Yacht Club Mülheim Ruhr e.V.
Yacht Club Mülheim Ruhr e.V. (YCMR) is a yacht club with its own harbour on the River Ruhr upstream of the Raffelberg lock in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The facility offers around 39 berths, a clubhouse, modern sanitary facilities and pontoons with electricity and water; internet use is free of charge. Members and visiting craft find parking directly by the boats, an electronically secured access gate and video surveillance of the grounds. Club life centres on cruising on the Ruhr, work parties and the annual long-distance cruise competition. The history runs from the 1973 founding as Yachtclub Essen Rellinghausen through the 1977 move to Mülheim to today's harbour on Hafenstraße.
History
In 1972 a group of 15 boating enthusiasts met at the Zornige Ameise in Essen on the Ruhr. They launched trailerable light boats there and met at weekends to cruise together, without pontoons or a clubhouse. In 1973 they moved downstream to the camping site „Zur alten Ruhr“ at the Red Mill with restaurant and slipway. The club was founded as Yachtclub Essen Rellinghausen (YCER); Dieter Behrendt became first chair, Werner Teepe harbour master. An existing pontoon was expanded to twelve berths; the restaurant served as clubhouse. As the club grew, it moved to Mülheim an der Ruhr in 1977. At the Raffelberg lock, riverbank and scrap bunkers could be leased from scrap dealer Kirsch and timber merchant Schöneling. The site was cleared and pontoons built against the sheet piles. The club was renamed Yachtclub Mülheim Ruhr (YCMR); Bodo Kuhlbartsch became first chair, Teepe remained harbour master. A barrack on the timber yard site first served as clubhouse. In 1982 the club bought an old passenger vessel and converted it into clubhouse, harbour office and sanitary facilities. Under Horst Sauerbier bunkers were later cleared for winter storage and work space. After a sheet-pile section was leased out, the club shifted towards the south harbour and three dolphins were installed. The club ship was sold; the barrack beside the scrap bunkers became the clubhouse and a sanitary container was set up. Under Hermann Winters harbour masters changed (Emil Freimuth, Winfried Rassenhövel, later Rainer Knoop). In 2003 a kitchen for the clubhouse was built into a bunker section. In 2008/2009 another bunker was roofed and converted into ladies' and gentlemen's toilets with showers and a large harbour office; the sanitary container was sold. In 2010 the clubhouse was renovated, the bar rebuilt and the wooden floor replaced with concrete. From 2014 members renewed the pontoons during work parties. Later the undersized clubhouse was demolished and rebuilt in container construction with a new bar. In 2017 Bertrand Langlitz took over the chair from Hermann Winters. The harbour gained an electrically operated gate, video surveillance with member access and free broadband internet also for visiting boats. In April 2012 YCMR had 79 members and about 40 berths; as of October 2018 there were 88 members and forty berths. The homepage today mentions 39 berths.
Information
Facilities
Harbour with 39 berths on the Ruhr (upstream of Raffelberg lock), pontoons with electricity and water, clubhouse, modern sanitary facilities with showers, harbour master's office, winter storage in bunkers, parking directly by the boats, electronically secured access gate, video surveillance, free internet.
Activities
Cruising and leisure on the Ruhr and neighbouring waters, annual long-distance cruise competition, harbour and pontoon work parties, visiting berths, information on Tour de Ruhr and navigation rules.
Parking
Yes, parking directly by the boats
Guest berths
Yes, visiting boats welcome