Benefits of club membership
As we passed under the Damen bridge on the North Branch and bent northwest toward the Diversey bridge, Meghan Edwards said, ‘‘Be nice if you could dock at Costco.’’
It was an offhand remark on a beautiful day for a boat ride Monday, but it was one loaded with truth about the changes that come on and along the Chicago River.
Edwards’ words resonated even more because Capt. Ray Novak earlier had noted, as we passed City Winery, that about the only thing the Riverwalk lacks are enough places to tie up.
‘‘There’s lots to see, not a lot of places to stop at,’’ he said.
That’s a good problem to have. It means people want to come and be on and by the river. Making places for boats to tie up is an easier problem to fix than the decades it has taken to clean up the river. If the day comes when people are shopping by boat, change truly will be here.
I do a boat ride most summers with people from the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which is based in Chicago. Edwards is its public-relations manager. This year we cruised the river on ‘‘Proud Mary,’’ a 2017 Jeanneau Merry Fisher Cabin Cruiser, out of Freedom Boat Club from the Streeterville location by Ogden Slip.
In Freedom Boat Club, members have unlimited access to the club fleet — currently 21 boats between the Montrose and Streeterville locations — through an online service. There’s a one-time membership fee and monthly dues.
‘‘It is not a timeshare,’’ Novak said. ‘‘You have access to any of the boats.’’
Anytime a boat is used, the cost is for the gas. The club has pontoons, including one with a slide, deck boats, cabin cruisers, wakeboard boats and fishing boats.
‘‘The newest members all live in this vicinity,’’ said Leann Kosinski, the director of sales and marketing for the club. ‘‘Members look and see how easy it is. They see it while walking their dogs at night.’’
Members must take a BoatUS online course, then two hours of class and two hours on the water.
‘‘We’re not giving a key to just anyone,’’ Kosinski said. ‘‘We want everybody to feel comfortable.’’
The club has 160 locations around the country, which gives members chances to boat elsewhere and experience other types of boats.
‘‘As an industry, it expands the access,’’ NMMA chief marketing officer Carl Blackwell said. ‘‘It is a great bridge to get into boating.’’
The club buys new boats every four years, and a typical boat is three years old. With more members, there are more boats. The ratio usually is 10-1, but Chicago is running about 8-1.
Boat usages are in two shifts: 8 or 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 30 minutes before sunset. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, there are night usages for the Navy Pier fireworks. Night usage, however, requires a course on night navigation.
There is a zero-tolerance alcohol policy for operating a boat, but the club does have captains who can be rented. Enough women are coming in as members/skippers that ‘‘Boating Divas’’ is planned for next year.
Some members just want to experience the boating life.
‘‘Some people just reserve a boat and never leave the dock,’’ Kosinski said.
Discover Boating (discoverboating.com) updates regularly on boating options, even on Wallace J. Nichols and his ‘‘Blue Mind.’’ Details about the club are at freedomboatclub.com.