Exploring Alameda’s Open House Club Crawl, Part 2
After our visits to Aeolian, Ballena Bay, Island and Alameda Yacht Clubs on September 16, we ambled northeast along the Alameda waterfront from Fortman Marina to Encinal YC, where we popped into the busy pool area. Encinal is the biggest and fanciest of the Alameda clubs, and the only Bay Area yacht club we know of with its own (very popular) swimming pool.
Barbary Coast Boating Club
At one end of the pool, Barbary Coast Boating Club had a booth set up. Barbary Coast was founded in 1982 as a gay club. Still primarily LGBT-focused, the club welcomes all genders, couples, families and allies. They have 75 members and meet at EYC on the first Thursday most months, plus they do cruise-outs and Delta raft-ups. Next up is a Halloween party/cruise to Benicia YC. They’re a paper club, but part of PICYA so their members qualify for reciprocal privileges. Initiation is $70, with dues of $90/person or $170/couple — that’s per year, not per month.
Encinal Yacht Club
Alongside the pool, EYC had their own booth set up. The club’s membership roster is the largest on the island — almost 500 families belong to EYC. They have an active racing program, trivia nights, live music nights, water polo, junior sailing, guest docks and a small dry storage yard with a two-ton hoist. They’re well known among Bay Area sailors for hosting the raft-ups after the YRA Encinal Regatta (formerly known as the 2nd Half Opener) and the Master Mariners Regatta. The professionally staffed bar is open Thursday-Sunday; the pool and grounds are open to members 24/7.
Besides being the biggest, Encinal is the oldest club on the island, having been established in 1890. They offer various levels of membership, but the Regular membership costs $163/month with a $1,500 initiation fee, plus some small assessments.
Oakland Yacht Club
Two doors down from Encinal is Oakland YC, which entertained open-house visitors with steel drum music and an appetizer buffet. The club was founded in Oakland in 1913, but moved to Alameda in 1977. They own seven docks (including a 200-ft guest dock) in Pacific Marina, and some of their 200 slips are available. With 180 members, OYC offers racing, cruising, Wednesday lunch, Friday and Saturday night dinner, Sunday brunch and parties.
Their initiation fee is $500, and monthly dues are $130 (plus other small fees and a galley minimum). Current membership specials include a Locals Promotion for Alameda and Oakland residents, a Galley Promotion, and a credit for bringing a boat into the marina.
Single Sailors Association
At one end of OYC’s dining room, the Single Sailors Association had an information table. Established in 1982, this organization meets for monthly mixers at OYC. Their members enjoy destination daysails, events at other clubs, land excursions and raft-ups. Their mission is not to form romantic hookups, but to make sailing connections. They charge $110/year for the first year and $90/year after that.
Having successfully visited all eight clubs in one day, we kicked back on OYC’s deck, taking advantage a tropical drink special offered for the event. By the way, although we circumnavigated the island by land for this event, the Alameda clubs co-host a New Year’s Day circumnavigation by water, complete with bridge openings.
About the time we were posting this story on Monday, we had a phone chat with Alameda YC’s vice commodore, Jeff Gear and Melissa Sopata, Oakland YC’s delegate to PICYA. They reported on post-event intel. A total of 184 visitors pre-registered for the open house, and each club saw about 50 visitors. Each club got at least one new member from the event (for instance, OYC got three, including one who signed up on the spot). The group split the cost of marketing, making it affordable. The event cemented the relationship among the clubs, and they hope to leverage that relationship for future events such as swap meets, poker runs, even a scholarship.