A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting .
49-741: The Biscayne Bay Yacht Club is a private yacht club located in Coconut Grove , Miami ( United States ). Founded in 1887 by Commodore Ralph Middleton Munroe, the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Florida . BBYC is one of the 5 members of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Racing Association (BBYRA), together with Coconut Grove Sailing Club , Coral Reef Yacht Club , Key Biscayne Yacht Club and Miami Yacht Club , and one of
98-484: A marina or a delimited section of the beach or shoreline with buoys marking the areas off-limits for swimmers as well as safe offshore anchorages. On shore they also include a perimeter reserved for the exclusive use of the members of the club as well as a clubhouse with attached bar , café or restaurant where members socialize in a pleasant and informal setting. Although the terms Yacht Club and Sailing Club tend to be synonymous, some general differences regarding
147-413: A barometer or a weather station that records barometric pressure as well as temperature and provides rudimentary forecasting. For more sophisticated weather forecasting, cruisers rely on their ability to receive forecasts by radio, phone or satellite. In order to avoid collisions with other vessels, cruisers rely on a maintaining a regular watch schedule. At night, color-coded running lights help determine
196-409: A berth. Travel by water brings hazards: collision, weather, and equipment failure can lead to dangerous situations such as a sinking or severely disabled and dangerous vessel. For this reason many long-distance cruising yachts carry with them emergency equipment such as SARTs , EPIRBs and liferafts or proactive lifeboats. Medical emergencies are also of concern, as a medical emergency can occur on
245-541: A commercial basis. They may be owned by individuals or a company to provide a service and generate a profit. Often they are associated with a particular marina or port . Objectives are usually broadly similar to members clubs, but the social side may be more dominant. There is a long historical tradition behind yacht clubs. According to the date of establishment, the Neva Yacht Club , founded in 1718 in Russia ,
294-789: A few clubs in the United Kingdom the Admiral , which is one rank above the Commodore, is the senior officer. Each of these ranks has specific responsibilities to ensure the smooth sailing of the club. Members of yacht clubs typically gather at a clubhouse or shore station which may also have docks. The oldest yacht club in the world without a clubhouse is Sheldrake Yacht Club (Mamaroneck, New York) . The traditions and prestige normally associated with yacht clubs have to some extent been subverted or appropriated unofficially by groups and businesses calling themselves "yacht clubs". For example,
343-449: A laptop computer, and with a compatible modem (e.g. PACTOR ) can send and receive email at very slow speed. Such emails are usually limited to basic communication using plain text, without HTML formatting or attachments. Awareness of impending weather conditions is particularly important to cruising sailors who are often far from safe harbours and need to steer clear of dangerous weather conditions. Most cruising boats are equipped with
392-514: A literal meaning: We are all in the same boat." Jacques Cousteau Boats were almost exclusively used for working purposes prior to the nineteenth century. In 1857, the philosopher Henry David Thoreau , with his book Canoeing in Wilderness chronicling his canoe voyaging in the wilderness of Maine, is considered the first to convey the enjoyment of spiritual and lifestyle aspects of cruising. The modern conception of cruising for pleasure
441-448: A long trip, while some non-sailors are also able to find boats willing to carry a hitch-hiker. Crew-finding websites exist to help match-up people looking for a crossing with yachts with a berth available or looking for a temporary crewmember, Find a Crew for example. Another common tactic for finding a yacht is to visit local yacht clubs and marinas and get to know the sailors there, in the hope that one of them will be able to provide
490-844: A long voyage can be a problem, so many cruising boats are equipped with other ancillary generating devices such as solar panels , wind turbines and towed turbines. Cruisers choosing to spend extended time in very remote locations with minimal access to marinas can opt to equip their vessels with watermakers ( reverse-osmosis seawater desalination units) used to convert sea water to potable fresh water . Satellite communications are becoming more common on cruising boats. Many boats are now equipped with satellite telephone systems; however, these systems can be expensive to use, and may operate only in certain areas. Many cruisers still use short wave maritime SSB and amateur radio , which has no running costs. These radios provide two-way voice communications, can receive weather fax graphics or GRIB files via
539-617: A nautical or water-oriented theme. Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club was the unofficial name for the United States Seventh Fleet during the Vietnam War . In this case the term "yacht club" was appropriated with humorous intentions . The Seventh Fleet's nickname became very popular among its members at the time. The oldest yacht clubs are: The oldest yacht clubs are: Cruising (maritime) Cruising
