I am weird)
Best yacht club in the US is (or at least used to be) the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego CA. 90% small boats stored on the hard on trailers or dollies. Snipes, Lasers, Victories, Lidos, Lightenings, Thistles and more. Very low initiation fee and dues with no monthly 'must spend' at the club amount. Corinthian style so we were required to donate two weekends a year to club maintenance. I have fond memories of building a portion of a floating dock. Small grill for breakfast, hot dogs, burgers most weekends. Kids running around in diapers. Racing in flat water in Mission Bay - after two races tying up at the club dock and grabbing lunch, then back out for two more. Great bar with a fireplace (not that we needed it much in Southern California). Even held ocean races in the Pacific. I loved being a member until I needed to move for work reasons. Never joined another one. Although I probably could join the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Florida as it was very similar.
That looks like a fun place to sail!
Man, I wish there was a place near me to keep my boat on a trailer near the water. That would be ideal!
What a prig, if you ask me. A true sailing gentleman would have said, “Well, I still can’t SELL you any fuel, but I can gift you a few gallons, to assure your safety — at my expense, of course.” Thirty years ago , a cruising sailor would be treated at most clubs as a guest, as long as there was room. And if there wasn’t, at least allowed to freshen up and get some fuel before carrying on. Cheers!
The secret is make up your own yacht club, print out a membership card and present it when faced with this. You're now no longer and interloper but "A visiting yachtsman" and its' amazing what that will do. Currently I'm secretary of a yacht club in the middle of the inland northwest but have card should I need it. And I sail a 15' Michalak catboat which always makes for interesting conversations. But people LOVE my boat.
Yes, I'm a burgee-flying member of the MOBYC (My Own Bloody Yacht Club).
Have the same reaction with my Puddle Duck Racer at the ramp. Can hardly wait to see reactions to the soon to join the fleet Bolger Micro.
My personal favorite.
Them: Oh, you own a sailboat?
Me: Yes, actually two, quite small.
Them: Have you considered joining the ____ yacht Club?
Me: No, I'm not a racer, and like I said, my boats are pretty small.
Them: Oh, there's plenty of members with small boats, some even 27 footers.
Me: Oh, you don't say ....
Haha. Exactly. My favorite is when their "per foot" pricing plan starts to breakdown when you show up in your 10-foot boat and head for the hot tub.
That fuel dock attendant would need some quick reflexes if I showed up with my Honda 2.3.
Me: I just need 33.
Him: Just 33 gallons?
Me: No, just 33 ounces.
😂
You just described the Rudder Club to a T!!
You just described the Rudder Club to a T!!
I was amused reading this, remembering our experience in Caracas, Venezuela back in 1972. We’d anchored our boat off the Yacht Club and gone off to visit friends in town for a few day. On return, the guard refused us entry. Michael was fluent in Spanish and assured the guard that the NY yacht club welcomed all yacht club members of any yacht club. (He remembered this from his youth in NY)
The guard stepped back, gave a chagrined nod, apologized, and waved us through.
I guess that was the olden days as another reader pointed out.
Hello, I am a paying member and a long time reader of the old hard copy SCA.
I do however find the number of daily posts are sometimes too much ie 3 postings within 3 hours recently. Also I find some articles are re-postings of articles previously read.
By the way, I am a member of a club that only allows land based sailing dinghies, lasers to Fireballs and a few in between.
Hi Len, thanks for the feedback. We've heard from others who would prefer fewer posts, and some who'd like even more. We wish Substack had a feature that allowed readers to select a single "daily digest" version, but so far no such luck.
You could always set a timer on your posts so they go out once a day instead of 3 in an hour, for instance. I love all your articles, and don't care how often you post! But I could see how folks would begrudge that extra few minutes to read wonderful articles that mess up their whole day . . . snicker -
An interesting idea I hadn't considered. We'll think about that one :-)
It's pretty easy - when you hit submit, it pops right up asking if you want to schedule your post or not - yo can choose a time and day - you have a lot of posts lately - you could space them out one a day -
Yeah, I know how to do it technically, but just thinking about whether it's the best way to go or not. Some folks undoubtedly enjoy several posts spaced throughout the day and also more than one post per day.
As far as I'm concerned, Josh, you can post at will. I'm not bothered in the least by the frequency nor the repeats. I've forgotten the content of most old articles anyway. So they are actually "new." And if I do remember them and don't care to read it, no big deal.
