Annual
Member Survey Results
Jan 2007
Thank you for submitting
a survey and helping the club move forward and improve in a constructive
manner. Your comments and ideas will help guide the way. Following are survey
responses already received. They are posted here for all members to read and
consider.
2007 will be our club's 20th
Anniversary Season. What type of events do you suggest the
club organize to commemorate this occasion?
Definitely a race event that can involve the serious racers and less-serious
racers. And of course a big party.
Maybe a combination of 'get to work' and 'have fun' weekend(s) for members to
get to know each other e.g. various teams tasked to bring club equipment in
shape/hands-on boat maintenance ... followed by party on land/or water
depending. Could be competitive with prices going to best performing team. Or, a
series of courses allowing (new) members to test out their abilities, e.g.
racing.
Creative 20th anniversary shirts for members only to purchase.
Come up with a list of how each member can contribute in some way to
bettering the club (other than donations) in return for a token. Results can
be captured with film or photos in fun book review of 20th anniversary.
A special regatta with a mix of new and older crew. A big party!
I really don't have any suggestions - with a 14-month-old at home it is
doubtful I'd be able to attend any social events.
Regattas, parties, Hoboken vs. NYC regattas.
The biggest party ever with a race to start things off.
How about fielding a "MSC Founders" J105 team with the flag officers and some
long-standing members in a "prestige" regatta, like some Newport or Annapolis
event? Fund the boat charter with a raffle, either for a prize or for a spot on
the racing crew.
Highlight each of the club's special sailing events remembering the history
of each event.... then pumping up the present... be sure to get photos
and video.
A party somewhere big enough that most of the members can attend. We
rarely get everyone together. I large outdoor barbecue would be great.
Nothing special.
"Small" get together on the Wm. Wall.
I trust you guys to figure this out.
Multi-day regatta; winning boat gets (1) honor of winning club's 20th
Anniversary regatta and -- perhaps -- discounts on each team member's club
dues. There has to be champagne involved in this celebration. Get Veuve
Cliquot to sponsor the regatta!
Parties, fun, special races (one or two beyond the Verrazano Bridge might be
fun).
Label regular parties and regattas as 20th anniversary to promote a sense of
history. Bring out a birthday cake at the annual dinner etc. Suggest avoiding
'one offs' as they tend to have a backwards looking feeling - emphasize growth
and forward looking events that can be done every year.
An event which helps the city / public recognize our contribution to
recreational and competitive sailing in the area.
None.
How often did you get sailing last year and how
often would you like to go sailing this coming season?
1-3 times each week. I'd like to be able to sail with the same frequency in
2007.
Every weekend I could. Probably more than I'll be able to thanks to new
job.
Last season: Almost every weekend. Next season: every weekend.
Once a week. Would like to get out more next season
11 times, for a total of 31.5 hours, mostly during the week during work hours
(I telecommute and have a flexible schedule).
150 at MSC and other clubs. I want to sail more this year however.
Started slow and finished strong; will sail as much as possible this year.
Quite a bit/quite a bit!
Once a week to race, hopefully more often next season.
A lot!
5 races, but I broke my finger (not at the club) so I got cut short.
2-3 times per month. More often.
Initially, seldom, no skippers nor boats. This yr, when the winds arrive
twice a week .
Almost once a week and next season 1-2 times a week.
3-5 times a week and I plan to use my vacation days this summer to get more
time down there.
About 2x a week last year. Hope to do the same or more next year.
I sailed a lot, 4-5 times most weeks and I would love to sail just as much
this year.
Once or twice per weekend plus once in the week.
I sailed every time I wanted to last season; I would like to have the same
opportunities this season to get out onto the harbor--all weekend and maybe 1-2
days during the week.
65+ as head of the mentor program 20 + more on private basis.
Most Tuesday race nights. I would like to sail more week-ends out of
Hoboken.
My sailing was limited due to me work.
Almost every weekend last season and same for this coming season.
I got to go around three times a week, at first as crew then as a fleet
captain. I'd like to do about the same this season.
I just five times last season, as I joined so late in the year. This season
I hope to sail once a week.
Last year about 12 times. This year about 25 times.
06' 1 x per week Tuesday Racing. 07' 2 x per week Tuesday Racing and
Thursday social.
What can the club do to help you
achieve your sailing goal?
Keep up the good work! The Fleet Captain program is an excellent way to meet
people and sail more frequently.
I appreciate the winter tutoring classes offered and love to see more of
that. Some of the courses following the basic sailing start relatively
early. Not sure if anyone else has problems arriving at 6pm. 7pm is more
feasible.
