Walking into Dar Yacht Club (or DYC as they like to call it) you can feel the history before you see the wooden board on the quarter deck (the bar) listing all the Commanders of the club since its founding in 1933.
I cannot afford full membership as it costs thousands of dollars a year so I have restricted membership which will do me for the time being. It’s not far to walk there and in the evening it’s a great place to have a drink and watch the sun disappear over the horizon (a sundowner).
It is one of the few places on the west side of the peninsula which has a beach and alongside the swimming pool are great places to relax and take in the view.
You can rent boats and boards and make the most of the access to the sea. At the weekend the beach is popular with families who bring picnics and hide in the shade of the beach umbrellas.
It feels like the expat community in Dar is so small that you always see the same people everywhere you go.
The yacht club is no exception – there they are – all those familiar faces plus of course, families. I don’t ever get to see families because I have no connection with schools here so the yacht club is the only place I see expat children running around.
That’s not to say that the club is exclusively for foreigners, there are Tanzanian members too and I have met some really interesting people there. However, most members are white and European.
One of the best things for me is not just the great view, the opportunities to go sailing and meeting interesting people, but the food and drink is very cheap.
Some of the food is reasonably good (the spag bol is terrible) – but it’s never going to win any awards. The BBQ on a Sunday night is great though and you get loads of fish at a reasonable price. And you can’t beat sitting at the beach eating fish and chips.
The yacht club is a great place to hang out and there isn’t anywhere in this city where you can do water-based activities and so it’s DYC or nothing. If you have deep pockets, membership is a great option, especially those with families.