Essex is not short of sailing clubs. I have belonged to
three of them: the Up River Yacht Club, Hullbridge Yacht Club, and the Marconi
Sailing Club.
There are a several advantages in belonging to a club, and perhaps
the most valuable is being able to use a club mooring, which is almost
invariably cheaper than one supplied by a boatyard or a marina. Another
advantage is friendship found with other members, especially those who sail similar
boats to yours. For sailors who are socially minded, a club may be found that
offers facilities for socializing, such as a bar and a restaurant. At certain
times of the year, members may organize get-togethers; for example, a combined
meal and prize-giving, or a dinner and dance evening, or a summer barbecue - even an AGM can be a bit of fun if it is
creatively organised, perhaps with a video presentation of club events. A big
club will require a lot of upkeep; therefore organizers will be looking for
members with time on their hands to do things like painting the premises, keeping
boat parks in good shape, scrubbing the slipway, laying moorings, launching and
retrieving boats etc.
Last Friday I was invited by a member of the Island Sailing
Club to have a look at the Club’s facilities. I was very impressed. The
clubhouse has a large, well-furnished lounge and a decent bar, plus the usual
changing facilities. The boat park is enormous, and there are two large mobile hoists for moving vessels with the aid of a tractor. You could not want
a better slipway, which has a perfect angle of descent, being not too steep,
nor yet too shallow for manoeuvring craft in and out of the water. There are many piled walkways to which yachts can
be moored, facilitating access to them by foot at all states of tide. One
drawback is that it is only possible for most yachts to sail in an out of the
creek from two hours before high water to two hours after high water.
Despite the rather uninviting signs at the entrance to the
club, and the Fort Knox appearance of the gate, I’m sure you will find a very
warm welcome from members, as was my experience, last Friday. I say, thank you
once again BD for being my host. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and your
beautiful ‘Scruffie’.
Links
Island Sailing Club
Up River Yacht Club
Hullbridge Yacht Club
Marconi Sailing Club
Australian Scruffie
2 comments:
As a boat owner myself I understand the Fort Knox mentality that arises to protect boats and property. But its sad for people such as myself and others who love to amble around boatyards just looking at all the beautiful little craft that are there.
I would be disappointed if when I came to the UK to have a look around nearly everything was unaccessible but I suspect that things may be similar to NZ i.e. Boatyards and Yacht clubs are open with a friendly welcome when owners open the gates and are there working etc. Am I correct in this?
Alden,
If you come to the UK, I think you will find the boating fraternity are a friendly bunch. Clubs will always welcome visitors. Marinas can vary with their reception, but mostly they are helpful.
Cheers,
Bill.
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