Have more boats. Introduce the Laser class.
More FC boats going out.
More skippers with flexible schedules who can sail during the workday. I
telecommute from home and have a very flexible schedule and try to sail once
per week during the workday, but my list of skippers who can go out during the
day dwindled from 3 to 1.
Keep 1 boat in Hoboken and 1-2 in North Cove to do frostbiting over the
winter.
Club is doing its job; the rest is up to me.
There's plenty of opportunity already.
Host at home... and travel away to more regattas.
I want to become a more skilled racer. More skipper support for the Saturday
racing program. More classes on technique and training.
1) Sailing season is too short. Whether this fall seems to show that
decommissioning was too early. More flexibility could help extend the
sailing season.
2) Other formula for non-skipper, in addition to fleet captain, should be found.
3) Current reservation system could be improved, including through telephone
last minute reservations on weekends.
More skippers and boats.
Keep doing what it is.
Just what it has been doing. I've gotten great help in acquiring and
mastering the skills I need to be safe and competent, and I've made wonderful
connections with club veterans who I can turn to for help and advice when I
need it. I've often thought it would be wonderful if the club could
organize some
Long Island Sound cruises (through charters). They could be weekend sail-aways,
or perhaps long holiday weekends such as 4th of July or Labor Day.
Find a way to offer longer sails on bigger boats.
I would like to see the club or a related syndicate acquire a boat capable of
blue water cruising and/or racing.
Some kind of locker facility so I can come after work without planning in the
morning. I would pay for a locker.
Nothing really.
More and better boats.
More skippers in Hoboken for week-ends.
Club is doing a great job.
I need to sail with experienced skippers to gain more skills.
Most of it is on me.
Organize social Sailing on Thursday PM. Wine and Cheese platters avl. for sale
to sailors
Did
you participate in the Fleet Captain Program, and if yes, how could this be
improved?
I couldn't have sailed half as frequently had it not been for the Fleet
Captain program. As a new member I had the opportunity to make many friends and
learn something new during every sail. It was frustrating many times to check
the reservations page and see only two or three skipppers volunteering
for Fleet Captain sails for the weekend. Many times skippers would show up
unscheduled and take out members who came to the dock. This is great but I live
almost an hour away and I dislike traveling to North Cove if I'm not certain
that I can get on a boat. Don't we have over 100 skippers now?
Perhaps there can be some sort of incentive for skippers to participate in the
program. Maybe a dues rebate for skippers who volunteer for a certain
number of sails? Credit at the bar?
Yes. I think it works pretty well!
Better web booking system like used for the Saturday racing. Incentives
for FC captains.
Yes - improve the notification process if a fleet captain cancels due to
weather/other reasons. Either provide e-mail/phone for the skippers so the
crew can contact him/her or encourage the skippers to contact their crew. In
general, I also feel we need more skippers. Many times I went to sign up
and saw that there were more crew than skippers, and I relied very heavily on
3-4 personal relationships to ensure I got a position on a boat in
advance when other would-be crew members were not so lucky (I realize the goal
of the FC program is to build those relationships so members don't have to use
the FC program as a crutch, but we have to get exposure to a sufficient number
of skippers first).
Yes; the only improvement I can suggest is making sure crew respects the
captain and buys him a drink. We're not employees, we are fellow club
members out to have fun on the water.
Yes...worked well.
Yes I did. Consider Rich Turrin's suggestion that members participating in
the mentor program be obligated to sail as first mate on fleet captain sails
to gain more experience. Mentor program should not be 'private sailing
lessons'.
I did not this summer. I had gone out previous years but honestly it was not
that enjoyable. Racing is way more fun.
Yes. More skipper could be available, esp. in the first months. Allow
reservations more in advance and fix a maximum of (10) per month, instead of
1 per weekdays and 1 per weekends.
No.
I did participate. The fleet captain program is vital to the club! I'm not
sure how it might be improved.
Yes. Ensure all participants have a minimum level of skill. As a skipper I
have found some people do not and it puts the entire boat and crew at risk. The
program really isn't a teaching/lesson program and some people treat it as that.
Also some crew treat the captains as if they are employees of the club and not
volunteers.
Yes, I was both a Fleet Captain and Mentor. This year I would like to combine
the two by having a future skipper on every Fleet Captain sail, both to help in
case the rest of the crew is inexperienced and to give the future skipper a
chance to lead and direct the crew.
Yes - continue progress last year rewarding FCs with access to Gratitude and
other soft benefits.
I did participate. It went smoothly.
Yes. incremental recognition
No
Yes. No suggestions.
