The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011

Characteristics of the Club’s Members

While the average age of members who participated in the survey was sixty-two, ages ranged from sixteen to ninety with a good deal of variation in between. The average CYC participant had completed four years of college. One, however, was still in high school at the time of the survey and many have graduate and/or professional degrees. Fifty-three percent of survey participants are women and 90 percent were married. Eight percent were born outside of the United States and 18 percent have at least one parent who was born in another country. Only 13 percent are native Floridians, but the average participant had lived in the state, at least part time, for twenty four years. While there was little racial diversity (only 3 percent checked a box other than white), there is somewhat more diversity in terms of religious affiliation. Slightly less than 50 percent reported being Protestant, slightly less than 30 percent reported being Catholic; 2 percent being Jewish, and 3 percent reported one of a number of other religious preferences. Fifty percent were still working at least part time, and most spent a majority of their lives in professional or white collar/business occupations. Nearly 40 percent of survey participants, however, reported coming from a blue-collar background. Social and Recreational Involvement Few participants grew up in yacht clubs or have family members who are currently yacht club members. While the average participant reported belonging to only one organization other than CYC (generally a church), some members are very, very active in the community. The most active survey participant listed sixteen community organizations and there were others not far behind this high level of community participation. Only 3 percent of members grew up in CYC and only 8 percent have family members who also belonged to the club at the time of the survey. The average tenure of membership for survey participants is ten years. The most tenured survey participant joined in 1943 and the newest member to participate in the survey had joined just before the surveys went out. Half of the survey participants joined after 2001. Seventy-two percent own some type of boat. Seventeen percent keep a boat at the club and the average member rarely uses one of the club’s transient slips.

132 The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011