Sailing my boat down the Pacific Coast was a great trip and full of beauty and excitement. The sight of Morro Rock after 300 miles of open sea and storms was welcoming. It is just sad that the same feeling of welcome was not received when I tied up my boat and contacted the Morro Bay Yacht Club upon my arrival.

When I approached a member of the club to find out about possible membership, I was met with reproach and condescension. The representative, a rather nasty little man named Kevin, informed me that the cost of joining the club would be beyond my means and that I would not be allowed in the club since I knew no-one there.

Wow, what a welcome feeling I walked away with.

Since being in Morro Bay, I have seen that this supposed yacht club caters to dinghy racers and clogs Morro Bay with skiffs and dinghies to the point that bringing in an actual ocean sailboat is, at times, dangerous due to the tiny-boat traffic.

I have also spoken with another ocean sailor, new to Morro Bay, who attempted to enter the clubhouse on “hamburger night” with the intention of talking with a member. This fellow sailor was screamed at and humiliated by a female member of the club when she yelled “You are not a member here, get out!” at the top of her lungs.

After sailing nearly 50,000 nautical miles just in the past three years, and a couple of decades of sailing under my belt, I can honestly say I have never been treated so poorly when entering a port by a supposed yacht club.

Currently, I am a member of yacht clubs in Hawaii, Florida, and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. All of these clubs were welcoming and have provided safe havens for sailors who enjoy the life of the sea. It is a shame that the same is not the case in Morro Bay.

-- Rory Kremer - Sailing vessel Moonshadow