'Protect your yacht club!' leading sailor advice

7:47 PM Thu 25 Mar 2010 GMT

'Getting the kids involved is so important' .

One of the world's leading sailors has sounded a warning about protecting yacht clubs against issues of today that threaten - economic difficulties, environmental concerns, insurance hikes, litigation, shorelines eaten away by development. He offers a five point plan to protect your own yacht club.

'The yacht club is our home away from home,' Gary Jobson, President of US Sailing, told a gathering of yacht club representatives recently. 'We've got to protect our yacht clubs, and if we don't our sport will be in danger.'

Jobson, perhaps the USA's best-known sailor, is a veteran of an America's Cup victory, and a noted sailing journalist and ESPN commentator.

Some yacht clubs are fancier than others, but most are family affairs (Hong Kong Yacht Club pictured) - .. .

His message was one of concern about the aging and declining participation in sailing but still upbeat on the future of the sport. "These clubs are so precious ... we need to make sure they are viable at all times," Jobson said.

Apart from the fancier yacht clubs that are mostly written about, many yacht clubs round the world are run with hands-on volunteer work by the down-to-earth membership. Often, yacht clubs are family-oriented, with grandparents, parents taking part.

Jobson ticked off these five points to help yacht clubs thrive:

. Have a long-range plan for growth, drawing from what's worked in the past. Update a mission statement periodically.

. Communicate effectively with the membership and prospective members, whether via website or printed material -- probably both. Host a charity event, because "goodwill counts."

. Do what you can to bring people to the club. Make sure the club decor is attractive for when people do come. Refurbish buildings as resources permit.

. Consider a fleet of club-owned boats, so members do not need to own their own. It will bring "super benefits," Jobson said.

. Above all, "go out and recruit, get young people," he said. "Sailing is a beautiful way to connect the generations."

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