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

CYC members build camaraderie by cruising up and down the west coast of Florida. Here, a group of CYC Cruisers is gathered on the dock at Tween Waters on Captiva Island in May of 2009. Pictured from left to right are: Bob Merriman, Cliff and Donna Wyatt, Larry Cordle (Lois Vermillion not pictured), Andrea Merriman, Connie and Merle Steele, Brenda and John Hanson, Gloria Patterson and Richard Griffith, Carole and Fred Bleakley. Also on the trip, but not pictured, were Bill Brancaccio and Judy Boland. They were still on the beach a few hundred feet away behind this photo. CYC brings together people, on and off the water, for some of the great times life has to offer. Courtesy of John Hanson.

Reasons for Joining While some features and services were important to most members when making the decision to join (quality of food and service and friendliness of staff, managers, and members among others), not all members joined for the same reasons. Statistical analysis of survey results indicate there are seven identifiable “factors” or clusters of reasons for joining and each factor is very important to some members. Examples of all seven reasons for joining can also be found in the transcripts of the twenty personal interviews. Many members joined primarily in search of a friendly, companionable environment (the Friendliness Factor). One member said, for example, “People were very friendly. I mean as a new member they’d go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that you feel comfortable. You’re brand new and everyone else is kind of a stranger. So when I first joined everyone was very, very friendly. Everyone is almost like a mother hen looking out for you.” Another noted: “It’s not a pretentious club, which is what we like and it’s like a big family.” Other members were looking for a casual, private place to eat and drink on the beach (the Beach Bar Factor). “On Saturdays and Sundays, the Tiki Bar downstairs was more or less rockin’. There were always a lot of people hanging out down there and a lot was going on.” Avoiding the beach crowds was an appealing factor. “We liked the idea of bringing friends here to eat at a lower cost, better food, not to have to wait in line.” Still other members joined because of the formal events held at the club (the Country Club Factor). “A couple of people who lived in the condo I lived in were members of the club and I used to see them all dressed up – they’d be in their tuxedo and…fancy dress. My wife liked the looks of that and wanted

Chapter 15: The Current Culture of CYC 133