Yacht Club Membership

[Pete7]

Important to make sure the club tie goes with your blue blazer, oh and they have a suitable matching brooch for the memsaab - it's the little details that make the difference

[tamicatana]

Reciprocals, at least in the state of Florida, are variable. It has been my experience that Florida (except the Panhandle) clubs only offer reciprocals to other Florida Council of YC clubs. My NOYC membership got no love at Davis Island (for example), although I do believe that St Pete YC will recip.

My advice: call ahead.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by tamif27

My NOYC membership got no love at Davis Island (for example), although I do believe that St Pete YC will recip.

I used my reciprical with St. Petersberg YC in the Spring of 2006... I was wearing a tank top and shorts... They made my buy a polo shirt in the gift shop before I was allowed entry :-)

[hellosailor]

Good thing they were sloppy Colonials. A proper gentlemen in a proper YC would have been required to buy Bermuda shorts to go along with that shirt, at least. Can't have those obscene knees showing, now can we?

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by tamif27

Reciprocals, at least in the state of Florida, are variable. It has been my experience that Florida (except the Panhandle) clubs only offer reciprocals to other Florida Council of YC clubs. My NOYC membership got no love at Davis Island (for example), although I do believe that St Pete YC will recip.

My advice: call ahead.

Hi tami,

This is the type of reply I was looking for. There are a few very small clubs close to where I live in the Panhandle but facilities are very limited.

I did a search on YCs and the St. Pete YC came up but cost aside it seemed that you needed a sponsor to join and the cost was not clearly spelled out. The NOYC club also was one of the higher rated YC but is a 5-6 hour trip on I10 if the tunnel traffic in Mobile is moving freely.

When I was in Ft. Walton for the Corsair regionals last month the YC there seemed to be a good one, but again it is probably a three hour drive. Back in high school (I graduated in 1964) I was in the Coconut Grove Sailing Club but that is the last time I was officially a member of anything.

My take is part of the problem is, or at least when I was more active in sailing, is that there are lots of reasons folks want to be in a YC. While I am not anti-social being in a YC just to go to a club house and eat, dance, and drink is low on my list of activities.

I am looking for things that will help cruisers. Things like showers, mooring balls, ect. are all nice but quite frankly the local knowledge YC members in a distant city can provide is probably the most important thing.

Any other comments welcome.

[Stumble]

Tom,

I wouldn't worry about a sponsor too much. For most yacht clubs it is more a formality (as a result of tax law) than a true obstacle to membership. There are a few that treat it as a serious barrier, but those typically are much larger, and more expensive clubs than what we are talking about.

Where exacally in the pan handle are you at? There are a number of clubs scattered up and down Florida I may be able to point you too.

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by tomfl

Hi tami,

This is the type of reply I was looking for. There are a few very small clubs close to where I live in the Panhandle but facilities are very limited.

I did a search on YCs and the St. Pete YC came up but cost aside it seemed that you needed a sponsor to join and the cost was not clearly spelled out. The NOYC club also was one of the higher rated YC but is a 5-6 hour trip on I10 if the tunnel traffic in Mobile is moving freely.

When I was in Ft. Walton for the Corsair regionals last month the YC there seemed to be a good one, but again it is probably a three hour drive. Back in high school (I graduated in 1964) I was in the Coconut Grove Sailing Club but that is the last time I was officially a member of anything.

My take is part of the problem is, or at least when I was more active in sailing, is that there are lots of reasons folks want to be in a YC. While I am not anti-social being in a YC just to go to a club house and eat, dance, and drink is low on my list of activities.

I am looking for things that will help cruisers. Things like showers, mooring balls, ect. are all nice but quite frankly the local knowledge YC members in a distant city can provide is probably the most important thing.

Any other comments welcome.

Well, we don't know exactly where you are, but I gather you are somewhere on the panhandle/gulf coast. There must be nearly a hundred yacht/boat clubs along the panhandle, west to New Orleans, and my guess is at least one would meet your needs very well, but you have only mentioned a couple. So maybe you need to figure out a better way to search.. Or a better way to ask for help here.

[tomfl]

I am located in Tallahassee, Florida. I have a Sprinter van set up for camping and spend lots of time on the road since I retired. I have looked at this link

Gulf Yachting Association

Which seems to have lots of close by clubs listed. I have also seen posts here about larger clubs offering membership to folks who are really not going to be local members but more of cruising members. That is sorta what I am interested in.

[Stumble]

Give Apalachee Bay Yacht Club, and inquire about their non-resident membership. Their full membership is a $450 equity purchase plus $50 a month, I would guess the non-resident would be less, but I don't know how much.

ABYC is about an hour south of Tallahasee in Crawfordville. I have only been there once, but it seemed like a nice crowd, and would make a good base to learn the gulf from.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Important to make sure the club tie goes with your blue blazer, oh and they have a suitable matching brooch for the memsaab - it's the little details that make the difference

I'm guessing this is a sad attempt at sarcasm?

There isn't a club tie anywhere in the world that won't match a navy blazer.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Give Apalachee Bay Yacht Club, and inquire about their non-resident membership. Their full membership is a $450 equity purchase plus $50 a month, I would guess the non-resident would be less, but I don't know how much.

ABYC is about an hour south of Tallahasee in Crawfordville. I have only been there once, but it seemed like a nice crowd, and would make a good base to learn the gulf from.

If the truth be known Apalachee Bay Yacht Club is located in Shell Point on the coast. Crawfordville is a small town South of Tallahassee with a mailing address for the club.

I have several boardsailing trophies from the Stephen Smith Regatta which is an annual race ABYC puts on at Shell point. I have also raced on a friend's Stiletto in the bigger boat races. I have been to the ABYC club house at Shell Point. At one time there was a marina, restaurant, hotel, and USPS facility, but they have been gone for over ten years.

Not to say there is not a nice crowd, but the facilities at Carabelle just a few miles away on the Gulf are much better and would be where I would keep a boat in the water.