Yes as crew - it worked fine
Yes, I became an FC last summer. There should be better communication between
skipper and crew before the sail, e.g. an online directory of cell #s and emails
in case of no-shows. Also, it should be made clear that crew are expected to
show up early and help rig. Finally, FC incentives are needed. A few silver
trophies are a nice gesture - but just a gesture. Perhaps there could be a
scaled reduction in dues depending on the number of FC sails. My one evening on
Gratitude was nice but it would be great to have more regular access to a
cruising yacht.
Yes. It's pretty good now.
No, You need more instructors for the mentor program. Ted and Steven are
too busy and it's too difficult to fit their schedules. make mentor booklet
for instructors so the information the teach is uniform.
Did you participate in the Racing
Program, and if yes, how could this be improved?
I participated in Saturday racing and it was awesome! A great improvement
would be to have a link to the SmartTix website on the club's website.
I've heard various about joining a racing team, from some being so serious
that joining doesn't seem to be encouraged, and others that are more
relaxed. I'd like to try out racing given the schedules work out too.
Yes. We could try to have more races: at least 2.
No interest in racing.
Yes. Run more than 1 heat per night.
No; I tried to get on a boat in the spring and could not. would like a
better system; perhaps a specific part of the website for crew.
Yes...but we gotta keep working on ways to reduce pile-ups.
Yes. Possibly start the fall series races earlier in the evening.
Hardly participated.
It was great. I did not join a crew, I just went to the dock and begged for
an open spot. Always got onboard and had a great time. Everyone was super
nice and understanding of my lack of racing skills.
No.
Yes - have everyone read the rules and sign off at the beginning of each
season.
I did participate. Veterans complained that the races were too short and
the courses lacked variety. I'm too new to the club and racing to have a big
picture idea about how to improve this.
Yes. Participated in Saturday racing. The website this year was great.
Yes, mostly Saturdays. I think we should bring back the after race
debriefing and run rules seminars to help skippers and crews better understand
the rules until they become automatic.
Participated as occasional crew. Fine.
Didn't participate.
No but plan to do so this year.
Yes. Organization is great. Would love to have boats with new sails out of
Hoboken as well this year.
No but I would like to attend if time permits.
No.
Did you
visit the Clubhouse in the harbor, and if yes, how could this be improved?
Improve the clubhouse? Another mirror ball maybe
Yes, it's a fun place.
Yes.
Yes - the clubhouse is fantastic and I am very sorry I only got out there
twice all summer (but I got some great pictures).
Yes, it's great!
Willy Wall is great; music quality and selection needs help.
Great hangout. But the music should be quieter; it's hard to hold a
conversation out there. (does that make me a party pooper?) The new launch
is a huge improvement.
Yes I did.
Yes. hmmmm??
I just want more events/reasons to go out the club house. If only there were 2
full moons a month.
Yes. Clubhouse is a big asset, but requires investing to make it nicer,
especially the lower deck. Also, snacks and sandwiches could be available.
Have a karaoke night.
Nothing, it's perfect.
I did visit. Not sure what can be approved.
Yes, often. It is already great!
Yes - improvement: availability of food.
Yes. Perhaps food onboard?
Yes, but this year let some else pick the music
No.
Only twice- should be open more on weekends including weekend evenings
Yes. I thought it was great overall. No ideas for improvements, except
maybe have more kinds of snacks (esp. lower calorie)
Yes. It could be spruced up a bit. It's fine for me, but to bring
non-boating friends to if that is a goal), it is a bit drab.
Yes, Needs food service. cheese platters and munchies would be great.
Have you
meet many club members and how could the club help you meet more?
I have met many members. I think the club really has figured out great ways
for members to meet each other and socialize.
Make contacts available in an online membership directory. Members can submit as
much contact info as they like. Would be easier to stay in touch /
make contact.
Yes, I've met some.
Yes. It is hard for me with a 14-month-old at home to get to all the social
events, but I don't think there is anything you can do about that. :-)
I meet many, mostly through sailing; the club does this well.
I've met a lot of good friends there.
Met many- mostly through racing.
Hmmm. This is an area where I have been frustrated. I meet people sailing and
then don't see them many other times. Also full moon parties that occur on
weekends in the summer are problem because most people like to get out of the
city on weekends. More regularly scheduled meet ups would be great.
Given existing facilities, social activities are excellent. Having an "on
land" clubhouse could facilitate more gatherings, but of course would need a
big investment.
Yes, each time I go sailing. More sailboats and skippers& weekend coordinator
at dock clubhouse.
Met a lot but only saw a lot of them once or twice. Maybe give contact info
of fellow new members with sailing experience so that we can make
cruising/skipper cert training plans together.
