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ISLAND YACHT CLUB
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Volunteer with us

Island Yacht Club has been an all-volunteer club for 50 years. We rely on the skills and energy of our members to maintain our year-round sailboat regattas, educational programs, Women's Sailing Seminar, cruise-outs, and other events.  Please help us build our club while learning new skills, meeting fellow members, and contributing to our strong, year-round sailing programs.  And yes, we have a lot of fun doing it too!

If you are interested in any capacity, please get in touch with us. 

Women's Sailing Seminar 

33nd Women’s Sailing Seminar
September 26-28, 2025
Taught by Women, for Women

The IYC Northern California Women's Sailing Seminar is hosted in Alameda, CA each fall.  It is one of the most popular programs IYC offers, and a key element of our our dedication to getting more women on the water. ​We are looking for your help to make our 2025 Women’s Sailing Seminar a success

​We are currently looking for a volunteers for 2025.  Are you committed to the goal of getting more women confident on the water?  Do you have a certain skill set that would really helpful to our success? Would you be interested in teaching? Can you lend us your boat for the weekend? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, visit  womenssailingseminar.com and sign up. 

Race Committee

Island Yacht Club relies entirely on volunteers to provide our race management. Volunteering for race committee is a great way to become more involved with the club and meet members, and it requires no prior experience! All you need to do is show up an hour before the first warning on race day (although letting us know of your plans in advance by emailing [email protected] really helps with our planning.)

​Interested in volunteering for Race Committee? Contact us via email at [email protected] for more information or to be added to the race committee email to receive information about upcoming race committee opportunities.
By joining our race committee, you will be paired with our experienced team, where you will learn about a variety of roles, including: 

  • Mark setter (bring a lifejacket!)
  • Signaller (flags)
  • Sounder (sound signals)
  • Line sighter
  • Recorder
  • Scorer
  • Timer
  • Digital forms / Jibeset.net coordinator
New volunteers will usually be asked to handle one of the flags or assist with recording, so you might want to read up on those roles in the documents linked below!
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Read US Sailing's "Join the Race Committee" to learn more about these roles.  An understanding of the current Racing Rules of Sailing is useful, but not necessary.  You will be reporting to the Principal Race Officer (PRO) on race day.

Aside from Jibeset coordinator, all race committee roles are performed outside, on the race deck.  It helps to be flexible; you may be asked to switch quickly between tasks!

Requirements
  • Availability to work on race days, from one hour before the first warning through at least the end of the race (and preferably through the awards as well).
  • ​Readiness to learn and take on a number of roles.
  • Curiosity and the ability to ask questions in order to learn (except when everyone is focussed on either the start or finish!).
A cool head and sense of humor if things go sideways are always valued as well!

For the studious, or the curious, the following documents will provide more information.
US Sailing: Join the Race Committee
File Size: 4578 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

island_days_2023-2024_cheatsheets.pdf
File Size: 105 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Island YC Race Committee Manual, with Emphasis on Island Nights / Days - v1.0
File Size: 2730 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


© 2025 - Island Yacht Club
Alameda, California, USA.

View our: Terms & Conditions | By-Laws


  • HOME
    • Join or Renew
    • History
  • Members area
  • Racing
    • Sail a boat! >
      • Reserve your sail
  • Events
    • Tuna Tuesdays
    • Get out and sail!
    • Cruise-Outs
  • Volunteer
  • In Memoriam
  • Contact
  • Women's Sailing Seminar
    • Linda Newland
  • Tides & Currents on the San Francisco Bay