Alternative to sailing clubs?

Shake Yer Beans YC was in fact affiliated to the RYA, albeit briefly.  The sailing water was the bowl of the third cubicle along in the gents loo of the Anchor Inn, Beer.  Money was paid to the RYA, people could write it on their transoms and enter their nationals.  Then reality set in and the RYA realised there was the potential for a bit of reputational damage!  The aim of SYBYC was not to bring the club system to its knees, just to have some fun.  All the members belonged to real clubs too.

Originally posted by deadrock Interesting point made by Sailerf. The RRS state that a boat can be entered by: (a) a member of a club or other organisation affiliated to a WS MNA (b) such a club or organisation, or (c) a member of a WS MNA. If your class association is a National class, it must be affiliated to its MNA. If it is a World Class sailing association, WS regulation 10.5 states: 'A World Sailing Class shall:  (g) use its best efforts to ensure that the national association is affiliated to the relevant National Authority. Whether it is affiliated or not will depend on the class association (or national sub-entity). It would be interesting to find out from World Sailing whether it is legitimate for a sailor to sign on as a member of a class association affiliated to the RYA without being a member of either a sailing club or the RYA as a personal member.

It won’t suit some people’s narrative but it seems to me clear that (a) takes care of your question. Note that it’s comprehensive. Being a member of the RS Class Association (RYA affiliated) allows you to enter any class.

Since you live in Kent you should be ashamed of yourself displaying the honoured badge of god's own sailing club GRF... 

Originally posted by patj There are RYA affiliated clubs that are cheaper than joining the RYA and don't require you to do duties. In fact our Classic and Vintage Racing Dinghy Association (CVRDA) is one of those and several paid-up members are not members of any other clubs and use CVRDA if they attend an open meeting. But you do have to like old wooden boats!

To be fair, crappy old GRP boats can also be the point of interest!