encinal yacht club junior sailing

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About Northwest Youth Sailing

​youth sailing initiative​.

This website is proudly sponsored by The Sailing Foundation as part of its Youth Sailing Initiative. The purpose of the Youth Sailing Initiative is to encourage and promote the growth of youth sailing in the Pacific Northwest. As a 501(c)3 we are here to augment the good work currently being done by local sailing programs and organizations. Focused on youth sailing at all levels, but with a special focus on racing, we believe sailing as an activity offers a unique medium for personal growth and enrichment. The joy of sailing and sailboat racing should be enjoyed by the many, not the few. Our Youth Sailing Initiative is centered around four key elements... Racing, Outreach, Organization, and Training.

​Who We Are

Solvig   Sayre, Youth Sailing Director

Solvig (pronounced Sol-vay) Sayre grew up in Massachusetts. There she developed her passion for sailing and windsurfing, eventually training with the US Olympic Team in the women's RS:X while competing for her high school and Eckerd College sailing teams. While pursuing her degree in International Relations and Global Affairs, she raced in two collegiate national championships as a skipper and placed second in the US Olympic trials for the 2012 games. 

After sailing full time, Solvig returned to her love of coaching. She was involved in organizations on each of the four continental US coasts and worked with a wide range of programs that included learn-to-sail through high performance racing. Most recently, Solvig coached high school sailing, the C420 team, keelboats, and wingfoiling at St. Francis Yacht Club. She was also hired by US Sailing to coach various events, including the Olympia and Bellingham US Sailing Jr. Women's Clinics in 2021 and 2022.

Solvig is passionate about coaching and says, “ I love watching kids’ eyes light up when their success is the direct result of their own effort and involvement. The chief lesson they learn, as I have, is that it takes many tries to achieve. They won’t learn to sail unless they fail many times. Later on, the kids will have the confidence to make life decisions; they’ll have faith in their own ability, and they’ll just keep on trying in the face of setbacks.”

Youth Advisory Board Members

Erin timms (vp/youth).

Erin Timms has experienced the overwhelmingly positive effects of junior sailing through her two boys Owen and Alan. Both are accomplished dinghy sailors who began their journey at Olympia Yacht Club before joining the Seattle Yacht Club Race Team. Owen is now sailing at George Washington University, while Alan still has a couple years left with the Olympia High School team. Erin has been an active parent volunteer with SYC, OYC, and now Olympia Community Sailing. She is well respected among her peers throughout the region for her dedication and ability to get things done! Need an example? Erin chaired our 50th Anniversary Auction and USODA Opti Nationals in back to back years! She is now serving as temporary co-chair of the Northwest Youth Racing Circuit along with fellow board member Haley Lhamon.  

Burke Thomas, Director of Sail Orcas

Burke Thomas  started racing El Toros on Green Lake at age 8 and has enjoyed sailing ever since. He has enjoyed coaching and serving on the board of Orcas High School Sailing Team and is a former director of Northwest high school sailing or NWISA. Burke is president of Woodsong Inc, a custom home building firm serving the San Juan Islands. Burke has a lot of experience with high school sailing and is always willing to help others get their team off the ground.

Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson  was the previous Youth Sailing Director of The Sailing Foundation. He is a native of Tacoma and graduate of Western Washington University with a degree in Education. His father introduced him to sailing at a young age aboard the Cal 40 "White Squall" on Puget Sound. At WWU Andrew was Captain of the sailing team and awarded the Pete McKillop Sportsmanship Award and later the Student Leadership Award by the Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association.

In 2013, while serving as the Junior Sailing Director at Encinal Yacht Club, the program was the recipient of the Nimitz Award for the "Most Outstanding Junior Sailing Program in the San Francisco Bay Area." Andrew where's several hats with US Sailing, serving as a member on the Championship and Training committees. He is also a member of the US Sailing National Faculty, which pushes to improve training standards for smallboat sailing. Andrew and his wife, who he met through college sailing, are getting their feet wet in the local 505 fleet. He also enjoys offshore racing, cruising, and exploring the natural beauty of the Northwest with his family.

Ramesh Parameswaran

Ramesh Parameswaran discovered sailing in graduate school on lake Mendota in Wisconsin on 470s and M scows. More recently he enjoys cruising in the San Juan islands and on the Puget Sound with his wife Vidya and kids Advik and Aditri on their C&C.  He has been part of the Northwest youth sailboat racing community for 7 years supporting his kids racing Optis, lasers, and FJs. 

