Sirocco Factory Site
Club Tips and Tricks
(To other clubs out there. If you have something to add to this page on any of these topics or even a new topic, don't be shy. Email and we will add it.)
Table of Contents
- Why organize an of club.. ?
- Where can I find places to sail... ?
- How do I negotiate permission to sail ... ?
- How can my club get insurance
- How can I find members ... ?
- When is ... ?
Organizing a Club ... ?
Organizing a club is no more difficult than getting a few like minded people together on a regular basis to sail. The organization need not be big or have many officers. It is a good idea to make it a formal club organized and recognized in your state as a not for profit corporation.
The 2 major benefits of organizing a club are 1) Access to insurance and 2) It is easier to negotiate venues as a club.
Most of the paperwork needed to make your club official can be filed with only an hour or so of work.
We have found that the route to the best sailing venues is to approach a facility as a club with the ability to cover them with liability insurance and have waivers and use procedures all ready formalized and in place. They need not know that you are starting with only four people. Get the venue and the sailors will come.
(We will post this information in the future.)
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Where can I find places to sail... ?
The Sirocco does not need much space to run. Publicly owned and little used spaces are best. Schools or colleges, particularly community colleges often have good sized parking lots which often go un-used in the evening or on weekends. In many cases we are just not bothered at all.
Our second choices are parks at least 2 soccer fields in area. Again, at the little used parks and at off hours, we are seldom bothered. Use care to not tear up the facility and generally we find we are left alone. Beaches at low tide if you live on the coast are also great. Again, it is a good idea to feel out local officials before you do this.
If you are going to hold club events on private property, make sure you get permission. Once you have been booted, it is unlikely you will be able to get permission in the future. It helps if you can go to a property owner as an organized club and with insurance and waivers.
How do I negotiate for permission to sail ... ?
This is especially important when dealing with private property. Generally it seems to be best if you can do this through personal contact. Barring that you will need to just pick up the phone and contact the owner or manager of the property. If possible contact the owner. He may pass you back to the property manager, but if the owner sees no problem, make sure he lets the manager know this. Often the people managing a property just don't want to be bothered and will blow you off. Try and get to the owner or the highest level flunky. Be prepared to offer specific dates and times on top of having answers to questions about insurance and waivers. We will be posting more information on both shortly. It is often best if you can approach as a community based club. We have also found that getting the first venue seems to be the hardest. Once you have a track record and there is a precedent in your area it gets easier to add venues.
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How can we get liability
insurance ... ?
In the US, The David Agency in Elmhurst, IL has a
program that can cover you. Contact Glenn McCarthy.
gmccarthy@thedavidagency.comLand Sailing clubs can buy the "on the beach" insurance that covers yacht
clubs for their off water activities.
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How do I find members ... ?
We find that generally this will take care of itself once you start sailing, you will find a lot of interest. If you are interested in finding other sailors near you, contact the factory. They know where every Sirocco is and can put you in touch.
Posting on local yacht club boards and with community organizations is also a good way to find interested people.
If you don't own Siroccos yet, you can always get a group together and try and squeeze the factory for a fleet deal.
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When is ... ?
[This is the answer to the question.]
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