Commodores Club: A Sailing Club in the Hamptons
If you sail a few times a summer, joining a sailing club in the Hamptons can save you real money. That’s the idea behind the Commodores Club at Sag Harbor Sailing. Instead of paying the full rate every time you want to get out on the water, members pay a seasonal fee and then a discounted rate on each sail. You skipper one of our 23-foot Pearson Ensigns yourself, around the calm bays of Sag Harbor, as often as you like through the season. It’s a simple membership: no big initiation, no yacht-club formality. Just more time on the water for less. Members range from weekend sailors to folks who get out on the water most weeks.
What Your Membership Includes
Membership is built around one idea: sailing more for less. There’s a seasonal membership fee, and then members pay a reduced rate on every sail. The standard three-hour rental runs $490, while the member rate is $250 on weekdays and weekends. If you sail more than a few times a season, the savings add up quickly.
You skipper the boat yourself. Club rates apply to self-skippered sails, so you’re at the helm of a 23-foot Pearson Ensign, sailing the calm bays around Sag Harbor on your own schedule. Members can book one three-hour sail per day. There’s no waiting on a captain’s schedule and no sharing the boat with strangers.
Members also enjoy a few onsite perks at our Sag Harbor base:
- Complimentary ice.
- Use of the BBQ grill.
- Access to the beach and lounge areas.
The seasonal one-time fee is $690. If you expect to sail often, ask us about our multi-trip packages, which can save even more. Most members find they sail more once the per-trip cost drops, which is half the fun. Put another way, two or three member sails can cover the cost of joining. After that, every sail is money saved.
Who the Commodores Club Is For
The Commodores Club is for people who already love sailing and want to do more of it. If you find yourself booking the same boat again and again each summer, membership simply makes that cheaper. As sailing clubs go, ours is refreshingly simple.
It’s a good fit for confident sailors who want their own boat for the day without the cost and upkeep of owning one. It suits families and couples who sail together often. It also suits returning renters who’d rather pay a member rate than the full one each time. Owning a boat in the Hamptons means paying for a slip, winter storage, insurance, and constant upkeep. Then you use it only a handful of times. Membership skips all of that. You get the sailing without the ownership headaches.
One thing to know up front: this is a self-skipper membership. To join, you need to be able to take the boat out and bring it back to the dock on your own, without a captain aboard. If you’re not there yet, that’s fine. Start with our sailing lessons, get comfortable at the helm, and join when you’re ready.
Sailing the Hamptons as a Member
Membership turns the East End into your backyard for the season. Most member sails stay in the protected bays around Sag Harbor. The water is calm and the wind is steady. You can spend a morning tacking around Noyac Bay, sail over toward Shelter Island, or drift along and take in the North Haven shoreline. Because you’re skippering, you set the plan. Some members head out for a few hours after work. Others make a full day of it on the weekend. The boat is yours for the session, so there’s no schedule but your own. It’s the kind of sailing you look forward to all week.
*Ask about our 5-trip and 10-trip boat club 20% off discounted rates with a FREE sunset cruise and VIP Status.
See What You'll Save!
The Boat club makes sense if you are going to rent 5 or more times during the season.
*Example for 5 Trip Package for this model. Pricing does not include crew, fuel, gratuity or any extras.
Commodore’s Club members also enjoy several onsite amenities including:
- Complimentary Ice
- Use of the BBQ grill
- Use of all beach and lounge areas
*Members are limited to one three hour rental per day. Candidates for membership must be able to demonstrate sufficient sailing skills to leave and return to dock without assistance. Rentals requiring the use of our captain don’t qualify for Club rates.
Policies
Deposits
Full payment is due at booking. Dates/times can be changed when you notify us in writing of your request >90 days before sailing date. If booking in January, February or March we allow 50% deposit these months. Kindly text any request at time of booking.
Weather & Cancellations
We have a no-rain and small craft advisory policy so we do not set sail if it is currently raining or rain is imminent in the forecast. We also obviously care about your safety, so we will not set sail in inclement weather and during any small craft advisory. We will generally make those decisions 2-hours before sailing time. If our captain decides not to set sail that day, due to rain or if a small craft advisory is in effect, you will have the option to receive a rain date for a period of 28 months. This allows you 3 summer seasons to reschedule. We will apply your payment and you will receive that credit to sail again within the next 28 months.
Once a client books a boat we notify all subsequent inquiries that “the boat is taken and unavailable”. For this reason we do not offer any refund on cancellations. If you cancel a reservation up to 90 days before your sail date, we do allow a no-cost change of date. Inclement weather as stated above is the sole reason for any cancellation.
Please click the “Booking Calendar” link above, check availability, and book away!
Cleaning Fees
Any vessel returned that requires additional clean up will be charged $50.00.
Late Fees
Any vessel returning to dock after the agreed upon return time will be charged $75 and charged $75 again for every hour thereafter.
How to Join
Joining is straightforward. Reach out by phone or text, and we’ll walk you through it. Because the club is self-skipper, we’ll first confirm you can handle the boat on your own. Candidates need to show they can leave and return to the dock without assistance. If you’ve sailed with us before or hold an ASA certification, that step is usually quick.
From there, you pay the seasonal fee and you’re set for the season. Membership runs through the season, so the sooner you join, the more sails you get at the member rate. You book your sails online or by text, the same way you’d book a regular rental, and your member rate is applied automatically. A couple of booking notes: if you join early in the year, you can hold your spot with a 50% deposit in January, February, or March. And if weather ever cancels a sail, your payment becomes a rain-date credit good for 28 months, which gives you three summer seasons to use it.
Water Toys & Gear
We Include with your Rental:
Life Jackets, Noodles
Optional Items Are:
Snorkel, Fishing Gear, Seabobs, Sun Chill Floating Lily Pad, Water Skiing (2 hours), Wake Boarding (2 hours) & Tubing (2 hours)
NEED AN ESCAPE?
Lets have a fun and memorable day!
Frequently Asked Questions
-
How many sails does it take before the membership pays off?
It depends on the membership fee and how often you sail, but the math is simple. A standard three-hour rental is $475, while the member rate is $150 on weekdays and $200 on weekends. For most members who sail several times a season, the savings cover the fee and then some. For many, it pays for itself in just two or three sails.
-
Do I need to know how to sail to join?
Yes. The Commodores Club is a self-skipper membership, so you need to be able to take the boat out and return it to the dock without a captain. If you’re still learning, start with a few lessons and join once you’re confident at the helm.
-
Do I need to own a boat?
No. That’s the point. You sail our 23-foot Pearson Ensigns, and we handle the upkeep, storage, and maintenance. You just show up and sail.
-
Can I have a captain on a club sail?
Club rates apply to self-skippered sails only. You’re always welcome to book a regular sailboat rental with one of our captains at the standard rate, but those sails don’t use the member discount.
-
What do members get onsite?
Members enjoy complimentary ice, use of the BBQ grill, and access to the beach and lounge areas at our Sag Harbor base.
Join the Commodores Club
If sailing the Hamptons is becoming a habit, the Commodores Club is the easy way to do it for less. Call or text us at (631) 725-5100 to ask about membership or to start the sign-up. We’ll confirm you’re set to skipper, get you signed up, and have you booking sails at the member rate before long.