Low cost yacht club?

[Speedsail2001]

Hello all,

First time poster....

My wife and I are dreaming of going cruising on our Hylas 44. We are located in Sausalito and are planning on heading down to Mexico and beyond hopefully fall of 2014. Although we have been members of a local YC for many years, we have gotten tired of paying hundreds of dollars a year for a membership that we just dont use that often.
Does anyone know of a less expensive alternative YC membership that still allows for reciprocal privileges ?

Much obliged in advance!

SS01

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, SS01.

[Greg4cocokai]

Welcome, We joined Lahaina YC a few years back for that purpose. Used to be $125/year but not sure now. It won't do you much good once you leave the states. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will ring in. Good luck on your cruise. I'd love to get back to Mexico!

Cheers, Greg

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Greg4cocokai

Welcome, We joined Lahaina YC a few years back for that purpose. Used to be $125/year but not sure now. It won't do you much good once you leave the states. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will ring in. Good luck on your cruise. I'd love to get back to Mexico!

Cheers, Greg

Where I am, the low cost yacht and sailing clubs don't have reciprocals except maybe with a couple of other low-cost clubs.

The marina where I live is also a yacht club, and it includes "reciprocals," but that just means I can pull into reciprocal yacht clubs. I don't get a discount on dock fees or anything like that, but it would give me more options if I needed to pull in somewhere. And, they're US only. Thing is, someone who's cruising around a wide area has no need to be paying slip fees. I don't know of an answer to the problem.

[Kettlewell]

I think reciprocity with yacht clubs must be more important on the West Coast than here in the East. If I was headed south it's not something I would even consider as needing.

[DennisM]

Welcome aboard, Speedsail!

Okay, I probably shouldn't admit this in public, but here goes:

I proudly fly the burgee of the International Yacht and Athletic Club (IYAC) of Newport, RI. When asked, I point to it and swear allegiance. It has earned me reciprocal privileges in places such as Hyannis, MA; Kingston, NY, and others.

What I fail to mention when trying to wangle such privileges is that IYAC isn't really a yacht club at all. Nor is it an athletic club. It's just a sleazy little bar with a pool table in the old quarter of Newport. I love the place. It serves Guinness on tap and is always full of sailors and sea stories. So I fly the burgee proudly. And I pronounce its name with a straight face, every time I'm asked.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you attempt such a disingenuous ploy...or...maybe I am.

A bit more info about IYAC

Fair winds!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I think reciprocity with yacht clubs must be more important on the West Coast than here in the East. If I was headed south it's not something I would even consider as needing.

I agree with you. I have it because it came with the slip but there are plenty of places to pull in without it.

[Lake-Effect]

We're currently members of a yacht club. We like belonging to something, and having a ready-made community to enjoy, rather than just keeping our boat in a wet "parking lot". In exchange for some volunteer labour, we get a great place to keep our boat, at very reasonable cost. Reciprocal rights are a big plus on the Great Lakes. But club membership is not for everyone.

To Speedsail2001 - is it possible for you to keep membership at the Sausalito club, but give up the slip/mooring (and those costs) for the time you are out cruising? Surely most clubs have a policy for this situation...This could be the best of both worlds, and you retain the option of staying a member when your cruise is done, without having had to forfeit any deposit or initiation fees.

[Kettlewell]

Nothing wrong with yacht clubs--I'm a member of two low-cost ones at the moment, but I've never had the need to ask for reciprocal privileges. The few times I've gone into another club for some reason, I've just asked and they let me tie up if there was room. On the other hand, from Maine to Florida there are almost always several nearby alternative docks, moorings, or anchorages.

[jeremiason]

You need to make a decision soon... Most Yacht Clubs require you to be a dues paying regular member for at least a year before you leave. Once you complete that they will make you a "Cruising Member", which is significantly less dues.

I would consider the Berkeley Yacht Club... They are a great Club with both a strong racing program and monthly cruise outs. You will learn more about sailing sitting at the BYC bar than anything else you can do. The Club house has a three bridge view and last I checked the due were somewhere around $150 per quarter. Once you leave SF Bay you would be transferred to a "Cruising Member", which is about $50 a year.

We left SF Bay in Sep 2010 and have maintained our "Cruising Membership" with Encinal YC and you will use the reciprocity in Southern Cal a lot. Once you go South of the border, the only place we reciprocity was at Puerto Vallarta & Acapulco YC. There just isn't any other Yacht Clubs in Latin America that require Cards.

[medtie3]

Speedsail,

We belong to Zephyr Yacht Club. $50 per year is what they are offering for a membership. Zephyr offers YCA reciprocity and is a member of YRA as well. Their url is zephyryachtclub.com.

We have cruised and travelled all through Europe, Mexico and Australia and were never denied access to any yacht club we visited. Its been a ton of fun!

All the best

Med

[Jim Cate]

FWIW,

We've been cruising in foreign countries for many years now and have only once been denied use of facilities by a yacht club: the Royal something or other in Auckland, NZ. We do not belong to any yacht club and have not since we left San Francisco in 1986. Had been members of the Island YC in Alameda and would have been glad to maintain a cruising membership, but... they didn't offer one! Now, with some experience I wouldn't even do that, but YMMV.

Cheers,

Jim

[ErBrown]

My apologies, but I'm going to show my complete ignorance here. What is the goal of reciprocity from a yacht club perspective? Does it equal free/reduced cost moorings, slip fees or something along those lines? Never having belonged to a club it seems like an odd concept to me.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by ErBrown

My apologies, but I'm going to show my complete ignorance here. What is the goal of reciprocity from a yacht club perspective? Does it equal free/reduced cost moorings, slip fees or something along those lines? Never having belonged to a club it seems like an odd concept to me.

The short answer is yes... Reciprocity privileges vary from Club to Club, but it normally means you can use other Club's facilities for free or reduced cost.

Many Clubs offer free docking at their guest docks, which is the biggest perk for reciprocity.

[Kettlewell]

What is the goal of reciprocity from a yacht club perspective?

I think the usefulness of this depends on where you are cruising and the style of cruising you do. Apparently on the West Coast it is a big deal, but here on the East Coast you can easily voyage from Maine to Florida and never have to tie up to a dock if you don't want to. I'm a member of two yacht clubs, and I'm not even sure we have reciprocity with anyone--shows you how little importance it has to many of us here.