Tanya Starke

Tanya Starke joined our Board in Late 2022, and is a member of the Youth Committee.  She was introduced to dinghy youth sailing through the robust Learn-to-Sail program in Gig Harbor.  Her daughter, Reagan, is a young Opti sailor who loves to sail and meet new Opti friends wherever she travels!  Reagan is part of the Narrows Race Team (NRT) which competes in the PNW and Puget Sound Sailing Team (PSST) which has traveled to San Francisco, Canada and Mexico.  Tanya's daughter, Quinn, will begin Jellyfish Sailing Camp in Gig Harbor this summer, and is counting down the time until she can join her sister in an Opti!  Tanya will be involved in youth sailing for many years to come and wants to ensure it remains inclusive and welcoming to all sailors, while expanding opportunities for PNW youth sailors (all classes) to gain advanced skills to be competitive at the highest levels if they wish. 

Mike Visser

Mike Visser re-joined our board in late 2022. The Visser family has quite a legacy with youth sailing and The Sailing Foundation. Mike's mother Jan was a long time board member, US Sailing rep, and promoter of the sport. Together Mike, Jan and Wright (Sailing Foundation Members) organized, created and ran the first WIND Clinic in the Gorge. Mike had an impressive junior sailing career in the Laser before graduating to the Finn, rising to be one of the top US Finn sailors. Mike resides in the Olympia area and is now the parent of a junior sailor himself. It's common to see Mike out in the Olympia Community Sailing RIB coaching Lasers on Bud Inlet where he learned to sail.

Haley Lhamon

Haley Lhamon started sailing on a lake in Texas with her parents where she soon raced Optimists, Laser Radials, and Laser II's. She competed in national Jr. championships, instructed at Santa Cruz YC, and then sailed on the Stanford Sailing Team. In Michigan she and her husband Rusty coached a high school team, mentored a keelboat team of disadvantaged youth, and raced their J/35 in the Chicago-Mackinac. Haley later organized women's clinics on Lake WA with support from the Thistle and Snipe fleets. She and Rusty also co-chaired the first NW Opti Regionals in 2012 at Corinthian YC. Now on Bainbridge Island, she coaches the high school sailing team, serves as a PMYC Jr. Advisor, and coordinates Parks and Rec's sailing program. Her two sons agree that their favorite family vacations are cruising adventures! Another claim to fame is her victory in the Race2Alaska as part of Team Sail Like a Girl.

Donate to Support Youth Sailing

The Four Pillars (R.O.O.T.)

We believe that racing is important because it builds upon and reinforces many of the lessons and concepts introduced in "Learn to Sail." Racing a small boat takes mastery of the fundamentals and an in depth understanding of how a sailboat works. Our goal is to provide excellent local racing opportunities and clinics, which are inclusive and affordable. Success is measured in increased participation regionally and competitiveness at a national level.

We work directly with existing sailing centers and yacht clubs to create sailing's next generation. Breaking down barriers, making sailing more visible, and increasing access to programming is the focus of our outreach. We achieve this through promotional events and advertising, expanding learn to sail opportunities in our region, and offering sailing scholarships to low income youth in Washington and Oregon.

Organization

Our goal is to better connect the youth sailing community by linking sailing centers, sailors, and area leaders with one another. This website is a means to that end, but a lot of our work still happens in the field by going around to area programs and getting to know the local leaders who are making it happen. By facilitating a climate of cooperation, everyone wins.

It's vital that our area has enough well qualified instructors and coaches. We take an active role in scheduling and teaching training courses, especially those which certify smallboat sailing instructors. We hope to continue this trend, and provide these new instructors with professional development pathways beyond entry level certification. Personally mentoring younger coaches, running staff workshops, and hosting our annual Coaches' Clinic are additional ways we're imporving the level of instruction and coaching.

Encinal Yacht Club

Review Highlights

“ My 2 girls learned how to sail here via the EYC Junior Sailing Program, which is by far the best on the bay . ” in 5 reviews

“ Guests can drive or take a boat right up to the dock , and for a small fee, berth their boat for the night. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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1251 Pacific Marina

Alameda, CA 94501

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Wonderful yachting experience in beautiful Alameda, CA. …

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Nice place to hangout and you can look over by the water. We went here to this place to get our award from our yacht club. Village west yacht club

Be very careful when joining this place. We joined this place a few years ago and when we left and let them know we were leaving they continued to bill us. We contacted the manager and sent several letters to no avail. We have not heard from them after 3 years and continue to get notices. They either have a very slow billing system and staff or are trying to pull a scam by ignoring our letters. Carefull...

Encinal Yacht Club has turned itself around in the last 5 years to become one of the most active clubs. They accomplished this by becoming active with yacht racing, hosting nautical events at the club and improving facilities. Had dinner several times and they have a professional staff to serve meals. Although, the Oakland YC next door has a better Sunday breakfast program, which we always seem to gravitate towards when we dock at Encinal YC. It's always a pleasure to visit the club because the layout is pleasant, the weather is warm and the people are friendly. It's a nice retreat from the cold chills in the central bay.

