Helpful Information

About your Membership

The membership year runs from 1 October to 30 September.

We offer full membership to anyone who is a boat owner or is associated with a boat as regular crew. We offer social membership to members who are not directly associated with boating but wish to enjoy the club’s social side.

In most respects there is no difference between full and social members: the fees are the same and all members have access to the same great facilities. All members are welcome to attend the club’s Annual General Meeting in November, but you do need to be a full member to vote on policy matters. You also need to be a full member to hold office on the Board.

We offer single and family memberships. Family membership covers partners and any number of children under 18. (Over 18s may be eligible for student membership.)

We also offer a life membership package – please contact Alison Attwood, membership secretary for more information.

Communications

Members receive a monthly newsletter, Ahoy!, with details of what’s happening in the club. This usually comes out via email wherever possible. If you are not receiving your copy, please contact Alison.

Regular racing bulletins are also issued via email. If you wish to be added to this distribution, please contact Taryn Gordon, race committee secretary.

We have an excellent website, with all the latest information, and Kevin Fearn, our webmaster, is pleased to receive any suggestions to keep developing this. We also have our own Facebook page so you can become a fan of Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club and receive automatic email updates.

There is free WiFi available in the clubhouse but you will need to provide your own laptop.

Club Opening Times (Winter Hours)

Opening times for the club and galley are subject to seasonal variation and any changes will be communicated via Ahoy! and the website. Current opening hours may be found here.

Plus special suppers on mid-week event nights.

Normal bar rules apply i.e. last orders 10 minutes before and drinking up time 20 minutes after the bar closes.

Children

We are a family-friendly club and well behaved children are always welcome, accompanied by an adult.

We hold various activities for our younger members including kids’ karaoke on the last Friday of each month, a Christmas party and ad-hoc events such as Wii nights. We welcome suggestions for other family-focused events - please contact Steve Atkin, club director (and dad!)

Pets

Guide/assistance dogs are welcome in the clubhouse.

We do not encourage members to bring pet dogs to the club but we appreciate some people, particularly visiting yachtsmen, may need to. These are allowed on the balcony, not in the bar.

Guests & Visitors

Members are welcome to invite guests to the club. Each member may bring in up to four guests at any one time, and each guest may come to the club up to six times per year. More frequent guests will be invited to join the club either as members in their own right, or as a member’s partner.

Please sign guests in to the visitors’ book on the table just inside the members’ bar.

We also welcome visiting yachtsmen from around the world..

Dress Code

Dress in the clubhouse is casual and comfortable. Caps should not be worn inside the bar, and no swimwear or bare chests please.

We occasionally hold special black-tie events such as Trafalgar Night and Burns Night when you can shake off the sailing gear and put on a posh frock. These are ticketed events and are advertised in Ahoy!, the website and on the social noticeboards..

Sailing, Cruising, and Racing

The club has active, all-year sailing, cruising and racing programmes. Full details are available in Ahoy!, the website and on the cruising and racing noticeboards.

We plan cruises-in-company through the spring and summer months, to France, London and Brighton, and we also try to organise a longer summer club cruise. We welcome suggestions from members who may have favourite ports for us to visit – please contact Steve Atkin, former rear commodore power or Gwen King, rear commodore sail.

We delight in encouraging social members to take part in our many boating activities and many of our skippers are pleased to welcome new members aboard to get a taste of yachting. For further information please contact Steve, Gwen or Bob Jackson, race captain.

If any member is keen to get involved in racing, or just wants to give it a try, please come to the race office on a racing Sunday morning and the race officers will do their best to find you a crew place. The race office is at the back of the clubhouse (facing the pontoon gate) and you should arrive by 08:15.

Social Events

We have a varied social programme and we always welcome suggestions for new events and activities. We should also be pleased to hear from any new member who might wish to join the social committee. Please contact Gwen King, vice commodore.

Volunteers

The members’ bar is staffed mainly by volunteers and this is an excellent way to meet other members and make new friends. This does not have to be a big commitment – one shift every now and then would be great - and you do not need to have experience in bar work as training is provided. If you would like to volunteer for a bar duty, please contact Fiona Bird.

We also welcome volunteers to help with general maintenance, eg cleaning, and we would be delighted to hear from members who have other skills that may be useful to the club, e.g. marketing. If you think you could help in any way, please contact Freddie de Vere, commodore, or Alison.

Royal Sovereign Suite

The top floor is a function suite and this is an important income stream for the club. It is frequently booked for private events such as wedding receptions and birthday parties, and by businesses for conferences and exhibitions. The suite is mostly self-contained but we do share toilet facilities. This has always worked well but please be polite to our paying public!

If you are interested in booking the suite for a private event, please speak to one of the team - they have some good discounts for members!

Your Feedback

This is YOUR club and we need your help to make it the very best possible. If you have any comments, suggestions or constructive criticisms, we want to hear from you. Please contact Freddie or Alison.

Useful Contacts

Details of Directors and other useful contacts may be found here.