sausalito yacht club reciprocity

Sausalito Yacht Club

• Address: P.O. Box 267, Sausalito CA 94966 (on 283 Napa off Bridgeway)
• Phone Number: 415.332.7400
• Web Site: syconline.org
• Membership ratio: Mixed power and sail
• Docking & Reciprocity: Contact yacht club for reciprocal information. Reservations required.
• Club Organized: 1942

• Presidio Yacht Club

History of the Presidio Yacht Club

The Presidio Yacht Club has a rich and distinguished history in the San Francisco Bay area. The Club's origins belong with the establishment of Fort Baker by the US Army in 1850. Originally named the Lime Point Military Reservation (after Lime Point on the north side of the Golden Gate), the Fort operated as a satellite station of Presidio of San Francisco. Its primary missions were mine laying and hosting strategic battery sites - one of which is still accessible by hiking. Following the War, the batteries and anti-submarine operations lost their tactical value but the marina remained. Servicemen began berthing their private boats in the then empty slips. And with such a large influx of military personnel and watercraft in one of the San Francisco Bay's most beautiful locations, it was only natural that the servicemen created a formal organization.

Thus Presidio Yacht Club was founded on May 11th, 1959. Initially, it was only open to military personnel and their dependents, but that restriction only lasted as long as the Army operations in Fort Baker. Following the end of the Cold War, the US Army closed Fort Baker in 1994 and consolidated the Fort's operations in Dublin, CA. Travis Air Force Base (located in Fairfield, CA) then assumed management of the marina and the Presidio Yacht Club continued to operate. The Presidio Yacht Club is over sixty years old.

Currently, Presidio Yacht Club is a community of boating enthusiasts and servicemen, including both American and foreign members. It continues its operations in the same boathouse it originally started in. Although its membership is open to the public, the Club retains its strong military heritage. It is closely associated with the Travis Marina, which is operated by the 60th Force Support Squadron at Travis Air Force Base. The Club continues its tradition of camaraderie by having all-volunteer work days every second Saturday of the month, followed by dinner. Active duty personnel enjoy dedicated support and discounted services.

The Porthole

The Porthole is Presidio Yacht Club's quarterly newsletter, featuring news, upcoming events, announcements, and updates from our cruising members.

Officers & Council Members

Scott Pasternak

[email protected]

Stephen Golden

Vice Commodore

[email protected]

Travis Bellicchi

Rear Commodore

[email protected]

• Council Members
• Edwin Crouse - President
• Catherine Larsen - Secretary
• Shannon Elms - Treasurer
• James Earhart
• Martin Aurelio
• Warren Novak
• Jonathon Larson
• Patricia Ferrin Loucks
• Committee Chairs
• Treasurer - Anya Bandt
• Race Committee - Jennifer Hinkel
• Sailing Master - Steve Mahaley
• Ship's Store - Ed Crouse
• Fleet Captains - Jonathon Larson
• Port Captain - Miguel Amaro
• Membership - Paul Conroy [email protected]
• PICYA Delegates - Manny Mier, Hazel Caldwell
• Newsletter Editor - Jason Funk
• Webmaster - Jason Funk
• Social Media - Jing Aurelio
• Staff Commodores
• Louis Canotas
• James Pennington
• Jennifer Hinkel
• Steve Hocking
• Shannon Elms
• Lisa Theodoratus
• Marika Edler
• Martin and Jing Aurelio
• Governing Documents
• Bylaws, Rules and Regulations

Liability Release

Wind and Tides

SF Sailing Crew Listings

The Racing Rules of Sailing

Burgee List

For a more detailed weather forecast, click here .

If you are using Google Maps to navigate, you can just type in "Presidio Yacht Club" and it will direct you to the correct building. Otherwise, you can type in 600 Sommerville Rd Sausalito, CA 94965 into most GPS units and that will lead you to the correct location. If you are coming by boat, the guest pier is next to the crane platform.