I have a few friends who are members here, and they seem to love it. I say that because they're always talking about it and trying to get me to join...even though I don't have a boat. That said, it does actually seem like a fun place to hang out. Venue: I've been here a couple times attending event for an organization. Both times, we were in the main hall, upstairs. There's a dining area and a bar. Fantastic decor that makes you feel like you're in a yacht club. The bar was actually built from a portion of a boat. Great view of the estuary and Oakland. It'd be a great place for a reception of some sort. Service: I can only speak to the bartender's performance, which was poor. I can understand that people may not tip much at some of these event, but I think they should be made aware that being treated poorly at the bar sets a really bad tone for the entire evening.

I just had my wedding here! Wow it was the most perfect view and service. Ellena the event coordinator did an amazing job with the details in the wedding. She was very flexible and so caring. The whole staff did a great job. Best service ever! Special Thank you to Mannys catering! He's caters in the club and off site. The food was out of this world! We had compliments the whole night!

Went here for a company party, and the lower level was not very nice. They only had one bartender for a party of about 60 people. The back patio was great - very nice view of the Alameda harbor and the bay.

My husband and I decided to visit because a friend of ours works there and told us to "stop by sometime." This is a members only yacht club, but they do allow visitors (you must check in downstairs in the office." The wait staff (dang, I forgot his name already...) was very polite, friendly and helpful. The manager stopped by our table and told us all about the club; he was very friendly and polite as well. We had breakfast and the food was very good.

Bit pricey but pretty good food and excellent views. Very relaxing and good service. You need a membership.

Everybody loves their yacht club, so here's an outsider's perspective. Over the past 4 years I've been to every major club in S.F. Bay. Here are the plusses & minuses: The Plusses: 1. It has a pool 2. It has a professionally staffed bar and dining room. 3. It's decently dressed up, looking better than the Kiwanis Club style of yacht club. 4. Overnight docking was free, like in Richmond. 5. All staff were friendly/helpful, though we never did find the Harbormaster. Here are the Minuses: 1. the docking is crowded and unstable. Fine for capable sailors who can end tie and walk on a swaying deck, but don't bring your grandparents down to your boat. Most places have nearby marinas, or at least full slips to dock in. Not here. Not much room. 2. It's in the estuary, taking fully one hour to motor up to the Bay Bridge. The wind is diminished by the island, and you'll have to decide if you like that or not. Small craft can do a little safe sailing, and the channel is deep, but it's a big industrial park. Absolutely zero ambiance - reminded me of the San Pablo club up near the Richmond Oil tanks. If you're going to be on the Alameda island, why the heck wouldn't you be at Baleena where you turn out of the marina and immediately into the widest part of the bay for sailing? 3. The food was average, but priced a bit over average, thus a 2 star value. No cappuccino. Staff was helpful, but very busy. They have a view and decks outside, if you want to watch the Coast Guard island and container ships being unloaded...;^) 4. The night I cruised in, they were having a wedding. That meant we all had to eat in the bar (which is spacious). The music was so loud, even with partitions, that you couldn't hear 2 people away (you could talk to your neighbor and they'd pass it on). Just horrible ambiance. If you hear a party is being held, and it's not yours, go somewhere else. In fact, if you're a real sailor, go to Sierra Point, Baleena, or one of the Name Clubs around the Slot (if you can afford them). You'll save hours a week getting to/from the real sailing, and your view will be nicer.

Nothing like spending an afternoon on the deck in the sun with a drink watching all the activities. Great club, great people and a spectacular, elegant new bar. My 2 girls learned how to sail here via the EYC Junior Sailing Program, which is by far the best on the bay. What could be cooler than spending your summer vacation with friends, sailing, swimming in the pool and evening BBQ's. Great place, check it out!

The New Bar

Clubhouse and pool at night

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MORE – looking again I see that SEA is listed but it’s mixed in with RICHMOND YACHT CLUB. Scroll Down 16 lines to Sailing Education Adventures (not in bold, blue or set apart). The dates are posted on the website and camps are filling up fast.

Alice – thanks for catching our mistake. Now fixed. Happy sailing.

I don’t see Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation listed. Based in Redwood City, they have kids and youth sailing and racing programs: pysf.us

How could we miss that? Molly runs a fantastic program in the South Bay and we know hundreds of enthusiastic new and skilled sailors emerge from the program every year. We’ll make sure it’s updated.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Sausalito Yacht Club has a active youth Sailing program which is not listed ?

