Garry Beattie wrote:
$1295 per year membership fee's???????

Do they have any members at all?

The two clubs that I belong to, The Blue Water Club and the Hervey Bay Boat
Club, both cost less than $30 per year membership each.
I also store my boat at the Blue Water Club for the extra amount of $100 per
year.

But that is in Australia, not the USA.

Ah, you're a lucky man. But also in Queenland & I reckon that the pokey
machines more than help offset the cost of membership :-) Also doubt
that you'd be able to get in the door of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
for $11 Aus :-) I used to live in NSW (Gordon just north of Sydney) and
miss the sailing there very much...

Keith is in the San Fransico Bay area (so maybe a little off topic for
this Southern California tread, but what the heck -- anything to help
get someone out sailing :-) and I think referring to the Spinnaker
Sailing School & Club (see: http://www.spinnakersailing.com/). SS have
a good reputation for sail training on the bay, but are indeed quite
pricey.

Sequoia Yacht Club shares the same parking lot as SS Redwood City, but
are an all volunteer club with lots of good folks. Rates (for this
area) are quite reasonable, http://www.sequoiayc.org/membership.html,
and there always seems to be room for an extra pair of hands (member or
not) if you're courteous, keen to learn, and willing to put in a little
volunteer work along the way.

Disclaimer: my son is a Youth Member ($25 US per year) -- I'm not a
member of SYC (can't afford it right now as I'm out of work too) but
very familiar with the club and spend volunteer time there during
youth/school sailing regattas.

Note to Keith: Drop by SYC tomorrow/Saturday morning around 8:30 or 9:00
(w/foul weather gear in your trunk/boot) and you might just get lucky --
could be that someone needs an extra hand for the Redwood Cup races
going on there tomorrow. Even if you don't get lucky, or have no
sailing experience at all, you should be able to find someone talk to --
just be aware that it might get hectic in the morning due to the races.

If you have a child (8-18) that wants to learn to sail, bring him/her
along and go back west from the club to the next light, hook a right and
go to the public launch facility at the end of Chesapeake Drive (Use
1299 Chesapeake Dr, Redwood City as the destination address for MapQuest
directions http://www.mapquest.com/directions/). Youth sailing starts at
8:30 & high school sailers start training at 10:00. Youth sailing (8 to
high school) ask for Phil, high school sailing (grade 8-12) as for Eric.

Either way -- pop around either of those two places and I'm sure that
someone can get you (or your child if you have one) sailing eventually
for far less than you'd think. Like Garry Beattie (lucky guy) referred
to, there are lots of less expensive ways to get out on the water, plus
most sailors really are good folks & willing to help if you are sincere
about wanting to sail or learn to sail.

P.S. Good luck to Geoff as well -- I hope that you can find someone to
take you and your gal out in SC!