Club life has been a tradition in Germany for centuries. Almost 1,300 clubs are currently organised under the umbrella of the German Sailing Association (DSV), which was founded on 4 March 1888. The DSV thus represents the interests of over 190,000 registered members. For many of them, it is the local sailing clubs that provide the home from which they can practise their sport. This is because belonging to a club comes with various benefits. For example, it is sometimes possible to get a berth for your own boat at the club's jetty. Or you can join the dinghy training group. For others, however, the focus is on participating in the social life of the club and regularly socialising with like-minded people.
And yet: membership of an association always means making compromises. This is not everyone's cup of tea. For example, many people with different backgrounds, experiences, interests and expectations come together. This harbours potential for friction and discussions of all kinds. You have to be able to put up with this when in doubt. In addition, there is often work to be done in the association. And membership is not free either.
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Anyone considering joining a club should weigh up the pros and cons. The former are usually obvious, especially for young sailing beginners. After all, most sailing clubs do more or less extensive youth work. They therefore make an important contribution not only to the sailing education of children and young people. They also provide positive impulses for their personal and social development.
The offers can cover a broad spectrum depending on the club
In many clubs, such youth development is only possible because the older generation finances it. Be it through their club membership fees or even in the form of private donations in kind or money. This is the only reason why most clubs have their own optis and youth dinghies. The youngsters are often trained by teenagers and young adults who are sometimes only slightly older than the youngsters entrusted to them.
This can also be seen as a plus point: The volunteer coaches sometimes receive an expense allowance for their commitment. And they develop personally as a result of their role as a responsible person. For some of them, this additional social competence may even be noticeable in their job.
For older sailing beginners and experienced skippers alike, the sailing clubs offer a wide range of training and development programmes. Depending on the club, the programmes can cover a broad spectrum, ranging from beginner's sailing licence courses to astro and weather seminars to joint storm or even survival and rescue training. Age is rarely an issue here. Even with a few decades of sailing experience in your wake, the same applies to life in general: You never stop learning.
The courses and training programmes organised by the club have several advantages: Your own knowledge and skills are expanded. Participation is often possible at cost price. And you learn and practise in a group of familiar faces.
Social interaction is often greater than in a commercial marina
As the number of members grows, so does the training programme. The Kiel Yacht Club (KYC) is undoubtedly one of the largest in Germany. It operates five ships specifically for its training group. The adult training fleet includes a J/80, a J/99, an Elan 31, an X-35 and an X-442. Sailors meet here every Thursday evening in the KYC's training group room. This is when news is announced, sailing dates are discussed, work is distributed and people swap ideas. There are also regular presentations. Interested parties can join the training group via a trial membership. "Everyone is welcome here, from silver agers to students," emphasises the group's leader, Volker Schmidt.
In addition, the KYC - like other large and some smaller clubs - runs an ambitious youth and sailing performance programme. Last but not least, there are opportunities here and there to take part in coastal and offshore regattas with the club's own ocean-going yachts or to go on cruises to often exciting, distant sailing areas.
Another, no less important aspect of club life concerns everything that happens outside or around the actual sailing: socialising. People meet on the jetty, in the cockpit, in the clubhouse or on its terrace. You have to like that; in a commercial marina, things are usually much more distanced. On the other hand, this provides the opportunity for an uncomplicated exchange of knowledge and experience. Newcomers in particular, who are just discovering sailing for themselves, quickly make friends in a club - and are sure to always find a helping hand on the jetty.
What pleases some is a horror for others
There are also those boat owners who are not just interested in sailing. They also enjoy optimising their boats visually and technically. This does not necessarily have to be limited to their own dinghy or yacht. It is not uncommon for people to tinker with their neighbour's boat too.
And then, of course, there's what almost every other club has: Occasions to celebrate. Members of sailing clubs in particular often celebrate the annual sailing in and sailing out together with the hoisting or hauling in of the club's stander. A summer party is also usually a firm fixture in the diary, as is the Christmas party. If a fellow club member buys a new boat in the meantime or a milestone birthday comes up, this is also duly celebrated.
This is perhaps also one of the most serious arguments against club membership. What pleases some is a horror for others. Because you can quickly feel downright obliged to take part in the respective social gatherings. After all, you don't want to be seen as an outsider or even an eccentric. Even if, instead of taking part in a christening ceremony, you would much rather use the fair wind to set sail.