Once again we thank you for the ‘heads up’ and we’ll make sure to correct our omission.

Here is another camp!

Call of the Sea (Sausalito) Youth Programs https://callofthesea.org/sail-with-us/youth-day-camp/ Youth Summer Camps Where: Bay Model Visitors Center, Sausalito When: June 14th – July 2nd / July 5th – July 23rd / July 26 – August 13th, 2021 Time: M – F 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Activities: Sailing, Exploring, Kayaking, Crafts and building projects Boat: 82′ schooner Seaward Contact: (415) 331-3214, [email protected]

Thank you Sylvia and everyone who’s pointed out what we’ve missed. We’re practically neighbors of Call of the Sea in Sausalito but somehow didn’t have their information. It’s now posted: https://www.latitude38.com/feature/san-francisco-youth-sailing/

More kids sailing is a good thing. Thanks to Call of the Sea and all the programs, instructors and volunteers who make youth sailing happen.

Hiya! Thanks so much for spreading the word about ACSC! Looks like our 2019 schedule/pricing weaseled its way into this page though. Here’s the 2021 info: After School Sailing Club: Ages 7-17. All levels. Eight week sessions in Spring & Fall. Spring Break Camp: Ages 7-12. April 5-9 and 12-16 Three Week Summer Camps: Ages 7-17. All levels. June-August. Staggered starts approximately 9 a.m.-4p.m.. Extended Care available. Full and partial scholarships available. Adult/Family Weekend Dinghy Courses: Ages 7-99. Beginner and Intermediate. Spring, summer, fall. $280 for first in your group; $130 for subsequent guests. Open Sailing Days: Every Saturday. Spring, summer, and fall. $30/boat

I have a MacGregor 26C (center board with water ballast) with trailer, engine, new main, etc. I am interested in donating to any youth sailing programs that might be interested. As with most boats, it can use some work but she will do fine as is. Please reply if your organization might be interested. The original owner used her on the bay for nearly 30 years. She has never been named officially.

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Community Corner

Junior sailing open house at encinal yacht club march 10 - 1-4, peggy cramer jara , neighbor.

Encinal Yacht Club invites you to Experience the fun and thrill of sailing!!!

FREE EYC Jr. Sailing T-Shirts and Free Boat Rides! (Limited to stock on hand/ one per family)

Refreshments - Sailing Rides - Club Tours Come see what the best Junior Sailing Program in the Bay Area is all about! - Meet junior sailors, instructors, & parents - Take a tour of the club - Relax by the pool - Certified, experienced, & friendly instructors - Beginning to advanced sailing classes for children ages 8-18 - We emphasize fun and safety!

Find out what's happening in Piedmont with free, real-time updates from Patch.

Encinal Yacht Club 1251 Pacific Marina, Alameda, CA 94501 For more info: (510) 769-0221 or www.encinal.org Encinal Yacht Club Junior Sailing Open House Sunday, March 10, 1pm – 4pm

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Area Yacht Clubs

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Meet the dedicated individuals behind our organization

Our team oversees The Sailing Foundation's work in promoting the advancement of youth sailing and boating safety.

Board of Directors

Doug Fryer, Founding Director (In Memoriam)

A founding director and past president of The Sailing Foundation, Doug was actively involved with the Foundation right up until his passing in April of 2020. A co-inventor of the Lifesling, Doug raced cruising boats on Puget Sound and had extensive offshore racing experience: Transpac, Single Handed Transpac, Tahiti Race, eleven Victoria Maui Races 1968-2006. Doug also cruised to the South Pacific, Alaska, and circumnavigated South America by way of Cape Horn and the Panama Canal. Doug raced his beloved 42 foot custom Perry design cutter Night Runner, which was famous for winning races and being absolutely gorgeous .  In his professional life, Doug was an attorney with Mikkelborg, Broz, Wells and Fryer.

Dick Rose (President Pro Tem)

Dick has raced sailboats since the age of nine. For most of his life he sailed dinghies – in college, frostbiting on Long Island Sound, and then International 14s and Lasers in Seattle. Later in life he moved to keelboats and enjoyed PHRF racing and cruising on Puget Sound in his Laser 28. After many years on the faculty of the University of Washington, Dick turned his attention to the racing rules for sailing. Since 1984 he has written a monthly column on the rules in Sailing World. He served as chairman of the US Sailing Racing Rules Committee and now is chairman of the International Sailing Federation’s committee responsible for publishing the Racing Rules. He is a US Sailing Senior Judge who still volunteers his time to sit on protest committees at local youth and high school events. Recently he was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of fame for his lifelong contributions to the sport of sailing.

