I became an intermediate member in 2019 and crew almost every WNR. Here are a few thoughts on the topic: NOYC is great. The people are friendly and knowledgeable, the beer is cold and affordable, and the sailing is fun. You don’t need more to bring people around and keep them. To Austin’s point, if the bar tab is the reason the joining fee is so much - eliminate the tab for new members. Make members who want a tab put a bit of money down to open one. I am just as happy paying with a credit card or cash. Alternative - take $10 of each paying member’s monthly dues and make it a bar credit. People will go to the club to get their $10 worth and stick around for a few more drinks after that and if they don’t? Boom you keep the $10. I think it would get traffic in NOYC.

I think 25-35 year olds are the most likely to join, pay dues, and eventually buy a boat, but they have to hear about NOYC first. Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to get NOYC out there - give Backus the password and a beer. I feel like he could come up with some funny, interesting stuff to get likes lol Make WNR event pages ahead of time and encourage new people to come. We could try putting that “I'm looking to crew!” link at the top of the event in bold or get a crew/captain system going in the event comments.

The main reason I joined and i would imagine a lot of other people new to sailing would join is to use the club boats. I’m not an experienced sailor but I know how to get out and back. I don’t care if it goes fast (but not S2 slow), I just don’t want to worry about ruining an expensive boat like the viper so I use the club old Scot when I go out. It would be cool to see the club get a few inexpensive boats that could reasonably compete in WNR (J24s?) and get experienced people on them with new sailors and let them learn to drive, trim and run spin for a series. Also I was told every time I asked that I would have to be “checked out” on a boat but when I asked around there was no set process for it. Maybe it changed in the last year? Idk I stopped trying after they let me take out the Scot.

I’m 28 and i have talked to a lot of people my age who think sailing is really interesting and I’m confident if we can get folks like that coming to the club it would be a win-win for them and NOYC if thats the goal here.