Like many of you, we ended up in Burnt Store Marina on a whim that turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made. Here’s how our version of the fairytale played out.
We were doing the Great Loop, a 7,000-mile boat trip around the eastern third of the United States. We left from New York City on June 3, 2013, and completed our trip by passing the Statue of Liberty, one year and one day later. Our trip took us North into the historic canals of Canada, into the Great Lakes, through Chicago and onto the Illinois River. We followed the Mississippi for a while, but since that river is best known for its “bugs and tugs,” we quickly made our way over to the Ohio River. From there we continued South on the Tombigbee Waterway, and eventually entered the Gulf at Mobile.
After an overnight crossing of the Gulf, we were in Tarpon Springs. From there, the rest of the trip was simple. Follow the Florida coast south down to the Keys, winter in the Keys, and then, in the following spring, continue the journey back up North along the Intercoastal. (The motto during this section of the trip was “Keep Florida on your left.”)
One of the best parts of doing the Great Loop was the sense of community that developed among the hundred or so people who were making the trip with us. You share information and helpful tips, and commiserated on stories of bad weather. You share the joys of boating in a community, and it’s that community which brought us here to Burnt Store Marina.
My husband and I initially hadn’t even stopped in Punta Gorda. But other couples in our little group did. Some of them liked it here so much they convinced us to consider moving here. So, we talked to a real estate agent while we were anchored off Block Island. The agent described a home here in the marina and we bought it without ever coming to see it. Clearly, the community we found on the Loop played a pivotal role in our lives.
How fortunate we were that my husband and I found that same sense of community here at Platinum Point Yacht Club (PPYC). I can say with certainty that it is the PPYC sense of community that is one of the best attributes of the club. We met most of our friends through PPYC. We have a group of three couples that my kids refer to as “the gang.” All are PPYC members. The PPYC tagline “a place to belong” rings true for us.
I think the strong sense of community at PPYC is an offshoot of the sense of community which exists among boaters that I described above. Everyone loves being on the water. And PPYC is a place where both boaters and non-boaters can share in boating experiences.
Nothing beats the group boating experience that is provided in a raft-up. PPYC has several each year, including my favorite, a sunset-moonrise raft-up, at the time when sunset and moonrise coincide. (And the best part, like on any raft-up, is that you can bring other non-boaters along.) Another favorite group-boating opportunity is the lunch cruises. We boat to a local on-water restaurant for lunch. The most recent was to Cabbage Key. Once again, many PPYC non-boaters come along for the ride.
Another way that PPYC fosters a sense of community is through maintaining time-honored nautical traditions. PPYC’s Fleet Week with its Blessing of the Fleet boat parade is a well-known example. As is the Eight Bells Ceremony to honor PPYC members who have passed during the year. One of the highlights of every year is the Commodore’s Ball.
If there’s one thing you can say about boaters, it’s that they like to get together and have fun. That’s why there’s weekly Friday Happy Hours, monthly Sunset Social potlucks and Grill Nights. That’s why there’s a themed party each month that often includes another well-known boater tendency – music and dancing. And that’s why you often see PPYC members hanging out together enjoying the magical view from the Harbor View deck. The opportunity to hang together by the water with drinks from the Docksiders Bar makes PPYC a jewel of the marina.
My husband and I had never thought of joining a yacht club because we feared it might be expensive or stuffy. We found out that the community at PPYC is definitely neither expensive nor stuffy. It is not expensive because we don’t have the overhead costs of a large staff, since we are managed by our own Board of Directors. And nobody who ever stepped through the door of PPYC would ever use the word “stuffy.”
