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Club + Resort Business

Exotic Cars, Motorcycles Event Offers a Broader Appeal to Seattle (Wash.) YC Members

By Pamela Brill | June 12, 2020

The Seattle Yacht Club hosted an exotic car and motorcycle BBQ as part of its effort to appeal to a broader interest. In Virginia, Farmington Country Club and The Country Club of Virginia catered to their youngest members with versions of “Cookies and Canvas” to help kids “unplug” and enjoy the club.

(As featured in C+RB’s 14th Annual Ideas Issue, June 2020.)

Boating isn’t the only mode of transportation favored by membership at the Seattle (Wash.) Yacht Club (SYC). In September 2019, the club hosted an exotic car and motorcycle BBQ, as part of its effort to appeal to a broader interest. “I have noticed a number of classic vehicles in our parking lot over the years, so [I] knew that many members were enthusiastic collectors,” says General Manager Amy Shaftel.

Inspired by the success of a previous Seattle Yacht Club Foundation classic car and boat show fundraiser, Shafter recruited a club member to serve as master of ceremonies and began calling members to take part by showcasing their vehicles. No fee was required to enter a vehicle or simply to attend; lunch was provided at a separate cost ($10 for adults, $5 for children, and no fee for drivers of the vehicles).  

With the event promoted through various channels, including monthly and weekly newsletters, e-blasts and signs posted around the club, word quickly spread among the SYC membership and staff, who were also encouraged to participate.  

For help with executing the land-based event, SYC tapped the Drivers Club of Redmond, Wash., for tips on how to set up the parking lot. “They made great suggestions and we invited their members, as well as members from the local Jaguar and Corvette clubs to join in,” says Shaftel.  

The club’s lower lot was cordoned off the night before the event, and two tents (one for registration and one for food) were assembled. Drivers were asked to arrive in advance of the start time, with each driver receiving a number to place on the dashboard and a map detailing how to park their vehicles. They were also tasked with filling in the make, model and year of their entry; in exchange, they received a voucher for lunch.  

Once the grounds opened for the event, attendees were directed to park in the upper lot and given ballots to cast their votes for a total of 39 cars represented in a variety of categories, including: Concours d’Elegance (best vehicle); People’s Choice (personal favorite); Best Zombie or Jalopy Car (least likely to get you home); Smiles Per Mile (most fun); Kid’s Choice (for voters under 15 years of age), and Best Restoration. Winners were awarded a 5-in-1 barbecue tool affixed with the SYC logo.  

When members weren’t checking out the coolest things on wheels, they dined on classic BBQ fare—hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, baked beans, coleslaw, watermelon, cookies and brownies—against the backdrop of the “American Graffiti” soundtrack and classic rock. “Not much entertainment was needed; people love to talk about cars,” notes Shaftel. “Even members who no longer own boats still enjoy driving their classic cars.”

With 100 lunch tickets purchased, an event that had been budgeted to break even met management’s expectations. “Members were so excited that two agreed to be the event chairs for 2020 and make this an annual event,” Shaftel says. And even with heightened safety concerns, she does not anticipate having to adapt the format tremendously, because the event already takes place outdoors. “It is easy to keep social distancing in mind by spacing out cars,” she notes, adding that more tables could also be added to help diners spread out.

And while its first venture into featuring wheeled transportation was not responsible for bringing in any new memberships, existing members were able to make new connections. “Neighbors brought their kids, so it was great for our little community,” notes Shaftel. “One family saw the cars from the freeway and came by. It was nice to welcome everyone when we are usually closed to non-members.”  

The Goal :   Create a sense of community by hosting a family-friendly event that goes beyond Seattle Yacht Club’s usual focus. The plan : Prep the property for a car and motorcycle showcase that includes participant voting for a variety of categories. The payoff : A festive outing that is already on the books for a repeat performance.

Farmington Country Club, left, and The Country Club of Virginia hosted “Cookies and Canvas” events for their youngest members.

In Virginia, two clubs have had success converting the popular “wine and design” trend among adults to an equally appealing kids’ version, “Cookies and Canvas.” Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va. positioned its event as an opportunity to provide an exciting activity for kids (and new revenue for its Children’s Place) while also drawing their parents to the club’s restaurants. With a maximum headcount of 20, children ate dinner after arriving and then painted on a canvas. After painting, they got to decorate cookies for dessert.  

