So interesting subject. It appears there is a group of folks that go from dock to dock. Although I understand it as I did exactly that when I first started cruising up north.
We now prefer to anchor now over dockage.
Just to be clear no caretaker ever told me to "stay the hell off" I was told this in Pender Harbor by another person at a restaurant and we were discussing some of the attitudes of some yacht clubs. Some friends of ours were asked to leave a Seattle Yacht Club outstation when they docked up after a very long and rough day. It would seem to me if there is space available, the clubs would welcome non-members for a "fee." The Columbia River Yacht Club (which I am not a member) has a few outstations which are open to anyone with the understanding if a member shows up they have priority to dock space.
The members who go mainly to the outstations is actually quite small. One of the issues being examined by our club is exactly how many members use these very expensive assets, so how can they be made to best serve the needs of the membership as a whole, not just the few who use them the most.
Outstations form a valuable part of the cruising itinerary. If they are spaced appropriately, a cruise may be planned to take in several along the route, as we try to do when heading to Desolation Sound in the summer. Once we arrive in DS, we tend to anchor out, and increasingly, seek anchorages that are remote enough that we are the only boat there. As there are few watering stops in the DS area, when we are low on water we will try to get to the nearby outstation to get potable water, get rid of garbage, do laundry, get the dog ashore for a decent walk, catch up on wifi, all the things docks are better at than anchorages, but we tend to leave again as soon as those needs are fulfilled.
We also use them as rendezvous with friends, and frequently, by the time we leave again, we have made new friends of the members who happen in while we are there, or who are already present when we arrive.
Our club executive has recently reminded the membership that, while the outstations are reserved exclusively for the use of members, should any mariner be in difficulty and need to tie to one of our outstation docks to stay out of danger or due to a breakdown, they should be accommodated to the extent necessary to see them through that difficulty.
I have never heard of any outsider being told to "Stay the hell off" and I doubt the accuracy of that statement, even though attributed to a rival club. I am sure any advice given to refrain from tying on was given firmly but politely.
"dhays One of the nice things about the two outstations that my club owns (as opposed to ones where they lease some space) is that in they are often very quiet. This is one of the things that the appeals to the members. We can go stay there for a weekend have have some of the advantages of anchoring (ie solitude, quiet, nice scenery etc...) but have some of the same advantages of being at a marina (power, water, showers, etc..). If the outstations were open to reciprocal clubs that solitude would be lost.
There is also the situation that the private outstations aren't manned. There is no one there to collect a fee, ensure that the club rules are followed etc... At one of our outstations, water is very restricted. We don't allow boat washing but only filling water tanks if needed. A non-member may not know the rules or have less inclination to follow the rules if it doesn't impact them.
I was at one of the outstations a few months ago when a boat pulled up to dock. They weren't flying the burgee so another member asked if they were a member. The boater said no but a friend was and they were just docking for a few minutes. Turns out that they simply wanted a convenient place to take their dog for a walk to **** on our lawn (they didn't pick it up). They were politely informed that the outstation was for the sole use of TYC members and they eventually left. The exception for sure, but there are a lot of reason why the clubs don't share their outstations.
Finally, large clubs such as the Seattle Yacht Club have invested a huge amount of money into the purchasing and maintenance of their extensive network of outstations. While I would love to be able to use them as a member of a reciprocal club, I certainly have never paid the SYC their initiation or membership fees for the privilege. Those would amount to much more than any fee they could charge to for using them."
Well said David.