SAILING : A Family-Oriented Yacht Club That Charts a Fun Course Without Big Bucks or Booze

For the secretary of the San Fernando Valley Yacht Club, jokes come with the job, and Jim Ingram has heard them all.

No, the club does not hold regattas at Hansen Dam or have a clubhouse overlooking the Los Angeles River. Its members do not have 40-foot yachts in wet storage at Marina Del Rey, and Dennis Conner does not call Ingram for a new crew.

The Sherman Oaks-based club, however, is more than 25 years old and has 70 member-families after starting with just four.

“Some people call us just a paper club,” Ingram said. “But we’re actually very active socially and have a big sailing schedule for the size of our club. Our people don’t have the kind of money to join a $1,500-a-month club.”

Ingram, 57, is a typical member of what he calls a “blue-collar” yachting club. The veteran sailor from Canoga Park has sailed competitively and was involved in other clubs before joining the SFVYC 10 years ago.

“You get to know the ‘in’ crowd in the big clubs and they’re very clickish,” he said. “You’re just a number, nobody knows you. When I was in the Westlake Yacht Club, people would walk up to me and ask where I lived. When I told them that I lived in Canoga Park, they turned and walked away because I didn’t live in Westlake.”

Ingram emphasizes two aspects of his club--its low membership dues and “family-oriented” atmosphere. Membership fee is only $30 a year. Ingram’s boat, a 22-year-old Gladiator, is typical of the smaller, less expensive boats in the SFVYC.

The SFVYC is in the middle of the year’s peak yachting season. Its members often sail out of Marina Del Rey but compete in races and cruises throughout Southern California. While the SFVYC does not have a clubhouse, it does have a full calendar of events year-round, including club parties without alcohol and monthly meetings.

Sailing skills are preferred but not required for membership. Potential members can work as crew for club members before getting a sponsor to nominate them for membership.