Poughkeepsie Yacht Club

People were very friendly and made us feel right at home. The facility is a bit outdated but very clean and well taken care of. Members asked us if we needed a ride to grocery, etc. I would join Poughkeepsie Yacht Club if we lived in the area.

We were heading south on the Hudson and stopped here for a couple of nights on a mooring ball. Very reasonable price with laundry, bathrooms and showers included. Beautiful quiet location. We really enjoyed our stay. The members were really helpful. They received an Amazon package for me and when I was planning to ride my bike to town to pick up some motor oil, one of the members drove me - very much appreciated!

Great stop on our trip up the Hudson. Friendly yacht club members, especially Doug, the Fleet Captain, and Dennis, the Rear Commodore.

I want to comment on some of the issues raised during reviews. I'm a member at this club for about 4 years and will often meet many of the transients has a dock across from the typical location on the north end. I've had a good experience at this club. It's a working club in that we don't have a paid staff. Anybody you encounter is going to be a member and volunteering to do whatever it is that might need doing. I'm posting this not as an official club officer just as a member and want to give my point of view. I think we have a nice place and it's not fancy but it's a beautiful location. The first worth mentioning is dogs. We have had issues with dogs in the past and we have a rule that applies for both members and transients. We don't have dogs in the clubhouse or on the grass around the clubhouse. You can walk your dog in other areas including the yard and as far as I know we don't preclude anyone walking them across the rail or tracks and down the road. People may wonder about gas. We don't have gas pumps that are officially calibrated that allow us to sell to the general public. That's why there is the no gas sign. Many times we invite transients up to our bar for a drink. You will usually find the members being very friendly about that. However, we don't have a public bar license, we have a club license. That means that we can serve our guests but we're not really serving the general public. There is a distinction and I can promise you that the alcohol regulating people care about that. There's been mention of the weeds. We unfortunately don't control that and they are often cut further up river and drift onto the side of our dock. We try to remove them but sometimes it's challenging. A couple people mentioned this being a canal of course it's the Hudson River and it's tidal so which push away sometimes comes back on the next tide. We don't have paid staff to remove that on a daily basis. Where the transients dock is deep water and we don't have a breakwater so sometimes you will get wakes from the large wakes cross on the other side of the river. Some good fenders are worthwhile here. And $2 per foot to dock overnight is pretty cheap compared to many locations. For that price you do have the 24-hour restrooms and showers, access to the tables around the clubhouse, if it's open you could use our kitchen and visit our bar with a member. When there are members around the clubhouse you can also use the washer and dryer for free.

BEWARE!!! NO ADA SERVICE DOGS ARE ALLOWED AROUND PYC’S (POUGHKEEPSIE YACHT CLUB) PATIO/PORCH, CLUBHOUSE, GRASS AREA, AND PARKING LOT. NO EXCEPTION. PERIOD. Leashed Service dogs and pets are only permitted on docks to gain access to boats. To relieve themselves, the owner must walk the peripheral boundaries to the railroad track area. (See picture). Since PYC is a private membership club, it does not have to comply with ADA regulations. Costs to modify for compliance are too exorbitant for PYC. On the upside, not all private yacht clubs along the Hudson River take that same position. Most welcome service animals. During my interview for membership, I questioned if ambulatory individuals with service dogs NOT needing any ADA modifications would be welcomed in the clubhouse, patio/porch grass area or parking lots. The answer was a resounding “No”. The PYC’s position is unyielding. My questions were perceived as challenging. As a person who volunteered many years as a puppy raiser, I was deeply disheartened to know even an ambulatory person with a service dog would be excluded. The commodore and membership chairperson felt it would open Pandora’s Box. Private clubs can exclude individuals who do not represent its expressed viewpoints or principles. So no surprise, my membership request was denied. The purpose of this review is to make transients boaters and prospective members know their position in advance to avoid any confrontation.