SailTime
Press Release

SailTime Opens New Base on the Gulf Coast of Alabama

SailTime Opens New Base on the Gulf Coast of Alabama

World’s Leading Sailboat Membership Franchise Opens New Location on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay

 SailTime Group LLC, the world’s leading fractional boat club membership franchise, recently announced its Virginia Beach location has been sold to new owners with bold expansion plans. The Hampton Roads location, formerly known as SailTime Virginia Beach, has been rebranded to SailTime Southern Chesapeake Bay.

SailTime Group, the world’s leading fractional boat membership franchise, is proud to announce the opening of a new base along Alabama’s Gulf Coast near Mobile. SailTime Alabama members can choose from a fleet of four luxury boats, including two sailboats and two powerboats. Unlike your typical boat club, members have monthly access to the same boat for an affordable fee, and they only share the vessel with a handful of other members.

Christopher Jones, the proud owner of SailTime Alabama, is thrilled to offer SailTime’s unmatched boat membership program and sailing school to boating enthusiasts in his community. Prior to the pandemic, Jones commuted two-hours daily for his full-time job, but as work-from-home took hold, Jones says he was able to apply his newfound leisure time to launch SailTime Alabama.

“There’s a saying in the boating community that there’s a first- and second-best day of a boater’s life — the day he buys a boat and the day he sells it,” says Jones. “I like to say the third-best day of a boater’s life is the day he discovers SailTime. The membership program offers all the benefits of boat ownership, with none of the hassle.”

Jones discovered SailTime on a chance encounter with SailTime Houston sailing instructor Paul Britton. Jones says Britton found a safe place to dock in Mobile Bay as a hurricane was entering the Gulf late last summer.

“My introduction to SailTime was having dinner with Paul Britton, upon his arrival in the Mobile area with a hurricane at his heels,” Jones says. “As we exchanged tall tales of the high seas, he told me about SailTime. I wanted to be a member. I thought it was so cool. But when I looked it up online, there was no SailTime near Mobile. So, to make a long story short, I decided to open a base myself.”

Boaters can find SailTime Alabama at the Fairhope Docks on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, located at 9 South Summit Street in Fairhope.

What is SailTime?

  • SailTime is an affordable alternative to boat ownership. The National Marine Manufacturers Association reports more than 70 percent of U.S. boat owners earn less than $100,000 a year.
  • With a fee that starts at only a few hundred dollars a month, SailTime members can conveniently schedule blocks of time online to enjoy a new model sail or powerboat without the commitment or expense of ownership. The membership fee includes the cost of insurance, marina fees, and regular boat maintenance.
  • Boat owners can offset the costs of ownership by adding their boat to the SailTime Alabama fleet, allowing a handful of members to use their boat each month. The base manager will handle regular maintenance, preventative care, and repairs. Boat owners are guaranteed monthly usage of their vessel and enjoy all the benefits of boat ownership without the hassle.

SailTime Alabama’s membership fleet includes two sailboats and two powerboats, each given creative and timely names as a nod to the moment in history when the base was launched.

  1.       “Coastal Distancing” – a Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 sailboat
  2.       “Knot Online” – a Colgate 26 sailboat that will also be used for instruction
  3.       “Zoom Away” – a Jeanneau NC 1095 powerboat with twin Yamaha engines
  4.       “Knot Virtual” – a Sea Hunt 234 center console runabout powerboat with a T-top

 Find more information at www.sailtime.com/alabama regarding the Mobile Bay location.