approaching non members
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Banter
Forum Discription: For all those non-sailing related discussions
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10827
Printed Date: 28 Jun 25 at 8:11am
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Topic: approaching non members
Posted By: Oli
Subject: approaching non members
Date Posted: 17 Apr 13 at 6:25pm
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So how do you approach non members at your club?
be it randoms walking through the grounds perhaps walking a dog or cycling, or people having a look round in the club, or people chatting with friends that are current members.
whats your clubs policy?
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Replies:
Posted By: pondmonkey
Date Posted: 17 Apr 13 at 6:55pm
Well if they get through the landmines then we unleash the hounds... If they defeat the hounds, then we've always got the Flying Fifteen fleet to send in... A bit like the Irish in Braveheart.
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Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 17 Apr 13 at 7:16pm
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Its easy for us: being an "up in the air" London reservoir I point out the visible landmarks - Wembley stadium, Allie Palace wireless masts, Heathrow control tower and Sandown park race course, and comment how you'd never believe we were in the middle of suburbia because most of what you can see is trees. Then say: "may I sell you the sailing club membership or are you just here for the view"
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Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 17 Apr 13 at 9:28pm
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At my old club, Loch Venachar, someone once enthusiastically thrust a membership form at RYA Scotland's development officer when she turned up to do an inspection of the teaching establishment. Some time later, she was assessing on my instructor course. After the assessment had finished, we were all sat around talking about retaining new sailors. The attitude of different clubs to new faces came up- Jane described Venachar as being "aggressively friendly", contrasting this with another club (which shall remain nameless) where she said she was always greeted with suspicion, distrust and a a general "what are you doing here" attitude from members who didn't know who she was. I think she said she deliberately didn't wear an RYA jacket just so that she could gauge what clubs are like to prospective new members, which is really quite a useful thing for the RYA to be doing. I'm currently a member at Grafham. There's always a lot of visitors, so it is a rather different situation.
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Al
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Posted By: Daniel Holman
Date Posted: 17 Apr 13 at 9:30pm
On sea clubs etc where the boats launch on a beach or foreshore, or general public rights of way are involved, isn't it a bit draconian to throw the book unless they are sailing / storing their boat or using the showers?
I've always been a bit turned off places that are really territorial.
I've had mates passing by the dinghy park on the beach see me, come say hi a few times and get talked to quite aggressively, which is a massive turnoff for me.
Tbh it'd probably do a lot of clubs good to pick up passing bar trade. Possible licensing implications though I guess.
Certainly a former club of mine was largely a sailing themed drinking den.
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Posted By: moomin
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 9:33am
Really interesting to walk into a club as a prospective member. Moving to a new area and doing a tour of a few nearby clubs over a few Sundays during the summer trying to work out which one to join. I have to say the vast majority were very friendly, but maybe I looked like a dinghy sailor, whatever that looks like! The only one I turned round and walked straight out of was when I was informed I didn't meet the dress code for the bar!
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Moomin
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Posted By: pondmonkey
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 9:50am
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When I was looking for an alternative home with some RS100s racing, I was advised by RS that some of the Cotswolds clubs might well be getting a couple. I drove to South Cerney first as it was reportedly one of the larger lakes, the welcome was so good, rightly or wrongly, I didn't bother checking any of the rest out.
I do miss the friendliness of that club, and the racing was nice and tight; but the 2 hour drive home at 30 mph on the Fosse Way on a Sunday afternoon was just too much and, no offence meant, but the windsurfing on such a confined stretch with trees and holes everywhere was just ultra-sh*t.
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Posted By: Mark Jardine
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 10:09am
That's why I like Keyhaven YC so much - a very friendly club. Yes it has a members only policy and guests have to be signed in, but if someone comes in to see what the club is like (or come for a sail while in the area) they are treated like a member.
I have to say Broxbourne was an incredibly welcoming club when we were up there for the FOM last year.
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 12:52pm
You'd have found Whitefriars friendly too, PM, but only after you'd made it past the locked gate at the end of the drive... and before that, found the lane leading to the club in the 1st place... we are a well kept secret!
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Posted By: ex laser
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 12:57pm
always found whitefriars one of the most friendly clubs around.
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Posted By: Oli
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 5:08pm
thank you for your responses, pretty much a general mix of attitudes experienced at clubs then.
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Posted By: RichTea
Date Posted: 18 Apr 13 at 7:03pm
We have a public footpath through the club, so generally have dog walkers, fisherman or cyclists.
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RS200
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Posted By: patj
Date Posted: 19 Apr 13 at 6:22am
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Both clubs we're in have public access around the water but at least the larger one has locked gates so pedestrian/cyclist only and less risk of boat theft and vandalism.
Anyone straying into the clubhouse generally wants to use the toilets which causes issues as there have been thefts from changing rooms so they have to be turned away or accompanied.
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Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 19 Apr 13 at 1:04pm
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Generally if there is a 'stranger' who seems to be looking around one of the regulars goes up and says hello. Asks them a few gentle questions and then if they are a prospective member we pass them over to the nearest committee member.
Give that the club is a little isolated we keep an eye open for strange faces (and there is no public right of way through the club) we always try to meet and greet people.
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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74
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Posted By: gordon1277
Date Posted: 19 Apr 13 at 3:16pm
The thing which is tricky after the membership renewal has closed and you know somebody has not rejoined yet but has bought there boat down or is crewing for someone.
How long do you give it before you say Oh wheres your money!
Clubs need there fees to survive, Some still seem to think sailing clubs are wealthy, trust me most are struggling like us all.
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Gordon
Lossc
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Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 19 Apr 13 at 3:43pm
Originally posted by gordon1277
The thing which is tricky after the membership renewal has closed and you know somebody has not rejoined yet but has bought there boat down or is crewing for someone.
How long do you give it before you say Oh wheres your money!
Clubs need there fees to survive, Some still seem to think sailing clubs are wealthy, trust me most are struggling like us all. |
We have a (comparitively) relaxed view of this at Hunts but if they were doing this regularly I would speak to a committee member.
We had a situation at Hunts a few years back where a 'social' member was sailing on a regular basis. I spoke to the committee and they stopped sailing. I felt bad but by the same point as they were not a sailing member all sorts of grey areas would have opened up had something happened to them whilst at the club.
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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74
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Posted By: Captain Morgan
Date Posted: 26 Apr 13 at 12:12am
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Having been a member of three sailing clubs, they've all been different: One generally expected any intruders to be up to no good, unless they came ashore in a tender. Once past that, it was friendly enough. My current club http://www.islandsailingclub.co.uk/ - http://www.islandsailingclub.co.uk/ (Island Sailing Club, Reading) is phenomenally welcoming and incredibly friendly - I wouldn't want to spend my Sundays anywhere else, as it's so social and everyone has plenty to chat about. It's as much a social club as a sailing club, but then again it's not just being on the water that's important.
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Posted By: Thunder Road
Date Posted: 26 Apr 13 at 8:41am
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To misquote Meatloaf 'I'm saying nothing at all' about the recent past because that's where it needs to be left.
Broxbourne is nearly perfect and once the Babycham is stocked behind the bar it will reach that point.
YDSC, has it all, friendly membership, well run, big water and it is in the Yorkshire Dales, Nirvana, why did it take me so long?
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Finn GBR16 Thunder Road.
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