For anything related to the Presidio Yacht Club, including dinners, cruise outs, or racing, please contact

• 1001 Bridgeway #713
• Sausalito, CA 94965
• (415) 677-7917
• [email protected]

For anything related to the Marina, live music, band bookings, or event space inquiries, please contact

• Travis Marina
• (415) 332-2319
• [email protected]

We're located in Horseshoe Cove, Fort Baker, Sausalito, on the second floor of the Travis Sailing Center. Look for the wooden stairs on the far side of the building. Guest docks are available.

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Reciprocal Yacht Clubs - Is it worth it?

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Membership in a particular yacht club can certainly be beneficial in many ways. But for cruisers who are gone more than they are near their home club, is reciprocity really worth the membership fees associated with the home club?  

It depends upon your particular club's policies. We've belonged to our "home" yacht club since the late 1970's but have been "away" since the mid-80's. Our membership fees have been only $50 per year sine we've been away. Another club to which we belonged for several years had a policy of a "Cruiser's Leave" whereby if one was away from the Club (=>100 miles) for at least 4 months or more, one's fees were much reduced during one's absence. Then there's our local Club which makes no such accommodation and as a consequence has lost many members that really added to the Club in the long run. So, your call...  

What are you looking for in reciprocity? There are plenty of public marinas. Are you hoping for access to the exclusive marinas? If so, it may be helpful, but not all yacht clubs provide reciprocity across the spectrum. Secondly, the rules usually require someone from the home club to call ahead for you. However, if you're personable, you can often get transient space on your own. Once there, you may feel like the center of attention, because you sort of talked your way in. More likely, you'll feel like you don't belong, as everyone knows each other but you. The restaurant or bar can be difficult to navigate, as most don't take cash/plastic and you don't have a member account to charge. You'll most often pay a transient fee too, so it's probably not much of a money savings plan. So, back to the initial question. What are you looking for in reciprocity?  

We find that simply belonging to a yacht club is sufficient to secure an available berth at most of the clubs we visit between Connecticut and Maine. They don't care what club we belong to, so long as we mention that we belong to one. That makes membership worth it to us. Belonging to a club implies that one is socially respectable, and the club one visits hopes its members are similarly received when they might visit your club. "Reciprocal privileges" implies being able to run up a tab at the club you're visiting and have them bill your club for you, which does call for much more involved arrangements between officers at both clubs. That is not what most cruisers need or want, so it is not something to get hung up on. We cruised up to Maine for four weeks last summer and were turned down once, when the club we wanted to visit was hosting their major annual regatta and had no moorings available. Having a club membership greases the ways that might otherwise hang you up.  

We don't maintain a yacht club membership, but have stayed at several anyway. Many of which welcome transients, reciprocal or not. Some are even on Dockwa now. One of my methods of "talking my way in" is to anchor nearby and dinghy to the club or walk over from a nearby dinghy dock. I have nothing against yacht clubs, we consider it from time to time. Although, we already belong to a country club, a sportsmans club and an collegiate club in NYC. I don't need more club dues. I'm genuinely curious. What do you find more appealing about yacht clubs (when transient) over a public marina? Is there a camaraderie you enjoy? When I've stayed at them, they're usually the only game in town. It seems like you use them more as a rule and the OP is considering the same. I'm wondering the advantage.  

Minnewaska said: .... I'm genuinely curious. What do you find more appealing about yacht clubs (when transient) over a public marina? Is there a camaraderie you enjoy? When I've stayed at them, they're usually the only game in town. It seems like you use them more as a rule and the OP is considering the same. I'm wondering the advantage. Click to expand...