John Vynne (Treasurer)

John's family has been involved in sailing in the Seattle area for over 100 years. His father Sonny Vynne was a Sailing Foundation founding member and instrumental in the America's Cup campaign of 1971. John has raced and cruised sailboats for over 60 years.  He has sailed extensively throughout the NW with his wife Barb aboard their Valiant 40. He has also sailed in Australia, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. John recently sold his business, which manufactures electronic instrumentation and software for the mining industry, and is now enjoying being fully retired. John has been an excellent financial steward of the Foundation during his many years as treasurer.

Erin Timms (VP/Youth)

Erin has experienced the overwhelmingly positive effects of junior sailing through her two boys Owen and Alan. Both are accomplished dinghy sailors who began their journey at Olympia Yacht Club before joining the Seattle Yacht Club Race Team. Owen is now sailing at George Washington University, while Alan still has a couple years left with the Olympia High School team. Erin has been an active parent volunteer with SYC, OYC, and now Olympia Community Sailing. She is well respected among her peers throughout the region for her dedication and ability to get things done! Need an example? Erin chaired our 50th Anniversary Auction and USODA Opti Nationals in back to back years! She is now serving as temporary co-chair of the Northwest Youth Racing Circuit along with fellow board member Haley Lhamon. 

Brendan Fahey

Brendan was instrumental in hiring our first Youth Sailing Director. He has vast local knowledge regarding youth sailing and the local sailing community.  Brendan grew up sailing, at a very competitive level, racing both in high school sailing and youth racing.  He was part of the North Kitsap high school team and did his own Laser racing.  He then went on the sail at the University of Washington, helping to run that program.  Since then Brendan has been very active with youth sailing and continues to race himself.  He frequently helps with running high school and college races around the northwest.  Brendan and his partner now run a charter operation spending most of their time up North (way north) or somewhere sunny.

Matt Hebard

Matt grew up sailing keelboats and dinghies in Puget Sound in the 1980s. After attending two USYRU Youth Championships, he thought it was time to get the ball rolling with high school sailing in the Pacific NW and worked with Bainbridge Island Parks and Recreation to start a sailing team, but graduated and was off to college before any regional regattas occurred. While earning degrees at the University of Washington, Matt sailed at several intercollegiate national championships, and made an ocean transit or two. Matt served four years in the US Navy JAG Corps, and has held a 50 ton USCG Master License. Presently, when he is not with his young family, he enjoys one design racing.

Ryan Helling

Ryan has been boating and sailing on Pacific Northwest waters since before he could walk. He enjoys racing dinghies and keelboats, exploring new cruising grounds with family and friends and fly fishing on Puget Sound for salmon and sea run cutthroat. He has coached youth sailing and loves to see new sailors on the water. Ryan is a partner and broker at Swiftsure Yachts, a yacht brokerage in Seattle specializing in high quality racing and cruising sailboats.

Haley Lhamon

Haley started sailing on a lake in Texas with her parents where she soon raced Optimists, Laser Radials, and Laser II's. She competed in national Jr. championships, instructed at Santa Cruz YC, and then sailed on the Stanford Sailing Team. In Michigan she and her husband Rusty coached a high school team, mentored a keelboat team of disadvantaged youth, and raced their J/35 in the Chicago-Mackinac. Haley later organized women's clinics on Lake WA with support from the Thistle and Snipe fleets. She and Rusty also co-chaired the first NW Opti Regionals in 2012 at Corinthian YC. Now on Bainbridge Island, she coaches the high school sailing team, serves as a PMYC Jr. Advisor, and coordinates Parks and Rec's sailing program. Her two sons agree that their favorite family vacations are cruising adventures! Another claim to fame is her victory in the Race2Alaska as part of Team Sail Like a Girl.

Margaret Pommert VP/SaS Chair

Margaret is a northwest native who started sailing over 35 years ago.  Since then, she has sailed thousands of miles in many parts of the world, including the Inside Passage to Alaska, San Francisco Bay, the Med, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, the Great Lakes, the Channel Islands, Mexico, and Chesapeake Bay. When she moved back to the Puget Sound area 6 years ago, she focused more on coastal cruising and being a sailing instructor. She has been an instructor since 2004, teaching both adults and children, in dinghies and keelboats. She is a certified instructor with both the American Sailing Association and U.S. Sailing, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master Captains License in Power, Sail, and Towing.  She currently teaches sailing at San Juan Sailing, and The Center for Wooden Boats. She leads the Women’s Program at Seattle Sailing Club and is very active in the local sailing community. She has just retired from a corporate career, which has included developing training for adults to be delivered in a ‘virtual’ or on-line environment. Margaret is a member of US Sailing's National Faculty as an active member of the Safety at Sea committee.

