One of Freedom Boat Club's largest franchise groups in the US teams up with Savvy Navvy
by Savvy Navvy 13 Dec 17:00 GMT
One of Freedom Boat Club's largest franchise groups in the US teams up with Savvy Navvy © Savvy Navvy
Freedom Boat Club Delaware, part of one of the largest boat club communities in the US, has teamed up with Savvy Navvy to bring easier and safer navigation to more boaters. Here they reflect on how it has helped their boat club members.
Freedom Boat Club's (FBC) independently owned and operated Franchise locations in Delaware, South Jersey, Lower Hudson Valley NY, Maryland and Washington DC, and comprises one of the largest boat club communities in the US, with more than 2000 memberships and over 250 boats in over 27 locations.
With their membership individuals and families now have the opportunity to experience the boating lifestyle the hassle-free way. "Founding the club back in 2017 we wanted to bring boating made simple to a community that loves the water and the idea of boating but wants easier, hassle-free access to the wide variety of waterways. We also found that many of our members have little to no boat handling experience. So a Freedom Boat Club membership, which comes with unlimited training, is the ideal opportunity for members to safely experience the benefits of being on the water," says Bev Rosella, Freedom Boat Club's Franchise Owner, Sales & Marketing Lead.
The franchise began operations in Lewes, Delaware, in early 2017, led by Tom Rosella, Franchise Owner / Strategy and Finance Lead; Bev Rosella, Franchise Owner / Sales and Marketing Lead; and Josh Rosella, Franchise Owner / Operations Lead.
Each FBC boat is equipped with its own electronic chart plotters. But, by the nature of "boat-sharing", this equipment limits members who want the ability to save personalised dock-to-location routes, or tracks, and 'secret' fishing spots. "This is where the Savvy Navvy app has become invaluable to our members," says Kathy O'Hanlon, a member of Freedom Boat Club Delaware.
Earlier this year, the club teamed up with Savvy Navvy after meeting at the US Sailing Symposium, realising they share many values- both reducing the barriers to boating to get more people safely out on the water.
"I realised Savvy Navvy would be perfect for our situation. The navigation app can be easily downloaded and before I leave my house, I can check the weather and tides, and with the Automatic Routing feature I can view and save my route with tide and weather conditions already considered. The app's best feature is its portability. I can travel to any of Freedom Boat Club's network of locations across the U.S and Canada, open the app, search for a saved routes or create a new one, and relax and enjoy a day out with my family. The app also makes sharing routes with friends and family extremely easy," says O'Hanlon.
This is echoed by USCG certified Captain Allan Rex, one of FBC's dedicated training captains, as the Club now uses Savvy Navvy as part of their navigation training. "Savvy Navvy plays an important part in the Club's New Member Orientation. During each on-boarding instruction session I log on to the app and begin the general discussion by demonstrating how to read charts, including what the various symbols and colors of water represent. Then we go through the app's features such as planning and saving routes, recording tracks, dropping markers for future trips, and how to spot hazards above and below the water," says Cpt Rex.
"We realise there's so much information and skills required of the new boater. That's why I suggest they get out on the water frequently and thanks to our partnership with Savvy Navvy, they can now access the app's exclusive features at a discount," he adds.
"Skilled and knowledgeable boaters are safer boaters, and Savvy Navvy has helped us in our mission to provide a safe and enjoyable experience on the water, the hassle-free way, for our members. We are thrilled to build this partnership with Savvy Navvy and advocate their service to our membership", concludes Bev Rosella.
Freedom Boat Club today operates out of 400+ locations around the world, offering 90,000+ members access to 5,000+ boats.
To find out more about the Delaware Franchise visit: www.freedomboatclub.com/franchises/fbc-of-delaware/lewes-canal
To find out more about Savvy Navvy visit www.savvy-navvy.com