Sounds like the social aspect of a club is the theme. That makes sense. We're very social, having guests along most weekends of the year. In fact, we chose our current boat, with it's large deck salon for that exact reason. However, when transient, there are two factors that cause me to see a yacht club differently. First, if I'm entertaining my own guests, I would find it cumbersome to engage strangers, as their guest. My guests may feel uncomfortable or burdened doing so as well. Second and more likely the case, when I'm looking for transient facilities (we anchor 90% of the time), its at the end of a passage or hop. We're exhausted and typically just looking for a place to eat, sleep, recharge, take on water and maybe clean up a bit. Cleaning up and mixing in with the club would feel like more work to do. As a minor example, we sailed down from Portland, ME to Portsmith, NH, which took something like 6+ hours in lousy wind and we hadn't left until mid day. We tried to anchor across from the Portsmouth Yacht Club, but the holding was awful and the anchorage full of lobster pots. Just before sunset, I called the PYC to see if they had any transient space, which I already understood was accessible to the public, if available. If they were full, we were heading back out to sea, to either overnight or heave to and chill. The sun was just about to set and they had one mooring ball open. We motored over and grabbed it. The tender came out and took a few bucks for the fee and we never even went to shore. Dinner and sleep. Our plan was to depart at 6am to make the CC canal. We were actually hit at 4am, while sleeping, but that's another story......... PYC was awesome about paying to fix our damage, btw. They deserve some serious cred for that. Spoke to the Commodore, who complimented our boat, which he saw pull up while eating dinner. I have no doubt, had we gone to shore, the reception would have been exactly as you describe. I've been in others, however, where you seem to get "who are you" glances.  

If you are a social type... and don't anchor and want to use guest moorings (for free???) and use their club facilities... go for it. How do you put a value on this? What does you yacht club membership and dues cost? What do they expect from you, if anything in sweat equity? I have been invited to dine at some yacht clubs which was handy at the time... but without a membership in any club.  

Minne-- One can become as involved or remain as completely uninvolved as one chooses when visiting another club. On a recent cruise we had made arrangements to stop at the Venice Yacht Club after a long passage north from the Keys. We encountered pretty crappy weather on the trip and had to heave too for awhile to sit out some of it, so arrived very late, just before mid-night. With that, we pulled up and moored to their outside face dock, set our springs, and hit the sack. To make our tide at our next Pass, we awakened and departed by 0630 the next AM. The only words that were ever exchanged with anyone at the Club were "good mornings" to the few early risers we passed on the dock while headed to the head before departure. The stop cost us nothing. Had we done the same at the Crows Nest face dock, it would have cost us $125 and, for a stop in Venice on a boat of our size and draft, one needs a mooring dock as there is no place one can anchor. N'any case, one can argue the merits of Club membership in either direction. As I mentioned earlier, our home club membership has only cost us $50/year while our local membership is about $550 per month--including our slip and power and water--which is less than the mooring fee alone in the near by commercial marinas which have few of the amenities offered at our club. If we were to go cruising on a full time basis, we could dispense with the local club entirely tho' we would not. To us, it's worth it. Different Ships, Differe long-splices eh? Cheers!  

CLubs are as diverse as boats. I was the Commodore of one and a member for 10 years. In the beginning it was a great place for my wife ( new at the time to sailing) to meet other women who sailed. Marinas people really rarely get to know each other or interact on the water I have found. Yes social aspect was there. On the Chesapeake our membership allowed us to stay in any yacht club and most of the nice ones for $25 per night. That’s a bargain big time. Never do you have to feel you have to be social when there though. It allowed us to also stay in Yacht Clubs on the LI Sound and Newport as part of Yacht clubs of America , many restricted from transients. When we no longer wanted / needed the social aspect and the club fell into financial issues we left. Their slip rates became excessive to other places. We also wanted to be further down the Bay. We rarely take slips as we enjoy anchoring. We’ve got a good dinghy on davits so we can get ashore easily. Many of the friends we made at the club we still get together with on the water. CLubs are all different. We still maintain a club membership in the off chance we want to pull into one traveling. One example . Solomon’s marinas are e going to cost over $140 per night. We stay at the yacht club for $25. St Michael’s costs almost $200 per night. We stay at the yacht club for $25. Those savings alone pay for the membership. We can go to the parties particularly New Years without the drunk masses. So for us there were/ are advantages.  

Great information! Since being sailboat owners, we've been invited to the local club. We've never really been members of any clubs. We don't golf, which is what most country clubs revolve around. As new sailors, the interaction with sailing club members would be beneficial. Thanks again for the information!  

