Which yacht club for full time cruiser

[catshopper]

I live on a 32' Islander sailboat. I will be cruising from Mobile Bay towards and including the west and east coast of Florida beginning this fall and maybe into the Bahamas.

Marinas seem to give discounts to members of yacht clubs and I am wondering which "club" to join. I am 69 and on a S.S. budget so every penny counts.

So. Which club do you belong to? Is there a good place to search for city or municipal marina discounts.

Sorry if this a duplicae thread. I did do a search but didn't find anything. If there is already a thread send me a link, please.

Happy cruising.

[valhalla360]

Join a yacht club because you have something in common with them and want to associate with them. Paying to join a yacht club in an attempt to get free slips is unlikely to pay for itself. Also, most yacht clubs we've come across that let non-members stay for a few days will often give the same discount to anyone who asks nicely.


If you want a discount, I suggest boat US. Lots of marinas offer a discount.


Active Captain is the best source we've found for marina pricing.

[catshopper]

TY valhalla360,

Appreciate your time. I do want a group I have like interests with but asking this question will add to better my experience.

I love cruisers docks, We are known as king and queen of dock happy hours.

She's a great cook and loves meeting people. (well, me to)

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by catshopper

TY valhalla360,

Appreciate your time. I do want a group I have like interests with but asking this question will add to better my experience.

I love cruisers docks, We are known as king and queen of dock happy hours.

She's a great cook and loves meeting people. (well, me to)

Forgive me if I misunderstood but it sounded like you had the (relatively common) idea that you can join a yacht club to get free or cheap transient slips at other clubs. From what we have seen, I wouldn't count on any special treatment due to club membership. If that is your primary purpose in joining, I wouldn't waste the money.

That's not to say you shouldn't contact yacht clubs to see if they have a slip available but we've found that they really don't care if you are part of a different club.

If your goal is to hang out and participate in the local clubs activities by all means, go for it.

[rwidman]

Joining a yacht club just to get marina discounts isn't going to work. Join BoatUS instead. Better yet, join TowBoatUS and have on the water towing in case of a breakdown.

If you're a full time cruiser, you won't be around to use the club facilities anyway.

Look on Active Captain for marinas and prices.

[tankersteve]

Does SSCA still have a burgee that is recognized at some yacht clubs?

I'm joining a local yacht club that is not expensive. It is a social place, small, and very friendly. It doesn't have a pool or restaurant. However, the club does a lot of social activities, run by members, and hosts the local sailing camp. That alone warrants my support.

Their reciprocal list is not extensive, but it is pretty good locally. Everywhere else will be hit or miss...

Tankersteve

[clyde]

on yacht clubs for cruising/live aboards in the puget sound area, not for moorage, but for the recipcal moorage, etc, check out the bellingham yacht club! a friend who lived on his boat, did, and he really used, but did`nt abuse the reciprical use!...clyde

[hellosailor]

Marinas, no "club" discounts. Clubs, which often accept transients, usually have some 'reciprocal privileges" to other club members. And you can often find yacht clubs listed online, sometimes on web pages showing which ones extend privileges to which other ones. (Associations or informal groups.)


USSA used to have a large list like that, I don't think they do any more. Retired military personnel used to get discounts from military bases with small craft docks.


But YC memberships vary widely. Many include a mandatory restaurant charge every month, to make sure their restaurant gets used and makes a profit. Some give "out of town" members a break. Many require recommendations from existing members.


Very different from "marinas". Which damn well ought to give an AARP discount, but they don't do that either.(G)

[Tom and Maje]

Our yacht club is the Stingray yacht club in Deltaville, VA. They have reciprocity with almost everyone and the dues are a very reasonable $85 per year. The first year is $95. We're anchored in Lake Worth and with the reciprocity we don't have to pay for the Palm Beach Sailing Club facilities. Normally, the cost is $11 a day with an SSCA discount.

Maje

[Hudson Force]

I like rwidman's answer. We do much cruising about and fequent many East Coast US marinas. I've not seen any evidence of Yacht Club membership as a cost advantage. You would not gain enough in reciprocal discounts to match the cost of membership and the interaction with other cruiser's at marinas doesn't come with an expense. We do occaionally get a BoatUS discount.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by catshopper

Marinas seem to give discounts to members of yacht clubs and I am wondering which "club" to join. I am 69 and on a S.S. budget so every penny counts.

You want to join the WILSON ISLAND YACHT CLUB, located in Wilson harbour, NY. You get full reciprocal yacht club priveledges, and its only $75 per year, last time I checked. They have many members in your situation.

Island Yacht Club home page

Around here, most clubs offer free reciprocal slips, if you are a member at some other club. I have saved hundreds of dollars this way, and met some great people too.

[Scrimshaw4]

While I haven't cruised FL waters in the last couple of years I kinda remember that most FL clubs don't offer reciprocity to clubs north of the FL border cause they get overrun with snow birds. They would however do it if you joined the "Florida Cruising Association???? .. at least I think that's the name.) I'm sure someone who's on here from FL can update you on that. Reciprocity usually just gets you in the door and doesn't mean a discount at YC's. Discounts are usually at marina's when you have Boat US or Sea-Tow insurance.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by hamburking

You want to join the WILSON ISLAND YACHT CLUB, located in Wilson harbour, NY. You get full reciprocal yacht club priveledges, and its only $75 per year, last time I checked. They have many members in your situation.
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It's good to hear of this exception to the typical membership costs that I'm more accustomed to hearing about.