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#1732782946198588-744: A number of yacht clubs enter into agreements with schools to provide dock space and practice facilities for the school teams year-round. Clubs with active adult sailing programs most often feature junior sailing programs as well. Most often these programs enroll children from ages 8 to 16. Children most often learn to sail in the optimist (dinghy) and then progress to a larger single handed dinghy such as starling or laser dinghy or two handed such as 420 (dinghy) . These junior sailing programs often also teach children rowing , kayaking , general seamanship and navigation . Children are also taught how to race competitively from an early age and most clubs host junior sailing regattas each season. Members belonging to
637-524: A regular weekday evening racing schedule or a weekend racing schedule organized by the membership. Many yacht clubs field teams to compete against other clubs in team racing . There are also some specific boat models and lengths which have their own club. These boat ownership clubs often hold single design races for their members. With the growth of sailing at secondary schools and universities many yacht clubs host Interscholastic Sailing Association or Intercollegiate Sailing Association regattas. Additionally,
686-434: A yacht club or sailing organization may fly their club's unique flag (usually triangular), called a burgee , both while under way and at anchor (however, not while racing). Traditionally, the burgee was flown from the main masthead; however, it may also be flown from a small pole on the bow pulpit, or on the starboard rigging beneath the lowest starboard spreader on a flag halyard. Some traditional clubs have also been granted
735-407: A year or two off from work and school for shorter trips and the chance to experience the cruising lifestyle. Blue-water cruising which is defined as long term open sea cruising is more involved and inherently more dangerous than coastal cruising. Before embarking on an open-ocean voyage, planning and preparation will include studying charts, weather reports/warnings, almanacs and navigation books of
784-407: Is a maritime activity that involves staying aboard a watercraft for extended periods of time when the vessel is traveling on water at a steady speed. Cruising generally refers to leisurely trips on yachts and luxury cruiseships , with durations varying from day-trips to months-long round-the-world voyages. "The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has
833-450: Is a supremely calming experience, an antidote to the pressures of life in a fast-paced world, in surroundings that are comfortable without being fussy or pretentious, with good food and enjoyable company." River cruising is a major component of the tourist industry in many parts of the world. Cruisers use a variety of equipment and techniques to make their voyages possible, or simply more comfortable. The use of wind vane self-steering
882-430: Is always enjoyable, but there is a vast difference as to how easy it is to manage - especially short-handed . This is where furling sails come into play, and these vary from the more specialized types of furling spinnakers to combined products such as the blue water runner-type of sails. Purchasing and maintaining a yacht can be costly. Most cruising sailors do not own a house and consider their boat their home during
931-415: Is always granted ' innocent passage ' through the country (most countries usually claim up to 22 km (14 mi) off the coast ). When this method is practiced however, if the ship needs to stop (e.g. for repairs), a trip to a customs checkpoint to have passports checked would be required. Voyage along inland waterways are called river cruises , which often involved stopping at multiple ports along
980-685: Is the oldest yacht club. However, since this Russian Yacht Club was established by a decree of Tsar Peter the Great , it does not fully qualify as a proper club in the modern sense, understood as a voluntary association of members who organize and run the club. Therefore, the Royal Cork Yacht Club founded in Ireland in 1720 is also widely acknowledged as the oldest yacht club in the world, despite having gone through periods of dormancy and undergone name changes in its long history, much in
1029-516: Is up to the members decide on the objectives of the club to satisfy the membership and to attract other like-minded individuals. For example, some clubs include owners of powerboats , while others specifically exclude them. In order to overcome difficulties concerning the affinities of their members one particular club may have two sections, a sailing section and a powerboat section. Members Clubs often have paid staff for catering, bar duty, boat yard duty, accounts, office etc. Control and organization of
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#17327829461981078-753: The "Gowanus Yacht Club" is a beer garden restaurant in Brooklyn , NY, the Van Buren Yacht Club is a bar and hotel in Maine, the "Crystal Bay Yacht Club" is a beach resort in Ko Samui , Thailand and "The Eagle Rock Yacht Club" is a non-profit dodgeball league in Glassell Park, Los Angeles . These so-called "yacht clubs" don't necessarily involve sailing on private yachts of members as their main purpose or activity, but often outwardly maintain
1127-538: The ARC ( Atlantic Rally for Cruisers ), have encouraged less experienced sailors to undertake ocean crossings. These rallies provide a group of sailors crossing the same ocean at the same time with safety inspections, weather information and social functions. Cruising is done on both sail and power boats, monohulls and multihulls although sail predominates over longer distances, as ocean-going power boats are considerably more expensive to purchase and operate. The size of
1176-962: The United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United States. The first yacht club in North America was the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron , located on the Northwest Arm in Halifax, Nova Scotia , Canada established in July 1837. Some yacht clubs are affiliated with an international body, the International Council of Yacht Clubs , which exists to improve the quality of the services yacht clubs provide to their members as well as to promote environmental awareness and responsibility towards
