Smart member comms at Hong Kong yacht club

It’s 4.00pm on a Friday and staff at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) have just received news that a typhoon is heading towards Hong Kong. Rapidly informing hundreds of boat owners of the danger and any actions they need to take would be almost impossible for some clubs, but a PacsoftNG smart software system makes it possible for RHKYC to keep its 1,000-plus boat owners up to date.

“The software allows us to manage many aspects of the club and easily send out an email alert to every boating member with an individual berth, mooring or hardstand space,” says marine manager Alan Reid. “In the case of a typhoon, quickly communicating any danger or required actions is essential because there’s often someone who is unaware of the impending severe weather and it’s vital they arrange for their boats to be secured to avoid damage.”
PacsoftNG’s membership communications features also simplify the club’s day-to-day operations by making it easy to find individual members’ email addresses and send them personalised messages directly; such as information about an issue with their boat or an update about mooring maintenance in their part of the marina or mooring field.
“It makes life a lot easier for us because we can send reminder emails, instructions or information to a limited set of people,” Reid acknowledges, adding that prior to the club first introducing PacsoftNG in 2007 there was no marina management software in place to handle communications to its vast membership.
Now, the fully upgraded software takes care of many key operational functions, automating repetitive tasks that used to be processed manually.
The club is spread over three locations in Hong Kong. Kellett Island in Causeway Bay is the main location for racing; Shelter Cove near Sai Kung harbours cruisers; and Middle Island near Repulse Bay is the base for dinghy sailors, rowing and sail training. In all, there are over 15,000 members living locally and abroad.
The smart software simplifies the complexity of managing berth rentals across these locations, as well as handling batch invoicing and managing membership records. It also helps the club manage the extensive range of professional boatyard services it offers, including all the associated quoting, invoicing and communications involved.
“The future looks bright for the club for sailing and rowing, including paddling,” Reid says. “We’re training an increasing amount of children and adults and encouraging more people to take to the water to try the sports out. The club encompasses a large training centre with 80 dinghies and a fleet of 28 RIBs on hand to use for rowing and sailing training.”
RHKYC’s biggest regular race event is the Around the Island Race; a 26 nautical mile race around Hong Kong Island that welcomes an average of more than 1,500 participants in more than 200 boats. And Hong Kong Race Week is the club’s signature dinghy sailing event – over 240 competitors from over nine countries and regions raced over three days in 215 boats earlier this year.
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