One of the great benefits of publishing a book on the America’s Cup is the phenomenon that is the ‘book tour’ and whilst I’ve done my share of dusty town halls and book fairs on the Isle of Wight along and around the South Coast, even internationally, the most animated audiences are to be found in the yacht clubs. Usually, the crowd are fortified by a few swift ones at the bar beforehand, and who can blame them when staring straight ahead at them are two hours of history, facts, research and new opinion on that first race in 1851.
There is a pattern to these yacht club events, and it is universal. The Commodore or a senior committee member does the jovial meet-and-greet where, to a club, they have been incredibly hospitable and welcoming. However, a quick chat and an angled question about ‘how the club is doing’ or how that Commodore/Committee Member is ‘getting on in the current environment’ and the floodgates open. In precis, the answers seem to be along the lines that the club has struggled post Covid, waiting-lists are a thing of the past, the desire for club membership has changed, costs have risen, old members keep dying and the young are tricky at best with so many other sporting opportunities readily available to them.
When I reassured one embattled Commodore, facing vocal rebellion in the ranks recently, that this is a global phenomenon, and one that I have heard at European as well as American clubs, he said: “I do wish you’d come and say that to the General Committee, they just don’t believe it.” But it’s true. Clubs the length and breadth of the UK as well as all the famous ones and local ones overseas are struggling, some would say that it’s a fight for survival. In amongst the gloom however, there are those that are thriving whilst nearby mergers are occurring or worse still, receivers called in.
The formula for survival, apart from at the very richest of clubs, is almost always a focus on actual sailing, racing and cruising. ‘Fun’ always seems to win too. Make a club accessible, put on just the right kind of catering and then focus intensely on getting everyone out on the water doing what they enjoy, is the secret sauce. The results flow.
Where things go wrong is when the business of the club overtakes the sailing, and the club has lofty ambitions to deliver world-class, ambitious catering that nobody really wants but someone on the committee with high ideals thinks is right. That’s the biggest red flag. Go into a club where they’re offering anything other than just hearty, simple fayre for hungry sailors and you may as well walk straight out and not bother with a membership form.
The shipwrecks on the shore are piling up. One thing about clubs in our sport is that they occupy the most incredible real estate, usually next to the water and what comes with that is maintenance issues. I know of one such club in Cowes, a beautiful Victorian property, that was like the Forth Bridge. Once you’ve solved one problem, you can guarantee that the next year, or the next storm, another arises. Building maintenance is the number one sapper of reserve funds and in the main, the renovations are merely just to stand still. The never-ending cash call just can’t be ignored and that means steadily increasing membership fees or worse still, the dreaded call for members to dig into their pockets for outright donations or via the issuance of loan notes, lifetime memberships, bonds or debentures.
Some clubs have members desperate to leave a legacy, and good for them. You can’t take it with you and if you have enjoyed the sport and the club, why not give back? Those that do should be applauded but they must not be relied upon. Financial donors are the rarest of breeds and should be cosseted, but outside of the USA, it is quite uncommon.
But there are bright spots amongst the gloom. Clubs that commit to sailing and truly embrace welcoming new members in, can thrive. I’ve always been of the opinion that the key to successful sailing clubs is integration with the local community and that means schools and colleges in the first instance and then broadening that out to anyone who wants to come and try sailing, or perhaps participate as a volunteer, and be a part of something special. Getting the club humming in the usually fallow week period is a real art. It can be done. It needs to be done.
I’m not sure that the class of boats on offer matters. Yes, there is a move to foiling for the younger generation and this should be heartily encouraged but there’s still plenty of scope for more sedate classes – Scows, Larks, Wayfarer’s, any of the RS boats, Firefly’s, Albacores etc etc. If there’s a fleet of keelboats then there’s always a demand for crew and that’s an opportunity writ large to bring new people, novices, those that haven’t participated for a number of years, into our sport.
Over in America we are seeing the rise of ‘pay-to-play’ and it’s here in the UK too with clubs renting boats to sailors so as to avoid the huge, and rising, initial costs of racing yachts and dinghies. The foresightful Royal Thames YC is doing this with their J70 fleet out of Hamble and putting on plenty of weekend racing whilst also encouraging their younger members to compete internationally at 2K match and team racing events all around the world.
The Royal Thames YC is an interesting case study in excellence. Years ago, they recognised that youth was important and started their younger members initiative, bringing people to their wonderfully located Knightsbridge clubhouse for weekly beers and taking it from there. When the club purchased a fleet of J70’s alongside the Royal Yacht Squadron, it was a game-changer for both clubs. Now years later, both clubs are booming with a never-ending stream of new, committed sailing members. A recent clinic in the school holidays at the Royal Yacht Squadron was an unqualified success with Olympian Vita Heathcote leading the training and attracting an international set of young sailors all eager to improve. Remarkable.
I recently addressed an audience at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan talking about the club’s place in the world of sailing and looking forward to where they should be in 40 years’ time. The venerable old club, arguably the finest in the world, knows that youth is key and have implemented one of the most generous packages for young sailors wishing to join. It’s almost a no-brainer if you are a sailor living and working in or around New York who fancies a spot of summer sailing out of Newport, Rhode Island where they have a clubhouse and a committed membership that encourages the young to come and crew on some pretty spectacular yachts. The club also has an active women’s programme and is putting on exciting regattas in the club’s fleet of IC37’s all with participation high on the agenda. They will thrive as a result in years to come.
At a more grass roots level, I look at the Keyhaven Sailing Club on the south coast of England as one of the great success stories. Go down on any given weekend and the place is a hub of racing, training for the young (and old) with a social scene to die for. It’s simple but highly effective with barbecues, disco nights, and socials all year round but as soon as the winter departs, sailing takes centre stage. No wonder the membership list is booming – what’s not to like?
The undeniable fact is that the business model of sailing clubs is changing. Clubs have to work harder than ever and really listen to their target audience. Those that don’t recognise it are set to die or be merged away. We are seeing high profile examples of this the world over and it’s a short haul from financially flush to financially bust. Challenges are ever-present with one Commodore telling me: “No one wants to join clubs anymore,” and that’s a worry.
Membership dues, or worse still joining fees that are still in place in certain clubs, allow for a level of planning but if that model really is shifting then there has to be other sources of revenue that the club can survive on. Pay-to-play seems the next obvious but often by the time this thought is alighted on, the capital expenditure is out of line and the club is into the death spiral from which it is difficult to recover from. Clubs are then forced down the weddings, private parties and bar-mitzvah route and again that’s usually a red flag for a club desperately trying but very much on the wane.
It's tough out there. The economy all over isn’t great. Belts are being tightened, and expenses reigned back in. Sailing as a sport could easily be a casualty at grass roots level, but with enthusiasm, foresight, integration with community and a very different spin on the business model, clubs can not only survive but thrive.
The clues are there in plain sight. Remember on the door there’s a sign that says ‘sailing’ or ‘yacht’ club and any derivation from that should be seen as a nice-to have. Commodores and Committees need to recognise that the past is the past, the sport is changing, the demographic is changing, and competition is rife with so many competing sports eyeing the revenue.
Sailing can offer so much to so many. It’s the most inclusive and exhilarating sport when done right. Waking up and seeing how the sands are shifting is the first step. Positive action is the next and it’s imperative that the right people, not just the ‘right sort’ of people, are sitting on the committees making decisions rooted in the sport rather than in any other interest.
