Seeking Ideas for Events at the Boat Club

[grantmc]

The local boat club is in need of some inspiration to both improve the member roll and help attract our wider membership to events. Our Club is all run, and mostly staffed by volunteers, many of whom make huge contributions of their time.

It’s a boat Club with 400 odd members sailing all classes from dinghies to keelers and of course all ages from 8 to 108. Our sailing classes are excellent and full to overflowing. But much of the time, when I look around inside the Club house all I see is a bunch of guys over 50 (many are live-a-boards).

We do have a reasonably well attended racing programme. But even this is somewhat dull, and repetitive. Most of our racing is typical round the buoy courses. Perhaps like many Clubs, if we compared the sailing programme of 1966 with this year’s programme we’d find it’s basically the same, except for the dates and the significantly reduced fleet sizes.

Nor is this issue about chasing money. We are fortunate in having a central city location, and being well resourced.

So I am hoping that you amazing forum members might have some ideas for events, both on and off the water, we might hold. I guess too separated into juniors, teenagers and adults too.

[JPA Cate]

Naw, grant, that won't do at all! First tell us what you think your boating club needs. More women? more kids? new courses? Joint social events with other clubs? Sail disability?

I think we can be more help polishing your own good ideas. We spent only two cyclone seasons in NZed, and that was 26 yrs. ago. At that time, sailing in NZ was predominantly a man's sport. If it is still so, then it's usually the dads teach the sons, and the womenfolks are doing other sports (horse or pony riding, hiking, etc.)

So tell me what you think the ideal boat club for your area of NZ might be, then let's think about how to get there from here, where the bar is used, there is an active (if boring) racing program. Weekend overnight events? Wellington to Marlborough Sounds and return? It's a fairly formidable area for beginners.

Good luck with it.

Ann

[Gadagirl]

we had wonderful guest speakers �� Mat Rutherford one! Very great speaker, very motivational! We planned weekend cruises, we became heavily involved in the LLS fundraising and regatta participation. CPR training, sail trim classes, brunch with knot tying instruction. Captain classes. Navigation. Just get creative and be tenacious!