Yes -- the club is a hub for sailors & in general it's a very friendly group.
I did meet many. I think those I meet are a function of when I sail. I meet
people who are on the same schedule as me. Ultimately to meet more, I would have
to change my schedule.
Yes, all the time on Fleet Captain, during races, on the Willy Wall, at Full
Moon parties, during the winter at seminars. The club provides a lot of
opportunities to meet people.
Yes - continue what we're doing.
Many.
NC
No the club does good job to promote social stuff.
A few.
An online directory of contact details would be good, to help crew contact
skippers and vice versa.
I have met some through the Caribbean trip and full moon parties. I think the
trips are the best way. Second best would be courses and events not so
connected to cocktails. I like the parties a lot, but also would appreciate
some lower key events, too. Maybe take turns hosting events to include new
people? (I'd volunteer to help.)
Yes.
Yes, keep having social events
What do you like most about
the club?
Great people. Sailing is wonderful but what fun would it be if the people
weren't friendly?
It's informality, social and friendly people. Easy to make contact. I
look forward to joining one of the trips!
The people, well organized, well maintained fleet.
Sailing.
The availability of the classes and the ability to sail pretty often. The
people and staff are also very friendly and helpful, Paula and Kelly in
particular.
The sailing and racing.
Getting out on the water.
3-hour vacations, just minutes away from home.
Well run. Good group of members. Good staff.
As TJ Shea said to me... the club is very low key.
Racing & the club house.
Informal atmosphere, boats' quality, clubhouse, social activities, fleet
captain, etc.
Members are the jewels of the club and the club sets up the venue to
interact.
The sailing.
Sailing...Saturday Racing Series in particular.
Friends and sailing
I love that the club owns and maintains the fleet of boats so that I can just
sail, sail and sail some more.
The social aspect of sailing: meeting different people.
It's a gateway to my most ambitious sailing dreams.
Sailing
The racing program.
Easy access to sail because of boats, and crew availability.
Very convenient
I love the sailing here and elsewhere. I only wish I had joined earlier!
Great people - a diverse group, but very friendly and interesting.
It's a great bargain for Manhattan. The ease of use is a big selling
point.
Meeting new people, racing
What do you dislike most about
the club?
Ummmmmmmmmm....... I'd like it if the club posted a bigger sign to let others
know that the dock is a private area so that people don't pass
through who shouldn't be there.
Nothing in particular.
"Skipper needed" on the FC website
As I am interested in the cruising aspect of sailing, I would like the
opportunity to sail on larger boats (like the J/105).
Nothing, it's awesome!
It's so much fun that the rest of life seems boring. a minor note, getting a
drink on the Mermaid should be easier and members should be allowed to
make a drink if no one is there to do it for them. Perhaps a better system for
drink charges would facilitate this. I've been chastised for trying to
make my own drink after waiting too long for someone to do it. Not that I'm an
alky but one gets parched after a day at sea.
Not much.
Nothing I can think of at the moment.
We don't have a hot tub!
Lack of opportunities to socialize more.
Nothing, but improvement is always possible!
The difficulty getting information and taking/passing of skipper cert. I
will make more of an effort this year but I thought with my 10+ yrs of sailing
would enable me to be a skipper within a month. It took me the whole season to
figure out who are the best people to talk to about it and then it was too late.
The new motors...and the fact that you can't see the sunset as well from the
new (but wonderful) docks.
Sometimes, though not often, some new members of the club are not at the
level of competent crew. I would like to see a rule that if someone joins the
club who has not recently taken a basic keel boat, that they be tested in some
way to make sure they are ready to be competent crew.
Lack of changing facilities for evening sails after work. I have looked at
renting a locker at NY Sports Club but it closes at 9pm.
I don't like that we are expanding to support dinghy sailing in the harbor. I
would prefer that the club set up more big-boat sailing opportunities.
Boozing
I know it is the "Manhattan" Sailing Club but we are somewhat separated from the
rest of the members coming out of Hoboken...not sure there is much to be done
about it though.
No dislikes at this time.
Too many hoops to jump thru to become a skipper.
Initially it was hard to feel part of it. Members seem to know each other well
and I felt like an outsider.
Most of my issues relate to my own schedule, and difficulty getting down there.
Difficult to get skipper certified
Do you feel the club is better
or worse now than it was a year ago and why?
I couldn't say since this is my first year.
Better
Better with more members, Dennis Conner's participation, more boats and the
floating clubhouse.
Better because it has more boats, better docks, and the Willy Wall.
About the same.
Much better.
Better. Staff continuity!!!! The people are really great.
