Although named for the mercurial Greek god of the sea, the Neptune Sailing Club lends a far tamer option for those wanting to tame the high seas - or the lake.
Snuggled behind Anthony's Home Port in the Kirkland Marina are four 22-foot sailboats - two Catalina 22s (designated for family outings) and two J-22s (the racers) - there for the taking on Lake Washington by any of the club's 85 members. The only restriction is you've got to sail between the lines - or at least the triangle - of the SR-520 bridge to the south, Sand Point to the west and the far end of Juanita Bay to the north.
Venturing to the edge of these boundaries and back will be close to the three-hour weekend max, says club president Keith Krumm. This time restriction is lifted during the week, although boats must always be checked back in by 5 p.m.
Affordable sailing
The non-profit club, which currently is at capacity, claims to be the oldest sailing club in the area. While no one seems to know the precise date of inception, most of the board members agree on approximately three decades.
Affordability is important to the non-profit organization. "It's in our charter," says Jim Maji, one of the club's most senior members, "to provide affordable family day sailing for the local community. There's a lot of diversity in the area. We want to appeal to that."
This said, there is, however, a hefty initiation fee, about a third of which goes to the trainers and the remainder to replacing boats, which can run between $20,000 and $30,000. But it's still a great deal - members only partake in two work parties in the spring and fall and, best of all, they completely forego the notorious monetary and upkeep shackles of boat ownership.
Sailor and board member Philippe Lindheimer, who joined in July 2004, has been toying with the idea of purchasing a boat, laughingly refers to the ongoing joke boat owners could just as easily bag up all their money and toss it in the water.
Krumm, who is in the second year of his post, says the club trains between 10 and 20 new sailors a year, using approved American Sailing Association training and certification guidelines. "People come in with a desire to learn to sail," he says. "For some, it's a stepping stone. But I doubt if I'd ever quit the club, even if I owned a boat." He mentions that several members do own their own boats, but use them on Puget Sound. "Our boats are the right size for the lake - we purposely picked Kirkland for its location," he says.
The club offers two racing nights: informal outings on Wednesday nights and the Anthony's Home Port Racing Series on Friday nights during the summer months. The latter is on a first-come, first-served basis - there could be 60 or 70 boats on a favorable Friday night racing from Juanita Bay to Hunts Point.
Remarkably, there is almost no waiting to get a boat despite the fact that there's no reservation system. "With the cap in membership, in theory you should be able to come down and get a boat," says Lindheimer. He did an informal review of the checkout records and found that only one time someone had to wait - and only 45 minutes.
The Neptune Club shares marina space with Island Sailing, which offers training only - no membership. Neptune members enjoy the social benefits - including races, meetings and work parties - as well as the golden opportunity to reap the rewards of oh-so-close boat ownership.
"I feel so fortunate that we have this so close," says Lindheimer, "I can say, 'Let's go sailing,' run by and pick up a friend and be out of the marina 25 minutes later."
For more information or to put your name on the membership waiting list, see www.neptunesailing.org or e-mail info@neptunesailing.org.
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