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Yacht Clubs
At the moment I don''t belong to a yacht club, but this summer did a lot of hanging around and cruising on Wednesday night racing sessions at a club on Lake Erie. I will join the club in the new year as their yearly schedule runs from January through December. I understand that I''ll find several money saving opportunities in the yacht club -- e.g., the club has a hoist to help me step and unstep the mast -- this is a savings of about $200 per year (assuming I unstep the mast when I take the boat out of the water and then step it again in the spring when the season begins). While there is a waiting list for dock spaces, once I get one the savings on dock space is excellent -- probably in the vicinity of $300 - $500 per year -- compared to local marinas. By joining this club I also get the benefits of discounted transient dockage at other club marinas on the Great Lakes. This, too, can amount to a lot of money saved, depending, of course, on just how much I cruise around the lakes. But, knowing how much transient dockage is at some marinas on the lakes, I wouldn''t be doing much cruising without this sort of savings. Of course, the racing itself is probably worth the cost of club fees -- in this case the fees are only $200 per year. Then, there''s the benefit of being with people who love sailing, and being amongst mainly sailors as opposed to being in a regular marina where most others are stinkpotters! If you want to, drop me an email -- I don''t know where your potential club is located, and that might make a difference, as might the cost of joining, etc. The club I''m referring to is on the western end of Lake Erie. Good luck and fair winds.
Peter K.
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