Burke Thomas

Burke started racing El Toros on Green Lake at age 8 and has enjoyed sailing ever since. He enjoys coaching the Orcas High School Sailing Team and is the director of NWISA. Burke is president of Woodsong Inc, a custom home building firm serving the San Juan Islands.

Mike Visser

Mike joined our board in late 2022. The Visser family has quite a legacy with youth sailing and The Sailing Foundation. Mike's mother Jan was a long time board member, US Sailing rep, and promoter of the sport. Together Mike and Jan organized and ran the first WIND Clinic in the Gorge. Mike had an impressive junior sailing career in the Laser before graduating to the Finn, rising to be one of the top US Finn sailors. Mike resides in the Olympia area and is now the parent of a junior sailor himself. It's common to see Mike out in the Olympia Community Sailing RIB coaching Lasers on Bud Inlet where he learned to sail.

Alex Sutter

Alex Sutter joined our board in 2022. Alex grew up sailing dinghies on Lake Washington and cruising with his family on keelboats and powerboats around the Pacific Northwest.  He is currently the President of Fisheries Supply, which has supported sailing in the Northwest for decades. Alex is also a recovering attorney and spends most of his time on the water crewing for his father on the family’s X-Yacht XP44.

Ramesh Parameswaran

Ramesh discovered sailing in graduate school on lake Mendota in Wisconsin on 470s and M scows. More recently he enjoys cruising in the San Juan islands and on the Puget Sound with his wife Vidya and kids Advik and Aditri on their C&C.  He has been part of the Northwest youth sailboat racing community for 7 years supporting his kids racing Optis, lasers, and FJs. 

Andrew Nelson

Andrew grew up in Tacoma racing on a Cal 40 with his dad from a young age. He discovered dinghy sailing as a teenager, first with an old C-Lark, then racing his Laser and FJs during college at Western Washington University, and finally falling in love with the Finn. He began coaching and instructing at Tacoma Yacht Club in 2007, and later spent a couple of summers coaching FJs/C420s in Newport Beach, CA. Andrew took his first full-time year-round gig as the director and head coach at Encinal Yacht Club (Alameda, CA) from 2011-2014. He served as The Sailing Foundation's Youth Sailing Director from 2014-2022. Andrew is pursuing a career in teaching, but has joined the board to assist the youth committee. Andrew enjoys racing and cruising his Olson 30 "Scoundrel" with his wife Ashley and two young daughters.

Tanya Starke

Bio Coming Soon!

Blaine Pedlow

Blaine brings a wealth of sailing and professional experience to the Sailing Foundation. He has family ties to the Northwest and spent his youth splitting time between San Diego and Bellingham. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Blaine served as the program director at Encinal Yacht Club. Next Blaine did a couple of stints as a college coach with SUNY Maritime, Kings Point, and Columbia University. Moving back to the Bay Area, Blaine worked in the development offices of Cal Berkeley and then Stanford. Blaine is a former ICSA board member and ex-PCCSC conference commissioner. Blaine is now back in Bellingham and has a family of his own. He currently works in the non-profit sector and also does consulting work. He spends time sailing 505s, his Santa Cruz 27, and fixing up a Santa Cruz 52. 

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There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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• What to do in Moscow City, if you’re not mega-rich
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THE 10 BEST Moscow Boat Rides & Cruises

Boat rides & cruises in moscow.

• Boat Rentals
• Scuba & Snorkeling
• Fishing Charters & Tours
• Water Sports
• Stand-Up Paddleboarding
• Surfing, Windsurfing & Kitesurfing
• Kayaking & Canoeing
• Waterskiing & Jetskiing
• Parasailing & Paragliding
• River Rafting & Tubing
• Dolphin & Whale Watching
• Speed Boats Tours
• Submarine Tours
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3rd Transport Ring (TTK)
• District Central (TsAO)
• Garden Ring
• District Northern (SAO)
• Good for Big Groups
• Good for Couples
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Budget-friendly
• Good for Kids
• Hidden Gems
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Adventurous
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Flotilla Radisson Royal

2. Moscow River Boat Tours

3. Sup-Club

4. Akvanavt Diving Centre

5. Diving Center Crocus City Oceanarium

6. CheapRussia Tours

7. Kite School Kiteclass

8. SUP Center

9. Erwin. Reka

11. Easy Russia Tour Guide

12. Lovely Russia Tours

13. Capital River Boat Tours - Moscow Centre

14. Alfa Centr

15. Diving Club Divers

16. Sup Outdoor

17. MORE MOSCOW

19. Soho Sailing Style

20. Mosparokhodstvo

21. Dive-Project

22. Diving Center Crocodile

24. Kosinskiy Children Marine Club

25. Kayak Moscow

26. DIVECLUB CHE

27. FLOW Moscow

28. Moswake

29. Morskiye Volki

30. S-cruises

What travelers are saying

• CheapRussia Tours
• Easy Russia Tour Guide
• Lovely Russia Tours
• MORE MOSCOW
• Insider Moscow Tours
• Flotilla Radisson Royal
• Moscow River Boat Tours
• Capital River Boat Tours - Moscow Centre
• Diving Center Crocus City Oceanarium

