How would you describe your
club? We are a private boating and
social club that serves the needs
of Sausalito and surrounding communities by offering inexpensive
access to water-related activities as
well as music, food and beverages,
with an easygoing and welcoming
atmosphere not commonly found in
standard yacht clubs.
Dress code? Dress to have fun is the
only dress code at the SCC; however,
shoes and shirt are required in times
of food service.
Best feature of the club? There
are many great features of the
SCC, from the collection of watercraft available for use and the
awesome location at the head of
Dunphy Park with commanding
views of Richardson Bay to our
stage, fabulous sound system and
magically rustic clubhouse and
bar, but the best feature of the SCC
is its welcoming and fun-loving
membership.
Always a yacht club? No, the
Cruising Club clubhouse was a surplus World War II munitions barge.
Describe your typical member?
There is no such thing at the
SCC. We are a melting pot where
millionaires rub shoulders with
anchor-outs. Ages range from high
80s to young 20s and there are a
lot of kids in the mix. The SCC is a
very family-friendly club.
Do you have a paid bartender?
We do carry a staff. We have five
bartenders on staff who rotate
through service; we have two
kitchen staff, one door man and
two other all-arounders who can
fill in where needed. On a typical
night, we usually staff with one or
two tenders, a server and one or
two in the kitchen.
Are you open to the public on any
nights? Our licensing provides us
limited ability to open to the public and we save those for special
events, outreach and community
fundraising projects.
Live music? If you like to dance, our
bookings feature bands that know
how to lay down a dance beat. On
Mondays, we have an open mic
“Blue Monday” backed by an awesome band. Whether members
play guitar, harmonica, keyboards
or sing, they are welcome to get
onstage and play with the best.
Food service? The Sausalito
Cruising Club has a full galley that
serves up quality dishes. Most
nights, the food is à la carte, ordered
from our menu. We have a fully
stocked bar, with our friendly staff
serving a wide selection of beers,
fine wines and top-shelf spirits.
Membership dues? Our yearly
dues are reasonable, currently at
just $500, plus $100 initiation that
is good for two people.
Signature cocktail? Our skilled
bartenders can mix any drink but a
quality margarita always complements a warm afternoon on the
water in Sausalito.
Reciprocity? We have reciprocal
rights with all PICYA-affiliated
yacht clubs on the West Coast,
Hawaii, and throughout the world.
Membership events? We hold
events most of the major holidays,
we do kids’ days once a month
in the summer, and we schedule
sail-outs so that members who
don’t own boats can get out and
enjoy the bay.
Are there yachts? The Sausalito
Cruising Club maintains a fleet of
watercraft for use by its members.
We have kayaks, paddleboards
and sailing dinghies, including
Lasers, and are re-rigging an
Islander Bahama 24. Our clubhouse
barge sits on one of the calmest
and most beautiful parts of San
Francisco Bay: Richardson Bay. It is
an ideal location to learn to kayak
or paddleboard. For those interested in sailing, Angel Island, San
Francisco and the Golden Gate are
an easy sail away.
Set in a former munitions barge, the Sausalito Cruising Club was founded in 1949 by
service members returning from World War II. Members purchased the barge after
the war when the government was selling off wartime surpluses and have extensively
remodeled it since the club’s inception. The club, which is a tax-exempt private social
organization, has a simple mission: to bring people who share a love of the sea and nautical activities together to socialize. Here the attitude is very much a “whatever floats your
boat” kind of affair. No boat? No problem. Boat ownership is not a membership requirement, although roughly a third of members do have one — there are also a number of
kayaks and paddleboards for club members to use on Richardson Bay. Landlubbers, fret
not: the Sausalito Cruising Club calendar is stacked with shoreside events, including
live music Monday through Friday, major holiday fetes, and kids’ days during the summer months. sausalitocruisingclub.org ANSWERS PROVIDED BY JOHN DONOVAN, COMMODORE
SAUSALITO
CRUISING CLUB
EST. 1949,
500 MEMBERS,
SAUSALITO,
37° 51’ 42. 6”N
122° 29’ 17.0”W