A lot varies with what your local "club" is. Some simply call themselves "boat clubs" and they're basically a private marina with a picnic area, maybe a pool, and someone puts together holiday bbq's. Some are literally country clubs complete with full size pool, tennis courts, and a dining room that regularly is rented out for catered affairs. Some have a restaurant on premises for light lunches and dinner--and a required monthly restaurant expenditure, whether you eat there or not, so make sure it can pay for the cook and front staff. Or a bar with full liquor license. Clubs with reciprocity agreements will tend to aim for a certain "social club" level, on the higher end of the scale I'd think. The kind of places where people go to mix and mingle, not just to park their boats and maybe grab a fast bite.  

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Cruising at SYC

Want to get involved? We are always looking for more Cruise Captains and you don't have to own a boat.      If you’d like to volunteer to be Cruise Captain for any of the cruises listed above with  TBD  in the Cruise Captain field, email  [email protected]  to sign up. Possessing good organizational skills, you can volunteer as Cruise Captain for these events. This is another opportunity to get involved with your club (the Cruise Chair and many prior Cruise Captains will help). SYC Cruise Program

The objective of the Cruise Program at SYC is to develop new friendships with fellow Members while enjoying the waters of the Bay, Delta and Coastal areas. The schedule is diverse and designed to include ALL MEMBERS . Whether your mode of transport is by sail, power or land or a combination, there will be cruises you will enjoy.

Our goal is to have at least one cruise per month, February – November. We have local cruises to Angel Island, Alameda and San Francisco. There are longer distance cruises to the Delta, Napa, & Benicia. There is a cruise with a race included for sailors and we’ll look to add a few more races to the Cruise plan.

Sign up for one or for all!! Get involved, meet your fellow Club Members and SYC Boat owners, use your Club reciprocal privileges and discover new locations. You will experience one of the most exciting and fun aspects of having your boat on San Francisco Bay and belonging to a yacht club with an active Cruise Program.

How to Register for Cruises

Register yourself, crew and guests  - Click here to go the Cruise Calendar on this website, and click on the cruise you wish to register. 

Questions? New member? Never been on one? E-mail [email protected]  

Sausalito Yacht Club

Review Highlights

“ Was fortunate to be invited by a member and enjoyed a great view, great food and very warm service. ” in 9 reviews

“ The reciprocal agreement with other yacht clubs is amazing. ” in 2 reviews

“ This club has an amazing view off of their deck . ” in 5 reviews

Location & Hours

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100 Humboldt Ave

Sausalito, CA 94965

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Enrolled our 15 year-old cousin last summer, and she had a blast! Great instruction. Highly recommend Christine Bletzer, the Jr. Sailing program instructor. She's fantastic.

Nice views, but terrible management and service! The good chef left and moved on, and the new one's food is really lousy. Grumpy old men seem to pack the bar.

We had a delightful evening here last night. We went to their happy hour in the bar area. The manager recognized us as new to the club (we have reciprocal privileges from our yacht club), greeted us and made sure we got our first cocktail. The lady working in the bar area was very friendly and attentive. The food was way beyond what I'd expected at a yacht club bar. More like a high-end tasting menu or tapas menu. The pork sliders where amazing. The lamb curry and the truffle fries were also exceptional. They have a large dining area and we're looking forward to hosting a party here.

I have no idea about this business, but this place was awesome for the 4th of July fireworks show. The secret is out...

Stopped in here with a friend after a long bike ride. The food was just fine, and the views were great. Just as long as you're willing to put up with a surly and rude bartender, you'll be fine.

The is a great little yacht club, a real gem, and best kept secret. I am sure there are very few like it worldwide, with a smashing dead-on City view, great deck, surprisingly fine dining -- never had an "average" meal here, and of course, superb bar service. The reciprocal agreement with other yacht clubs is amazing. It's a yacht club without the attitude, although there are plenty of reason to have it! Love it!

The food is excellent, the staff pleasant, the views overwhelming. No nicer place to spend a weekend night outside in the warm weather.

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• RECIPROCITY  to Yacht Clubs within the U.S. and around the World
• Enhance your travel Experiences:  Enjoy Yacht Club hospitality while traveling
• Membership to Yachting Club of America (YCA) and Yacht Racing Association (YRA)
• Zephyr Yacht Club promotes: Recreation, community, boating education, cruising, racing, sailing, and waterfront activities
• Low Cost fee structure
• Camaraderie  within the sailing community