The Comprehensive Guide to Moscow Nightlife

• Posted on April 14, 2018 July 26, 2018
• by Kings of Russia
• 8 minute read

Moscow’s nightlife scene is thriving, and arguably one of the best the world has to offer – top-notch Russian women, coupled with a never-ending list of venues, Moscow has a little bit of something for everyone’s taste. Moscow nightlife is not for the faint of heart – and if you’re coming, you better be ready to go Friday and Saturday night into the early morning.

This comprehensive guide to Moscow nightlife will run you through the nuts and bolts of all you need to know about Moscow’s nightclubs and give you a solid blueprint to operate with during your time in Moscow.

What you need to know before hitting Moscow nightclubs

Prices in moscow nightlife.

Before you head out and start gaming all the sexy Moscow girls , we have to talk money first. Bring plenty because in Moscow you can never bring a big enough bankroll. Remember, you’re the man so making a fuzz of not paying a drink here or there will not go down well.

Luckily most Moscow clubs don’t do cover fees. Some electro clubs will charge 15-20$, depending on their lineup. There’s the odd club with a minimum spend of 20-30$, which you’ll drop on drinks easily. By and large, you can scope out the venues for free, which is a big plus.

Bottle service is a great deal in Moscow. At top-tier clubs, it starts at 1,000$. That’ll go a long way with premium vodka at 250$, especially if you have three or four guys chipping in. Not to mention that it’s a massive status boost for getting girls, especially at high-end clubs.

Without bottle service, you should estimate a budget of 100-150$ per night. That is if you drink a lot and hit the top clubs with the hottest girls. Scale down for less alcohol and more basic places.

Dress code & Face control

Door policy in Moscow is called “face control” and it’s always the guy behind the two gorillas that gives the green light if you’re in or out.

In Moscow nightlife there’s only one rule when it comes to dress codes:

You can never be underdressed.

People dress A LOT sharper than, say, in the US and that goes for both sexes. For high-end clubs, you definitely want to roll with a sharp blazer and a pocket square, not to mention dress shoes in tip-top condition. Those are the minimum requirements to level the playing field vis a vis with other sharply dressed guys that have a lot more money than you do. Unless you plan to hit explicit electro or underground clubs, which have their own dress code, you are always on the money with that style.

Getting in a Moscow club isn’t as hard as it seems: dress sharp, speak English at the door and look like you’re in the mood to spend all that money that you supposedly have (even if you don’t). That will open almost any door in Moscow’s nightlife for you.

Types of Moscow Nightclubs

In Moscow there are four types of clubs with the accompanying female clientele:

High-end clubs:

These are often crossovers between restaurants and clubs with lots of tables and very little space to dance. Heavy accent on bottle service most of the time but you can work the room from the bar as well. The hottest and most expensive girls in Moscow go there. Bring deep pockets and lots of self-confidence and you have a shot at swooping them.

Regular Mid-level clubs:

They probably resemble more what you’re used to in a nightclub: big dancefloors, stages and more space to roam around. Bottle service will make you stand out more but you can also do well without. You can find all types of girls but most will be in the 6-8 range. Your targets should always be the girls drinking and ideally in pairs. It’s impossible not to swoop if your game is at least half-decent.

Basic clubs/dive bars:

Usually spots with very cheap booze and lax face control. If you’re dressed too sharp and speak no Russian, you might attract the wrong type of attention so be vigilant. If you know the local scene you can swoop 6s and 7s almost at will. Usually students and girls from the suburbs.

Electro/underground clubs:

Home of the hipsters and creatives. Parties there don’t mean meeting girls and getting drunk but doing pills and spacing out to the music. Lots of attractive hipster girls if that is your niche. That is its own scene with a different dress code as well.

What time to go out in Moscow

Moscow nightlife starts late. Don’t show up at bars and preparty spots before 11pm because you’ll feel fairly alone. Peak time is between 1am and 3am. That is also the time of Moscow nightlife’s biggest nuisance: concerts by artists you won’t know and who only distract your girls from drinking and being gamed. From 4am to 6am the regular clubs are emptying out but plenty of people, women included, still hit up one of the many afterparty clubs. Those last till well past 10am.

