Written by Claire Heaney | 29/06/2017
WHEN lifelong yachtie Gary Freeman came across people who loved to sail but didn’t have the cash to buy a yacht, or the time to justify the investment, he had a brainwave.
Ten years ago he launched Pleasure Cruising Club, which is a boatshare model that provides people with access by subscription. Mr. Freeman said research showed people only used their boats 16 days a year, so it was a lot of money to have tied up.
He said joining a boatshare program was a bit like joining a gold course.
“You don’t have to buy the course to play golf and you don’t have to buy a boat to sail,” Mr freeman said.
Based at Docklands, the business offers a cheaper and more efficient way for people to have a walk-on-walk-off experience.
The Pleasure Cruising Club membership includes a Captain’s School, which offers theory and practical experience to ensure people are prepared to sail one of the club’s 10 boats.
The club also runs a 24-hour assistance or breakdown service for members, with all boats having location trackers.
Members book their boat and arrive to find a full tank of petrol and, if desired, food and drink on board.
Pleasure Cruising Club membership start from $599 per month.
Mr. Freeman said when people added the numbers up – the cost of buying a $100,000 boat, around $2500 a year for a marina berth, depreciation and $10,000 for incidentals such as insurance and maintenance – there were a lot of outgoings.
Mr. Freeman said clientele included corporates who wanted to host meetings and guests. Others included families going out on fishing trips and entertainment.
Another group where downsizers who no longer had a boat but want to go sailing occasionally, he said.
