As a board member of the Platinum Point Yacht Club (PPYC), I am sometimes asked, “Why should I join a yacht club?” The answer to that question is known by a wide range of people: boat owners, past boat owners, friends of boat owners, and people who have lived in the vicinity of water where seafaring people congregate – basically, anyone who ever lived near the water (or dreamed of living near the water) and got to associate with the type of person who likes to be on the water.
Those “boater folks” are known for two different, but related, characteristics. First, they are known for their strong sense of comradery. They like to hang around together, work together and play together. This trait is completely understandable when you remember that most boating adventures require “many hands-on-deck.” Also, knowing other boaters is essential when sailing in unfamiliar waters. As the boating saying goes, “Nothing beats local knowledge.” Clearly, hanging with other boaters is beneficial, if not necessary.
This characteristic sense of comradery is seen at PPYC in the numerous group activities: Stretch & Balance, Art Class, Jam Session, and Book Club. The game players are also present for Bridge, Mah Jongg, and Bunco. Happy hours, Sunset Socials Potlucks and Grill Nights also give members the opportunity to meet new people and laugh with old friends. PPYC, like boating itself, is a group-lovers haven.
Clearly, PPYC believes that life is better when it’s shared. This belief in the importance of community is seen in the annual PPYC Shrimp Boil, which takes place each November. PPYC members don their red shirts as they work together to welcome back all the Northern snowbirds. This is just one example of how PPYC members enjoy pitching-in to create something bigger than the sum of its individual parts.
Another example of how PPYC members work together to create something meaningful is the annual Adopt a Child Program. As stated in the Lee County Proclamation, Platinum Point Yacht Club has demonstrated “exceptional dedication to enriching the lives of countless individuals and enhancing the community at large.” Comradery at its best.
If comradery is the first characteristics that “boater folk” are known for, liking to have fun would be a close second. Along with that trait come things like parties, and dancing and, dare I add, alcohol. Hence the large number of festive events that occur each season. A month doesn’t go by without some major function of celebration. You probably have seen many of them each season. To name just a few: Welcome Back Party, Trim-a-Tree, Poker Run, Blessing of the Fleet and The Commodore’s Ball. PPYC members like to party and party hearty.
So, the answer to the question, why join a yacht club? is simple. The members of PPYC, like all boaters, enjoy doing things with others and putting priority on having fun. Instead of “that loving feeling,” the song could simply say, “I have that boating feeling.” That’s why people, both boaters and non-boaters, join a yacht club.