So it's important to be honest with yourself on this point: Are you more of a die-hard individualist or are you keen to socialise with others? The sensitivities are very similar when the next club meeting is scheduled. Very few people want to devote their free time to lengthy debates about boat purchases, jetty renovations, voluntary work or increasing membership fees.
Some clubs operate their own winter storage hall
Especially as the interests of the various groups organised in the club tend to clash at such meetings. These are often the wild youngsters here and the moderate oldsters there. Or the regatta sailors here and the cruising sailors there. You have to be willing to put up with discussions. In the best case scenario, you are even prepared to take on an office.
Most clubs still organise their usual meetings during the winter break. Some watch classic sailing films together, others meet for a chat in the clubhouse, and still others organise lectures. This is how we get through the time without sailing together.
There are also clubs that operate their own winter storage shed or whose members get together and store their boats with a commercial shed operator. This allows them to work together while the boats are being worked on. Inexperienced owners in particular can learn a lot during all the sanding, filling and polishing.
This is followed in the spring by the joint crane appointments, but also the annual labour services: repairing jetties, maintaining green spaces, painting the clubhouse. The odd sailing weekend falls by the wayside.
Further advantages and disadvantages of club membership are listed below. Everyone has to weigh them up for themselves. If you're still unsure after that: it's free to try it out; maybe you'll just have a taster first.
Interview with Christoph Zander: "Attracting new people - and keeping them"
Christoph Zander is Chairman of the Sailing Association of North Rhine-Westphalia (SVNRW) and Chairman of two sailing clubs
Mr Zander, what role do you think clubs still play in our sailing sport?
Christoph Zander: The DSV clubs generally take care of youth training. Of course, this is done in different ways. Some do more than others. But the aim must always be to attract people to our sport - and keep them there.
What measures can clubs take to make this happen?
In the sailing department of the Essen Gymnastics and Fencing Club (ETUF), for example, I make sure that all young people and young adults get a coaching licence if possible or train as race officers or referees. In this way, I want to attract good regatta sailors, but also amateur athletes who enjoy passing on their knowledge. Children that I train purely as squad sailors will eventually be lost! Those who don't make the leap to the top will eventually sail away and lose interest in our beautiful sport.
Does your approach go down well with the members?
Yes, that goes down well. There are many people who say afterwards that I would now like to pass on my knowledge and give something back. And I'm not alone with my request. At national association level, there are many voices calling for us to offer more coaching licence training courses.
What could this look like in practice?
I would very much like to support the clubs with our national association. In a similar way to what the DSV and the German Sailing Youth do at national level with their "roadshow". This would involve coaches, mostly teenagers and young adults, coming to a club with Optimists in their luggage to organise a taster sailing session. This still fails due to a lack of young people who would have to supervise and accompany the beginners. The money would be available for such an offer and the project would also be supported by the state sports association. The only thing lacking is the manpower.
Are you still sticking to the concept?
Yes, I firmly believe that it can work. A few days ago, for example, our youth warden organised a great taster sailing session for 25 youngsters who had been recruited via local schools. The children, who would otherwise never have got out on the water, were able to try sailing for the first time.
That's nice. But do the children want to continue sailing?
Not all of them, of course. But at least ten have submitted an application to remain in the programme.
Pros & cons
Possible advantages and disadvantages of club membership. In individual cases, not all of the points mentioned may apply to a particular club:
Advantages
- + Everyone benefits from the experience of the other members and passes on their own knowledge
- + Training of children and young people, often with the club's own optis and other dinghies
- + Opportunities to socialise in the clubhouse and chat on the jetty
- + Favourable berths on the club's own jetties or those leased by the club
- + Favourable winter storage spaces on the club premises or in halls rented by the club
- + Club membership is usually a prerequisite for taking part in regattas
- + Regional and sometimes even worldwide cruises and charter trips on club-owned yachts
- + Wide range of training and further education programmes, especially during the winter months
- + Opportunity to make contacts not only in the private sphere, but also for professional purposes
Disadvantages
- - In many clubs, labour services have to be performed regularly
- - Sometimes long association meetings and associated discussions or even disputes
- - Contributions for membership of the association and, if applicable, special payments for certain services
- - Moral obligation to participate in club life; restriction of privacy
- - Sometimes sailing clubs still cling to old traditions and role models