1225-550: The ability to interface charts and radar images. Those that still wish to work with traditional charts as well as with GPS may do so using a Yeoman Plotter . Certain advanced sailing vessels have a completely automated sailing system which includes a plotter, as well as course correcting through a link with the ship's steering organs (e.g. sails, propeller). One such device can be found at the Maltese Falcon . There are also sails made with cruising in mind. Sailing downwind
1274-629: The center. He cruised around the waterways of Britain, Europe and the Middle East and wrote a popular book about his experiences, A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe . In 1866, Macgregor was a moving force behind the establishment of the Royal Canoe Club , the first club in the world to promote pleasure cruising. The first recorded regatta was held on April 27, 1867, and it received Royal patronage in 1873. The latter part of
1323-548: The century saw cruising for leisure being enthusiastically taken up by the middle class. The author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote An Inland Voyage in 1877 as a travelogue on his canoeing trip through France and Belgium . Stevenson and his companion, Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson travelled in two 'Rob Roys' along the Oise River and witnessed the Romantic beauty of rural Europe. The Canadian-American Joshua Slocum
1372-428: The club is done for the membership via members elected by the membership into roles such as Sailing Secretary, Commodore, Cruising Captain, Racing Captain etc. Smaller clubs typically have a condition of membership which requires active participation of the membership in activities such as maintenance of club facilities and equipment. Unlike the classical clubs where the membership is the focus, certain 'clubs' are run on
1421-733: The connection with the sea and hence the navy, the various posts use naval terminology. For example, the chairman/CEO is the Commodore . Usually, under the Commodore there are also the Vice Commodore (in charge of land-based activities) and the Rear Commodore (in charge of water-based activities); for clubs in the United States they might in turn be assisted by the Port Captain and the Fleet Captain respectively. In
1470-401: The duration of their cruise. Many cruisers find they spend, on average, 4% of their boat's purchase price annually on boat maintenance. Like living a conventional life on land, the cost of cruising is variable. How much a person ends up spending depends largely on their spending habits (for example, eating out a lot and frequenting marinas vs. preparing local foods aboard and anchoring out) and
1519-623: The end of the 19th century when small boats began to be produced on an industrial scale. Yacht clubs are often known by their initials (e.g. New York Yacht Club abbreviated as NYYC and Kingston Yacht Club abbreviated as KYC). Many well known yacht clubs, including the Yacht Club de France , the Yacht Club Italiano and the Royal Yacht Squadron , have been established under royal patronage or have been granted
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1568-547: The environment. The Kieler Yacht-Club in Northern Germany organizes the yearly Kiel Week , the second-biggest sailing event in the world, that is celebrated since 1882. Kiel Week was an attempt to imitate the much older and larger Cowes Week , long-admired by Wilhelm II . Most clubs, regardless of the size of their craft, have a well defined racing program. Clubs may host regattas ranging from informal local events to national championships. Often clubs have
1617-418: The position and orientation of vessels. Radar and AIS systems are often employed to detect vessels positions and movement in all conditions (day, night, rain and fog). Cruisers navigate using paper charts and radar . Modern yachts are often also equipped with a chartplotter which enables the use of electronic charts and is linked to GPS satellites that provide position reports. Some chartplotters have
1666-680: The rapid growth of the program, some local windsurfers are on their way to the Olympics. Biscayne Bay Yacht Club has already hosted several windsurfing regattas and is known internationally as a hub of the sport. From 1888 to 1893, the Cape Florida lighthouse was leased by the United States Secretary of the Treasury for a total of US$ 1.00 (20 cents per annum) to the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club for use as its headquarters. It
1715-504: The recreational use of boats can be broadly outlined. Historically a Yacht Club tended to focus on a membership composed of yacht owners, including motorboats . This type of club often was extremely exclusive, attracting the aristocracy or the high class and leaving small boat owners out of the circle. On the other hand, a Sailing Club tended to focus on a membership composed exclusively of owners of sailboats , including smaller boats such as dinghies . These became very popular towards
1764-520: The right to fly a special yacht ensign at the stern. At traditional clubs the burgee and the ensign is hoisted at 08:00 each morning and lowered each evening at sunset. This ceremony is called colors . Traditionally, the first time a member of one club visits another, there is an exchange of burgees. Exchanged burgees are often displayed on the premises of clubs, such as at their clubhouse or bar. Yacht clubs are organized like any other club or organisation with committees, chairman, directors, etc. Due to