As a long time print subscriber I bemoaned the loss of the print version. But I'm liking the immediacy of the digital version more and more. More content, timely articles, more photos, and videos to boot. What's not to like?
Why not take a poll?
Maybe make different tiers of subscriptions where ppl can get their choice of how many posts in a day.
Also unsure. How about polling us readers?
Rats, I was going yo suggest daily digest.
I'd suggest turning off the email notifications. Then just come read the website when you want.
Yes, that's one workaround for sure. You won't see emails for new posts, but can just come to visit https://smallcraftadvisor.substack.com/ anytime you want to read and catch-up.
I was once a member of the Rudder Club in Jacksonville FL. The Commodore told me that if I wasn't interested in racing I had no business being a member of the Rudder Club so that was th end of that.
Years later I was the Secretary/Treasurer of the Cherokee Lake Sailing Club who while they had at least one race a month I helped move the emphasis of the club to cook outs, cruises up the lake and socializing. A good time was had by all. Then a new upstart member began pushing not only for more races but races actually run under rules (the only rule previously was to keep Miller's Rock on your port side. I dropped out of that club after almost 10 years as a member
Clubs are ok for those who need to dress up in white pants, blue blazers and Striders Dock Shoes. For those of us who just want to sail and enjoy the wind and waves clubs are a royal pain in the ass.
"misspent youth" Isn't that the first priority of being a youth, especially a male youth?
Add to that being on the water, sailing! Which in a way negates the word "misspent" no?
Bravo on your memories, as we all have some in this regard and is why we are here, reading, as there is no better joy than being on the water or remembering our times on the water - and much of the remembering... thanks to SCA and all it's contributors...
For many decades I used or paraphrased the remark here attributed to Groucho. My location or budget as well as many other things both real or imagined were the "reason". I now confess that I have joined such an organization. It's not about the blazers. (They don't exist here) or any of the other things some of us used to speak of. As with the many bow and stern shapes we have recently reviewed, views once commonly held do not always apply. Of course sometimes they do. The idea is to know what you are looking at, just as when you read a chart and put your boat or something more important at risk. Non profit organizations operate under strict guidelines and using bylaws. They can run into serious problems if they are in violation. I'm sorry some member wasn't nearby and kindly disposed to make you a guest.
At one time (but no more) there was a 'yacht club' in Cornucopia Wisconsin that even Groucoho would join. Read about it in one of Marlin Bree's books. 5 bucks and you were a member for life but must follow the rules (none) and smile. Sometimes the membership card would get you in to another yacht club.
My family belonged to North Cape Yacht Club in Monroe, MI when I was a kid and we spent every spare moment there during the brief Michigan summers. Good times. Nice memories.
But ever since I left home for college in 1981, I have rarely set foot in a yacht club again. Although I have regularly sailed, raced, and had innumerable waterborne adventures over the last 4 decades, I have never felt comfortable in a “yacht club” setting.
Someone is always judging the size, speed, or cost of your boat. Worse, they judge your clothes, your shoes, your car, or your family name. Conspicuous consumption typically abounds. Even in the tiny, inexpensive clubs, I’ve encountered extreme snobbery.
Far too many “clubs” (yacht or otherwise) are more defined by who they can “keep out”, rather than by who they let in.
Fortunately, I found WaterTribe. But that’s another story…
I felt that way about clubs to start with, but we have loved belonging to yacht clubs. We met old and new friends at Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego, and really enjoyed the reciprocal benefits all over California. And in recent years we became members of the Port Townsend YC. Such a great group and it has been a real lifesaver to have their reciprocal slip available too!
I was hoping the guy would have relented, after all that friendly I-know-you-friend stuff. What -was- that, an act? Encountering such elitism makes me grind my teeth.
I grew up around folks like that, and being just a wee bit of a rebel, was always in trouble with at least one of those stick-up-the-butts. But at least I was smart enough to move away as soon as I could! Never set foot in one of those yachett-clubbes (as we used to call them) again!
I agree with Groucho, and that fuel attendant proved his point. I too have never been a part of any yacht club, the closest I have come is the TSCA. While none of my boats require fuel, two of them are built of wood and one 60 years old this year (my GP14) and it always elicits kind remarks from even the most hardened of racing types. They either started off in one, or they can admire the care I put into keeping my vessel polished to a high shine. (I enjoy varnishing, I admit it, I am weird)
But I still would not join a yacht club.
Reconsider, Sailing Spark. Your bright work, expertise, and artistry are heroic. Head-turning boats are welcome everywhere.