On Sunday, January 22, The Marco Bay Yacht Club conducted it’s 53rd annual “Change of Watch” during which the Bridge for the next year is installed. Outgoing Commodore Sandy LaMontagne introduced the 2023-24 Commodore Linda Gagnon. Linda then installed Charles Erker, Vice Commodore, and Paul Schneeberger, Rear Commodore.
Sixty-six members enjoyed a dinner of either Filet Mignon or Grouper with red or white wine and an assortment of dessert options.
A variety of music for dancing and listening enjoyment was provided by Mirage.
We had a good contingent of Past Commodores in attendance and took the opportunity to get a group picture. Included were Larry Sacher, Bob White, Sally Orth, Bob Boland, Rudi Landwaard, Marcia Orsolini, Alex Orsolini, and Brent Cook.
Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the event a roaring success.
The weather was perfect as the crowd began to gather at CJ’s on the Bay, Star Bar for January Monday Madness. It was by far the best attended Madness since Covid. Also joining us were three potential new members, whose applications are being processed. In addition, there are two other applications from potential new members who could not attend.
The winners of the 50/50 drawing were:
Linda Gagnon $20
Dianne Kernan $35
Deb Lowell $55
Looking forward to seeing you all on February 27th for February Monday Madness.
Wednesday, February 1st
The hunt will begin at 9:30 with lunch at CJ’s at 11:30!
We will meet between the bridge and the MIYC on the Marco River. Look for Sally and Don’s Hurricane (White with Blue Trim). Where you will pick up your clues and instructions
Bring: cell phone, Marco Street map, local nautical chart, GPS, Binoculars, MBYC roster, pencils or pens. At the sound of the horn let the HUNT BEGIN!!
If you aren’t going to hunt please join us for lunch.
If weather is an issue we will still have lunch
The cost for lunch is $23.00 per person non-alcoholic drink, tax and tip included
You will have the following menu choices
CJ’s Mini Burgers and Fries – Two of our famous Choice ground beef burgers with American cheese on a hand-crafted bun served with French fries
Veggie Wrap – Portabella mushroom, hummus, bell peppers, carrots, green onions, tomatoes and micro greens served with fresh fruit
Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken –
Crisp romaine lettuce tossed with
Caesar dressing, croutons and Parmesan cheese, with grilled chicken breast
Dockage is at the Esplanade, call the dock master on channel 16
There is room for the first 7 boats
On December 4th Marco Bay celebrated the Holidays in style aboard the Marco Princess. There were 67 of us as we set out to see a spectacular sunset and celebrate the holiday season.
As everyone boarded they received a Santa $2.00 bill that they could put towards their first drink, I think a lot of us saved them to give to our grandkids.
The prime rib buffet was delicious and the Princess crew was very accommodating and friendly.
We raised over $1,500.00 for Toys for Tots. Everyone who donated was put in a drawing for a beautiful tree made from magnolia leaves. Jo and Doug Bailie were the winners!!
We all had a wonderful time as we enjoyed the beautiful waters surrounding our island and spent a lovely evening with our MBYC friends.
Our thanks to Bonnie Pilat for a wonderful job organizing the event.
The weather was a perfect Chamber of Commerce evening as 27 members gathered at the Star Bar at CJ’s on the Bay for November Monday Madness. We were pleased to welcome the Engrstoms, Saunders and Orths back for the season. As usual there were numerous animated conversations as people moved from group to group catching up on activities of the week, sharing details of their summer and plans for future adventures.
Thanks to Betty Barter and her team who faithfully sell the 50-50 raffle tickets each month.
The 50/50 raffle winners were:
Judy Sacher $12
Sally Orth $20
Linda Saunders $40
Since the last Monday of December falls on the Holiday, there will be no Madness in December. Please plan on joining us on January 30, 2023 for January Monday Madness.
Have a wonderful Holiday Season.
This year’s October Monday Madness fell on Halloween, posing the perfect opportunity to express one’s creativity. And some members were very creative. We even had a priest in attendance. A couple were so well disguised that it took a while to identify them. With the attraction of costumes and the return of many of our seasonal members, October is probably the best attendance Madness of the year. This year was no exception. It’s great fun catching up on summer activities and enjoying the wide variety of costumes.
The 50/50 raffle winners were:
Holly Erker $23
Ginny Jermanok $35
Marianne Mulligan $50
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Looking forward to seeing you at November Madness on Monday Nov 26.
The Marco Bay Yacht Club Welcomed members back to the island on November 6, 2022, with a gathering at DaVinci’s Italian Restaurant on Marco Island. The club was pleased to celebrate the season with many new members and long-time friends. Everyone shared stories of their summer escapades and Ian’s impact on their homes, cars, and boats. VC Linda Gagnon introduced new members including David and Jeanette (Nettie) Petty, Steve and Kathy Stark, Brad and Mary Shaw and Dayna McKendrick (Dean was traveling).
For the business portion of the meeting Linda and Deb Lowell (Secretary) announced that Paul Shneeberger would join the bridge as Rear Commodore next year. Anna Hutchings and Steve Stark join as Directors for the class of 2025 and Bonnie Pilat joins as a Director for the Class of 2023 filling Paul’s vacant spot.
We are also excited to announce that we have expanded the berthing requirements for new members to include Port of the Isles. We have also removed residential requirement as well in the hopes that more people with boats nearby can join the fun.
The club is looking forward to a full roster of activities this season with both large vessel cruises and local day fleet events. The social activities will include our regular Monday Madness gathering at CJs, a Holiday Party on the Marco Princess and our Commodore’s Ball. Social events are being planned to include a weekly breakfast and poker for men. Ladies can enjoy games (Canasta, Maj Jongg, Mexican Train) and special First Mates events.
To keep activities rolling into 2023, we are asking people to please participate as sponsors, coordinators and assistants. If you have not done this in the past, please contact the bridge at bridge@MarcoBayYachtClub.com to volunteer. It’s the easiest way to meet your fellow club members and get the most of your membership.
We are look forward to a spectacular year with our MBYC friends.
To cap off the Summer Dine Around Series, Larry and Patti Bielawski chose the Capital Grille as the venue for the season finale. As had been the case for previous events, the staff came through with excellent service and the chef again delighted us with a variety of menu options, all of which were highly rated by those surveyed.
The Cast of Characters in attendance were Betty Barter, John & Diane Kernan, Robert & JoAnn Herndon, Larry & Patti Bielawski, Larry & Judy Sacher, Frank & Marianne Mulligan, Herb & Ginny Jermanok, Rudi & Dorothy Landwaard, Barry and Claudette Gelfand, Dan & Deb Lowell.
Looking forward to a return visit for another MBYC event.
.
To kick off the Summer Dine Around Series, Jerry Swiacki and Linda Turner selected Alberto’s on 5th Avenue in Naples, to host a delightful evening of cocktails and fine dining. Everyone commented on how nice it was to be able to get to 5th Avenue in less than an hour and not have to wait in line to be seated. Conversations about summer travel were a common theme as we shared our upcoming adventures.
Joining Jerry & Linda, were Herb & Ginny Jermanok, Alex & Marcia Orsolini, Larry & Patti Bielawski, Charlie & Holly Erker, Frank & Marianne Mulligan, Larry & Judy Sacher, Rudi & Dorothy Landwaard, Barry & Claudette Gelfand, Dan & Deb Lowell.