1813-441: The route to be followed. In addition, supplies need to be stocked (including fresh water and fuel), navigation instruments checked and the ship itself needs to be inspected and the crew needs to be given exact instruction on the jobs are expected to perform (e.g. the watch, which is generally 4 hours on and 4 hours off, navigation, steering, rigging sails, ...). In addition, the crew needs to be well trained at working together and with
1862-702: The same manner as the Neva Yacht Club. It was only in 1846 that the first yacht club in Russia to adopt British-style Members Club regulations was established. Using this Western understanding of what a club or society is, the Royal Swedish Yacht Club , KSSS, founded 1830, becomes the oldest European yacht club outside the British Isles , and the fifth oldest in the world. A number of the world's most renowned Yacht Clubs are located in
1911-645: The seas. Other cruising authors have provided both inspiration and instruction to prospective cruisers. Key among these during the post World War II period are Electa and Irving Johnson , Miles and Beryl Smeeton , Bernard Moitessier , Peter Pye , and Eric and Susan Hiscock. During the 1970s - 1990s Robin Lee Graham , Lin and Larry Pardey , Annie Hill , Herb Payson, Linda and Steve Dashew, Margaret and Hal Roth , and Beth Leonard & Evans Starzinger have provided inspiration for people to set off voyaging. The development of ocean crossing rallies, most notably
1960-416: The ship in question. Finally, the sailor must be mentally prepared for dealing with harsh situations. There have been many well-documented cases where sailors had to be rescued simply because they were not sufficiently prepared (the sailors as well as the ship) or lacked experience for their venture and ran into serious trouble. Sailing near the coast (coastal cruising) gives a certain amount of safety. A ship
2009-555: The six founding members of the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC), being the St. Petersburg Yacht Club , Miami Yacht Club , Coral Reef Yacht Club , Lauderdale Yacht Club and Nassau Yacht Club the other five. Biscayne Bay Yacht Club has recently adopted the sport of windsurfing. Currently, BBYC is the location of one of the most successful youth windsurfing programs in the United States of America. With
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2058-421: The title at some point in their history. Organized and run by the membership, Yacht Clubs became a place to promote the sport of sailboat racing and cruising , as well as provide a meeting place for the particular social community. The membership is a mixture of people with specific recreational affinities, and the members often include those who sail as crew for cruising or racing, as well as boat owners. Also it
2107-422: The type of boat (fancy modern production boats are very expensive to purchase and maintain, while low-key cruising boats often involve much lower expenses). Most long-term cruisers prefer to live a simple life, usually with far lower expenses than people who live ashore. An alternative solution is to sail on someone else's yacht. Those who know how to sail can sometimes find boats looking for an extra crewmember for
2156-411: The typical cruising boat has increased over the years and is currently in the range of 10 to 15 metres (33 to 50 feet) although smaller boats have been used in around-the-world trips, but are generally not recommended given the dangers involved. Many cruisers are "long term" and travel for many years, the most adventurous among them circle the globe over a period of three to ten years. Many others take
2205-403: The way. As many cities and towns are built around rivers and historically have relied on maritime transport , river cruise docks are frequently located in the center of cities and towns. According to Douglas Ward, "A river cruise represents life in the slow lane, sailing along at a gentle pace, soaking up the scenery, with plentiful opportunities to explore riverside towns and cities en route. It
2254-585: Was common on long-distance cruising yachts but is increasingly being supplemented or replaced by electrical auto-pilots. Though in the past many cruisers had no means of generating electricity on board and depended on kerosene and dry-cell batteries , today electrical demands are much higher and nearly all cruisers have electrical devices such as lights, communications equipment and refrigeration. Although most boats can generate power from their inboard engines, an increasing number carry auxiliary generators. Carrying sufficient fuel to power engine and generator over
2303-618: Was first popularised by the Scottish explorer and sportsman John MacGregor . He was introduced to the canoes and kayaks of the Native Americans on a camping trip in 1858, and on his return to the United Kingdom constructed his own 'double-ended' canoe in Lambeth . The boat, nicknamed 'Rob Roy' after a famous relative of his, was built of lapstrake oak planking, decked in cedar covered with rubberized canvas with an open cockpit in
2352-447: Was listed as the southernmost yacht club in the United States, and the tallest in the world. After the lease expired, in 1932, the club purchased its present clubhouse located at 2540 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, which is adjacent to Biscayne Bay . Yacht club Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea , although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either
2401-453: Was one of the first people to carry out a long-distance sailing voyage for pleasure, circumnavigating the world between 1895 and 1898. Despite opinion that such a voyage was impossible, Slocum rebuilt a derelict 37-foot (11 m) sloop Spray and sailed her single-handed around the world. His book Sailing Alone Around the World was a classic adventure, and inspired many others to take to
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