Better.
Can't say.
As the season developed, Sept.,& Oct. was better than last yr. New
international members and weather.
Not sure. The key is retaining your veterans, attracting the best sailing
talent in the city and training up the newbies so that the skill level and
reputation of the club remains high.
Not sure
Better because there are more boats, wider docks, a new launch, and more
opportunities to sail such as the regattas in St. Maarten and Monaco.
Better - More boats, Willy Wall is open more.
I haven't been a member long enough to comment.
Better because of leadership
Better. More activities it seems.
I am fairly new and will let you know next year.
As a new member, I can't comment.
It is better than when i first joined. At that time the fleet captain
program was a bit wanky. i think it was suggested that you were supposed to pay
2 buck a sail or something. that was not good.
I think that the social and community events have improved.
Better, I'm more involved and have met people
How do you feel about our
current fleet of boats?
I like them. It's great that we have 24 now. I'm very excited about the
Lasers and I hope we can have a few Sunfish, too.
Too much a layman that I could really tell. The J24 I was on seemed in good
shape.
Good, but it could add more boats. Dinghies, especially Laser, would be a
great addition!
They are good learning boats and the quantity seems sufficient, but the
opportunity to sail on a larger boat would be nice as well. The ability to
reef the sails would be nice so that we were not restricted to winds under 25
knots.
Great except the ones in Hoboken still need new sails please.
J-24s are ideal for NY harbor and I'm very excited about the dinghy sailing;
great idea.
The boats are OK, but the vangs are not safe. The way they're set up, some
are nearly impossible to release. Try rigging with slimmer rope, and
consider attaching a cable strop between the cleat/block assembly and the mast
to allow more freedom of movement. This is class-legal...and pretty
cheap & easy to do.
Fine for racing, but for day sailing they are the most comfortable or easy of
boats to handle.
The fleet is fine.
They get the job done.
Very good. A couple of larger boats could be added.
They are just "OK", nothing to shout about but we had beautifully cut sails
for 2006.
Great
The boats are fine, but could be better maintained throughout the season.
The boats, while good in quantity, they are poor in quality.
Overall, pretty good, though they were beginning to show some wear and tear
by the end of the season, especially after the International regatta, which I
think was pretty hard on the boats.
Very acceptable.
It's a good size for the amount of sailors that regularly sail.
Need better maintenance
Well we had incidents with both Hoboken boats...serious masts issues
Great fleet of boats and members.
I've heard rumors of Lasers, which would be fantastic, although the area
they'll be able to sail in sounds very small.
I'm a new sailor, so don't know much about boats. They seem just right for
learning. It would be great to have 1 or 2 larger boats also.
They are very well maintained considering the amount of use.
What else is on your mind?
I wish the club had a secure site for entering our credit card numbers. I'm
not comfortable submitting all my information on a non-secure webpage. Can
the club use Pay Pal or something similar?
Vacations! So I can make more use of the club : )
I'm happy to know that the club is considering adding Lasers to the fleet.
I'm a big fan of Lasers and it would be a great addition to the club and it
would also attract lots of new members.
Better organization...for example. I have never received a welcome e-mail or a
membership card?
I would like membership cards sent out more often than once or twice per year.
I joined in July and still do not have my membership card. I do
really like the weekly e-mail newsletters - I think that is an excellent way to
communicate with members.
Love the club; would still love a cruising boat added to the fleet.
With weather this warm, we might as well have left the boats in the water!
Racing in the Caribbean when it's cold in NY.
It is vital to keep the right balance between expanding activities,
membership, etc, and the risk of making the club unmanageable and sailing
more difficult because of growing demand.
Keep up the new innovations for the club.
Let me think for a moment. Ah yes, sailing in New York, sailing in other
places, sailing sooner than later and America II.
Very satisfied with club. Best value in Manhattan.
More club sponsered sailing trips. We should be doing a spring and fall
flotilla.
There has been mention of lasers, or optimists for youth etc. I would really
like weekly laser or dinghy races with no age restriction. I am 50 now but
started racing small boats when I was a youngster (9 years old) for about 12
years. It was some of the most memorable fun times of all my sailing experience.
I hope all age dinghy racing each week is something that will be
included in the future. Thanks for making sailing on the Hudson safe,
easily accessible and affordable.
Is it possible to have someone periodically clean up all the debris and floats
around the docks.
I strongly believe access to the J105 should be formalized, at least for
FC's, and it should not be dependant on doing maintenance (maintenance staff
should do it). I also recommend buying one or two more J105s or similar cruising
boats so we can cultivate cruising skills such as reefing, anchoring and
navigation.
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