Harbormaster Jim Dale calls the Stockton Sailing Club the city’s “best kept secret.” The locals will get a peek beginning this weekend.
The sailing club is hosting a full schedule of activities beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday for its opening day of the season, where people of all ages are invited to experience a hidden gem that many might not know is in their own backyard.
“Opening day is the day we open up to the city of Stockton and surrounding communities, and say, ‘Come on down, have a good time,’” Dale said.
Club bookkeeper Manny Lial joked that some members don’t want the word to get out.
“I’m betting there’s probably a sub-culture of boaters (thinking), ‘The secret of Stockton Sailing Club, don’t tell anybody it’s out here,’” Lial said. But, “The more exposure we can get out there, the more folks can recognize that there’s other things to do in Stockton.”
The club was founded in 1933 to promote sailing, moving from downtown Stockton to its current location on Buckley Cove Way in 1965. That move came with upgrades: New docks and buildings were constructed and a crane was later added at the end of the docks to hoist boats into the water.
What began as an obsessed team of teenagers has evolved into a group of about 300 active members, according to Dale.
Today, the club is enjoying smooth sailing.
The Stockton Sailing Club will be giving free boat rides on opening day to show off the culture of sailing. Other activities include arts and crafts, a photography exhibit, kids games and a “bring your friends” public dinner at 5 p.m.
The event is free, but attendees may want to bring some extra cash for lunch, which includes hot dogs and hamburgers sold by volunteers.
Boat rides along the historic San Joaquin River Delta will run from 1-4 p.m.
“They’d be hoisting their sails, they’d be cutting their motors off, and then people get the true experience of what it’s like just to move on the water without any diesel, Dale said. “It’s just a pretty cool experience.”
Aside from being a scenic hook-up spot for sailing boats, the club also offers many amenities through its membership program.
Members have regular access to the clubhouse, which features a dining room and bar, and boat slips are also rented at a discounted rate. Regular $10 Friday night dinners are held in the clubhouse, and every Tuesday night features live music from a band made up of club members.
A scholarship is also available to the public through PICYA, or the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association, which provides aid to graduating high school and college students wishing to continue their education at a higher institution.
PICYA is the only organization in Northern California “that supports the promotion of recreational boating through the coordination and dissemination of information for the benefit of boaters.”
Dale told Stocktonia the club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the benefit of its members — and in turn, they’ll help the club out, too.
“It’s very much a volunteer organization,” Dale said. “There’s only two full-time employees here, … so we have a very small staff, and we depend on the membership.”
Online membership applications are available online at the Stockton Sailing Club’s website.
The sailing club also prides itself on training the next generation of voyagers with its Learn to Sail program, which teaches the basics of sailing in morning and afternoon classes for both kids and adults.
“Just enjoy our space, right? I mean that’s the first thing, and the second thing is let’s go for a boat ride, you know, and recognize that this is what you can do here, and you don’t even have to own the boat,” Dale said.