The Sailing Club, Inc.

"About the Sailing Club"

Some Background
The Sailing Club was formed in the 1980's by a group of people at AT&T, who had done a lot of skiing together. (Funny, isn't it - how skiing and sailing often seem to go hand in hand?) There were several sailors among them and it was a natural progression from the winter skiing activities to some initial charters on the Chesapeake. After some time, as participation grew, The Sailing Club was formed and in the 90's became incorporated as a non-profit organization. It'sofficers and Board of Trustees are elected by a vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting, held each year in late March. While the Board meets monthly, there are no other regularly scheduled Club meetings.

Varied Membership
While sailing is our "venue", the Club has, since its inception, attracted people from many different backgrounds and interests. Some come for the sailing. Some come for the social opportunities. Some have come simply to try something new. Some members arrive with considerable sailing experience, but many have none. Some have been involved for many years. Some only joined last season. Some want to become accomplished sailors, while others are content just to crew. Some would prefer to never enter the galley. Some produce gourmet meals on board!

Trip Length and Locations
Our sailing area is equally varied. Most frequently, we sail on relatively nearby waters, such as the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound. This allows us a few days of sailing (usually 3 to 4) with only a few hours drive to and from the boats. In addition, every season usually includes a longer trip of 7 to 10 days. These are typically further afield, such as to San Francisco (September 2003), Maine (summer of 2002), and even to Europe (June 2001). We occasionally visit the Caribbean and have even sailed on the fresh water of Lake Champlain.

A New Offering
For those who are new to the Club or new to sailing and who might like to just "try out a trip", we offer a 2-3 days trip. This will give you the opportunity to see what it is like to sail on a large boat, to sleep a night on board, and to ease into what may be a new experience for you.

"Small Boat Days"
A number of years ago, we began our "Small Boat Sailing Days". Initially these were afternoons of sailing members' own small boats out at Spruce Run, near Clinton. We would finish the day with a cook out at someone's home who lived nearby. As availability of boats became limited yet interest in this kind of sailing experience remained, some members volunteered to research other ways to experience small boat sailing. The results have been quite successful. We often have a "Small Boat Days". Check our Current Trips page to see if/when available this year.

Some Boat Details
For all of the "sleep-aboard" trips, the boats we charter are generally in the 34' to 45' range and sleep 5 to 8 people, depending on realistic sleeping capacity. We bareboat charter, which means that we provide our own captain, crew, provisions and (usually) sleeping gear. These boats have at least one head (bathroom), a small galley equipped with at least the basics for food prep, usually a CD player or at least a tape deck, and some storage capacity. Every boat is captained by a Club qualified Skipper who is also assisted by a Club qualified First Mate. Additional crew is then assigned, based on experience and other factors, until the spaces on a boat are filled.

Historically most of the boats we have chartered have been well maintained and our own safety record as charterers is excellent.

A Typical Trip
For a typical 3 day weekend trip, we arrive the evening before, unload gear and provisions and then often go to eat together at a local restaurant. While there is no set time to arrive, most people tend to arrive in the early evening, but it is not uncommon for someone to come during the night or early the next morning. In many cases, people will arrange car pools for the drive down and back.

The morning of the first day is taken up with more settling in, sometimes last minute provisioning, and most important, a crew meeting at which time the skipper will give an orientation to the boat and discuss safety procedures.

We usually are ready to leave the dock by mid morning and, of course, the weather is ALWAYS sunny and warm with excellent wind! Depending on the itinerary, the day's sail could range from a short hop of 10 to 12 miles to a longer sail of up to 35 miles. Each day's sailing ends late afternoon or, at the latest, early evening, as we never sail at night. It is a wonderful moment, no matter how exciting your day "at sea" has been, when the boat is settled for the evening,refreshments are brought out, and the alertness of the day gives way to the softness of the evening and the enjoyment of good food and good company.

The trips are planned to have at least one raftup (with a meal on board) and at least one night in a marina (eating ashore). There is often some shore time for sightseeing or shopping.

The last day of a trip is usually a shorter one, timed to get the boat back to the marina with the holding tanks pumped out, fuel tanks filled, boat cleaned and all gear removed by the required time, (usually 4 P.M.). Most of us are on the road and heading home shortly after that.

Other Events
While we do not have regularly scheduled meetings, we do sponsor some off-the-water events during the year. Every sailing season is topped off with an end-of-season party. Please read about our 2003 end-of-season party. We also arrange for CPR and First Aid training every spring, and occasionally have run classroom training on specific aspects of sailing, such as navigation. A "Meet the Author" night, is generally held in February. In 2004 we had two of our own discussing their 2-1/2 year odyssey of sailing around the world! as are the "Meet and Greet" get-togethers at various local watering holes. For more information, please refer to the Upcoming Events page.

Membership
Membership to the Club is open to anyone, whether a seasoned sailor or beginner. Please note, however, that you must be a Club member to participate in any of the trips, including the Small Boat Days. You can refer to our Membership page for more information on becoming a member.

Signing Up For a Trip
Signups for all trips are generally taken on a first come, first serve basis (see individual trip writeups for relevant dates) and a deposit is required to reserve a place. Occasionally payment for an entire trip is required at signup, such as for the Memorial Day trips.

You will be notified if you have a guaranteed spot on a trip or if you are on a wait list. All questions about a particular trip should be directed to the Trip Leader or Assisatant Trip Leader and their contact information is included in the Trip Writeups both on this website and in the Membership Package

The Annual Meeting
This is our yearly dinner/meeting at which election results are announced, reports are made, etc., as well as a social event that attracts nearly our entire membership each year. The trip leaders for the upcoming season's trips give brief presentations of their trips and are available before and after the dinner meeting to answer questions about their trips.

This year's meeting will be held March 2008 at the Somerset Hills Hotel in Basking Ridge. You can find out more on the Upcoming Events page.

For prospective members, we hope this page has provided you sufficient information to make you want to try a trip with us this season. If you have further questions, please contact us to ask your questions personally. If you are reading this as a current member, perhaps you have an idea or suggestion that will benefit the Club, whether you can commit to becoming a more active participant or not. Let us hear from all of you!

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