The Country Club of Virginia (CCV) in Richmond, Va. offered its version of Cookies and Canvas as an “unplugged event” that could encourage creativity and time away from cell phones, video games and other technology. An instructor led the painting class as children painted their own unique canvases, and then enjoyed designing, decorating and eating their own cookie masterpieces with their friends. “This event works in all seasons, for all ages, genders and levels of artistic talent,” says Megan Jinks, CCV’s Youth Manager.

About The Author

Pamela Brill

Pamela Brill, a contributing editor for Club + Resort Business since 2007, has primarily covered the design and renovation beat. She also serves as a contributing editor of Gifts & Decorative Accessories, a trade magazine covering the specialty gift and toy retail market, and Long Island Living, a lifestyle publication for the Metro NY area.

Pamela’s work has been published in a variety of digital and print outlets, including Parents.com, Publishers weekly, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens and Newsday. She has also produced digital brand content for Rashti & Rashti and Nintendo of America.

She lives on the North Shore of Long Island, NY, with her husband and two daughters.

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UW’s student yacht club could end as university reimagines waterfront

The high cost of membership and boats probably makes joining a yacht club low on the priority list for many college students. But University of Washington students have been able to take part in one for just $39 per quarter and have full access to expensive boating equipment, lessons and time on the water.

That deal could come to an end as soon as this summer, as the university’s latest waterfront renovations threaten to shut down the 76-year-old Washington Yacht Club.

According to club members, students will lose out on a unique, affordable experience, but the university says it’s making the waterfront more equitable, opening it up to more students and a wider range of uses.

The Washington Yacht Club has been on the UW campus since 1948 and operates as a nonprofit as well as a registered student organization. The club’s goal, according to its website, is to “teach and promote sailing in a safe, inclusive, accessible, and affordable way.”

Currently, the club stores its fleet of 70 boats at the docks near Husky Stadium on the east side of campus, including dinghies, keelboats and high-performance catamarans.

The club will have to remove all of them by July 1 as the university tears down, rebuilds and repairs the docks.

“The main issue is that they are going to remove us either way, no matter what the footprint is or how that changes,” said Layla Airola, a UW junior and a spokesperson for the yacht club.

The docks, located in front of the Water Activities Center, need to be replaced as many of them “are nearing their end of life and have some safety hazards due to deterioration over time,” according to project documents.

Gregory Reinhardt, associate director for programming at UW’s recreation department, said the project will cost $2.54 million based on current projections.

Once the work is done by April 2025, the university won’t let the club return its fleet to the docks, save for maybe one boat, if it agrees to become a recreational club. Without a place to store its fleet, the yacht club will struggle to exist in its current form, members say.

Notably, the Washington Yacht Club says, the project will remove the dinghy docks, effectively shutting down the club’s small-boat sailing program, which often helps introduce beginners to the sport.

Nearby and also being renovated is the historic ASUW Shellhouse , the birthplace of the UW rowing program made famous by the book, and the recent George Clooney-directed movie, “The Boys in the Boat,” chronicling the team’s push to compete in the 1936 Olympics.

The 2023 film helped inspire the shell house project, funded by an $18.5 million fundraising campaign. When the remodel is finished in June 2026, the doors will roll open again, and the shell house will become a student and community gathering space.

Until recently, the student yacht club and other groups stored some equipment in the shell house. Airola argues the new vision for the shell house goes against the building’s origins.

“The ASUW Shellhouse’s history is centered around student athletics, yet students are being displaced to convert the building into an event venue,” Airola said in a text message.

The Washington Yacht Club isn’t the only student group displeased. Last month, the Associated Students of the University of Washington, the school’s student government, passed a resolution opposing the dock renovation as it would limit the yacht club’s ability to operate, according to The Daily, UW’s student newspaper .

The university contends the yacht club can continue to exist and has offered its members the option of becoming a recreational club. If they do, they’d be allowed to store one boat at the docks.

Reinhardt said none of the 38 active clubs the department oversees receives the same amenities the yacht club does. He said in an email the offer to make them a recreational club would make their experience “consistent with that of the other [registered student organizations] we support officially through Rec Club status.”

Reinhardt also suggested in an email to the yacht club the possibility that they could rent moorage nearby from Intercollegiate Athletics, though that option hadn’t been explored.

Airola said one boat is not enough to support the club’s approximately 300 student members. She acknowledged the club has more storage space than any other student recreation club on campus, but argues the scope of their organization warrants the space.

As the July deadline to remove their boats nears, Airola said the group is looking into other storage locations for its fleet. If the club can’t find a place, it may have to sell its boats.

“Our experience with the university has not been that they would like to keep us here,” said Renee Chien, a senior and the club’s rear commodore. “But we do offer a very unique experience for students.”

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