Hampton Roads/Southern Chesapeake yacht clubs

[zachduckworth]

Hi all,

I am looking at moving back to the East Coast from SoCal in the upcoming years. I already have a boat out here in CA and belong to a club in LA. I’m hoping to make acquaintances with some folks in clubs back east as I travel back and forth between the two coasts. I was wondering what clubs tend to put on the biggest and/or best regattas/races/ social events and which ones are the most welcoming to outsiders. I’m also interested if there are any clubs up around Gloucester Point and Deltaville. Thanks!

[DougR]

As a 30 year resident & cruising-racing sailor in the Hampton Roads area I would say the racing/ regatta powerhouse in the southern bay is the Hampton YC. They have the most extensive racing programs, host national one design regattas, support juniors programs, have restaurants, Marina, etc.

Norfolk Yacht & CC is also a nice club, but in my opinion doesn’t match HYC in the areas you mentioned.

Also active in the southern bay area is the Broad Bay Sailing Assoc. which sponsors numerous cruises and races, but is not a YC and doesn’t have a facility. BBSA does coordinate many cruising events with HYC.

In the Deltaville area the Fishing Bay YC probably checks most of your boxes.

[Jebtrois]

Hampton Roads will be more welcoming. There are more people and many are transient with such a large military contingent around here. We are used to lots of new people and turnover. Both Southside (Norfolk) and Hampton have strong weekly beercan races. Norfolk Yacht has good social events, but they are tied to the club. Sailing is not part of the social scene here at this yacht club. Hampton Yacht does have a stronger "boaty" and sailing culture mostly due to the fact that it's really just a marina with limited other facilities. I like the culture of Hampton better. That said, you don't have to be a member to participate in the racing so keep your boat where it suits you. Hampton Roads also offers access to the airport. The seaways here are congested with A LOT of commercial and Military traffic.

This is not to say that Deltaville is unwelcoming. Rather most people boating recreationally out of Deltaville don't live there. It's a haven for the Richmond crowd to get access to their boats on weekends. This is a pretty barren place to live in the off season. But, in my opinion offers better sailing and gunkholing than Hampton Roads.

If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me

[ggray]

Having been a member of FBYC as well as a prominent YC in Tidewater, I found FBYC to be MORE welcoming.

Of course, while nice, Deltaville in a small village so certainly does not have the variety much less the numbers of restaurants or other "cultural" aspects as Tidewater clubs. Deltaville is a fishing (commercial and recreational) and sailing center, including boatyards, but not much more.

[zachduckworth]

Hi everyone,
Thanks a lot for the info! I’m hoping to be passing through again in early February to check out some neighborhoods and houses. Maybe I’ll stop by a few of these clubs/marinas to see what’s happening. For now I’m just looking at investment properties, not sure where I will end up living at, but Gloucester Point/Deltaville/Williamsburg/Yorktown are good candidates for now. Lots of options..