Try Yacht Clubs For An Expanded Boating Opportunity
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2018
By: Dennis Mykols
Many of our readers may think of Yacht Clubs as an “old, stodgy group of elitists” in which you have nothing in common. While this may be true in a FEW of your bigger, older, large city yacht clubs, I can tell you from first hand experience that small yacht clubs — found in just about every harbor in the Great Lakes region - are family friendly, open to visiting boaters, and most serve up the best burgers and Rum ‘n’ Cokes to be found.
I joined my first yacht club back in 1985 — the Wyandotte Yacht Club on the Detroit River — and I joined for one reason: “reciprocal privileges" with yacht clubs worldwide. Since I liked to do a lot of cruising, this was the way I could dock at most yacht clubs and enjoy all the amenities such as pools, showers, restaurants and bars, lounges, patios, and grills.
During the 1980s, I did a lot of corporate travel for Digital Equipment Corporation. I was able to walk into yacht clubs in European cities, like Cannes, Hamburg, and London and either have a drink or dinner. In 1988, I had the privilege of taking the then-President of Ford’s Rouge Steel Division to tour The Yacht Club De Monaco while we were on a Digital/Ford business trip. I just showed them my local membership card.
One of my fondest memories was also made possible by this reciprocal access. While in San Diego, right after Dennis Conner won the America’s Cup, I was able to visit the San Diego Yacht Club and view the America’s Cup in the lobby.
In the 1990’s, while we owned The Wharf Marina, we did a lot of boating in Florida during the winter months. My Spring Lake Y. C. membership was welcomed all over, like the Jockey Club in Miami, and our adopted winter club, the Royal Palms Yacht Club in Ft. Myers.
In the past several years, my Spring Lake Y. C. membership card has allowed me to take many Great Lakes Scuttlebutt advertisers to their local yacht club for a drink or lunch. In 2016, I arranged to have a lunch stop for 15 classic boats at the Muskegon Yacht Club while we did a shakedown cruise.
I always like the small-town yacht clubs for good food and friendly, historical discussions when bellied up to the bar; places found in towns like Racine, Kenosha, Pentwater, Alpena, and Green Bay, only to mention a few. Along the way I started collecting burgees from each of the many yacht clubs I have visited around the world... but that’s for another story.
The bottom line is: If you cruise by boat — or better yet, travel by car a lot and seem to always find yourself in a harbor once you reach a town - you can get all of your generally-very small annual dues back indirectly by enjoying the waterfront locations, food, drink, and conversations at a local yacht club. Just show them your home club membership card, should they ask.
Oh, and if you happen to see me at one of your home town yacht clubs, and you tell me you read this article, well, sit down and I will buy you a “pop.”
This article first appeared in the Fall Issue (Sept/Oct) 2018 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Travel, Yacht Club
