Our Dock Rebuild Campaign
Help us Rebuild our Dock!
Dear Friends of the Block Island Club,
We are writing today because the Club needs your help to repair essential Club infrastructure - our main dock on the Club’s waterfront.
Shouts of “trim the jib,” and “starboard,” the laughter of campers, the shrill of whistles and airhorns, the hum of outboard motors - are all sounds associated with our vibrant waterfront at the Block Island Club. These sounds, and the many activities they represent, are centered around the Club’s dock, which is indeed the heart of the Club.
The main dock is around 50 years old, and while repairs and upgrades have been made over the years, the decades and elements are beginning to take their toll.
A recent inspection of the main dock revealed pilings that are showing signs of deterioration, which over time will cause the dock to become unstable.
Our dock is so much more than planks of wood; the dock is a dynamic structure for harboring and launching boats, but also serves as a gathering point and teaching platform for our sailing program!
The north side of the dock contains several motorboat slips, providing both income to the club and convenience to members.
The west end of the dock contains 5 floating docks used for onboarding/offboarding of passengers, for boarding the fleet of Colgate 26 sailboats, for dry storage during the summer, for docking Club motor launches and, most importantly, as the teaching platform for the Club’s sailing classes in the summer, as well as in the fall for Block Island School students.
The south side of the dock contains several floating docks for storage of 420 sailboats used in classes and by members.
In the past, most of the Club’s boats were stored on the grass and brought down to the beach on dollies and hauled back up to the grass after class or use. Not only was this a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, it restricted access to the beach area and put wear and tear on the shoreline. The dock in its current form transformed the Club’s waterfront and is now vital to the Club’s day-to-day operations. To ensure a safe and functional dock for future Club seasons, we must repair and rebuild portions of the docking system – and these repairs must begin soon before the dock falls into disrepair that prevents safe use during the Club season.
The estimate to rebuild the dock (including construction, engineering, and permit costs) is approximately $195,000. While the Club weathered the storm financially through Covid, we lack the reserve funds to cover these necessary costs.
Please consider either a one-time donation or a longer-term monthly pledge to help us meet our goal. We anticipate that construction will begin at the end of the Summer 2023 season, and we have begun the process of engaging a construction firm and obtaining the necessary permits.
All donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law and no amount is too small.