As far as days go: Fridays and Saturdays are peak days. Thursday is an OK day, all other days are fairly weak and you have to know the right venues.

The Ultimate Moscow Nightclub List

Short disclaimer: I didn’t add basic and electro clubs since you’re coming for the girls, not for the music. This list will give you more options than you’ll be able to handle on a weekend.

Preparty – start here at 11PM

Classic restaurant club with lots of tables and a smallish bar and dancefloor. Come here between 11pm and 12am when the concert is over and they start with the actual party. Even early in the night tons of sexy women here, who lean slightly older (25 and up).

The second floor of the Ugolek restaurant is an extra bar with dim lights and house music tunes. Very small and cozy with a slight hipster vibe but generally draws plenty of attractive women too. A bit slower vibe than Valenok.

Very cool, spread-out venue that has a modern library theme. Not always full with people but when it is, it’s brimming with top-tier women. Slow vibe here and better for grabbing contacts and moving on.

High-end: err on the side of being too early rather than too late because of face control.

Secret Room

Probably the top venue at the moment in Moscow . Very small but wildly popular club, which is crammed with tables but always packed. They do parties on Thursdays and Sundays as well. This club has a hip-hop/high-end theme, meaning most girls are gold diggers, IG models, and tattooed hip hop chicks. Very unfavorable logistics because there is almost no room no move inside the club but the party vibe makes it worth it. Strict face control.

Close to Secret Room and with a much more favorable and spacious three-part layout. This place attracts very hot women but also lots of ball busters and fakes that will leave you blue-balled. Come early because after 4am it starts getting empty fast. Electronic music.

A slightly kitsch restaurant club that plays Russian pop and is full of gold diggers, semi-pros, and men from the Caucasus republics. Thursday is the strongest night but that dynamic might be changing since Secret Room opened its doors. You can swoop here but it will be a struggle.

Mid-level: your sweet spot in terms of ease and attractiveness of girls for an average budget.

Started going downwards in 2018 due to lax face control and this might get even worse with the World Cup. In terms of layout one of the best Moscow nightclubs because it’s very big and bottle service gives you a good edge here. Still attracts lots of cute girls with loose morals but plenty of provincial girls (and guys) as well. Swooping is fairly easy here.

I haven’t been at this place in over a year, ever since it started becoming ground zero for drunken teenagers. Similar clientele to Icon but less chic, younger and drunker. Decent mainstream music that attracts plenty of tourists. Girls are easy here as well.

Sort of a Coyote Ugly (the real one in Moscow sucks) with party music and lots of drunken people licking each others’ faces. Very entertaining with the right amount of alcohol and very easy to pull in there. Don’t think about staying sober in here, you’ll hate it.

Artel Bessonitsa/Shakti Terrace

Electronic music club that is sort of a high-end place with an underground clientele and located between the teenager clubs Icon and Gipsy. Very good music but a bit all over the place with their vibe and their branding. You can swoop almost any type of girl here from high-heeled beauty to coked-up hipsters, provided they’re not too sober.

Afterparty: if by 5AM  you haven’t pulled, it’s time to move here.

Best afterparty spot in terms of trying to get girls. Pretty much no one is sober in there and savage gorilla game goes a long way. Lots of very hot and slutty-looking girls but it can be hard to tell apart who is looking for dick and who is just on drugs but not interested. If by 9-10am you haven’t pulled, it is probably better to surrender.

The hipster alternative for afterparties, where even more drugs are in play. Plenty of attractive girls there but you have to know how to work this type of club. A nicer atmosphere and better music but if you’re desperate to pull, you’ll probably go to Miks.

Weekday jokers: if you’re on the hunt for some sexy Russian girls during the week, here are two tips to make your life easier.

Chesterfield

Ladies night on Wednesdays means this place gets pretty packed with smashed teenagers and 6s and 7s. Don’t pull out the three-piece suit in here because it’s a “simpler” crowd. Definitely your best shot on Wednesdays.

If you haven’t pulled at Chesterfield, you can throw a Hail Mary and hit up Garage’s Black Music Wednesdays. Fills up really late but there are some cute Black Music groupies in here. Very small club. Thursday through Saturday they do afterparties and you have an excellent shot and swooping girls that are probably high.

Shishas Sferum

This is pretty much your only shot on Mondays and Tuesdays because they offer free or almost free drinks for women. A fairly low-class club where you should watch your drinks. As always the case in Moscow, there will be cute girls here on any day of the week but it’s nowhere near as good as on the weekend.

In a nutshell, that is all you need to know about where to meet Moscow girls in nightlife. There are tons of options, and it all depends on what best fits your style, based on the type of girls that you’re looking for.

Related Topics

• moscow girls
• moscow nightlife

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