Two of the top 10 yacht clubs in the U.S. are in Southwest Florida

Reporter: Lindsey Sablan
Published: Updated:
Pelican Isle Yacht Club. Photo via WINK News

Two of the top 10 yacht clubs in the country reside right here in southwest Florida.

The Pelican Isle Yacht Club based in Naples as well as the Naples yacht club made this year’s top 10 list.

Pelican Isle, which falls at number 7 on the list, just completed a $4.8-million renovation which helped make it become one of the best yacht clubs in the nation.

At Pelican Isles, the yachting group has taken off.

Immediate past commodore of the Pelican Isle Yacht Club Dick Hobbs says, “in 8 years we’ve tripled the number of cruises and we have nearly 30 each year.”

Hobbs and his wife Christine have been members for 23 years. Recently, we had the chance to go on one of their cruises to the exclusive island of Useppa.

“As you get people on a boat they come together kinda like a crew.”

The weekend cruise to Useppa is one of their favorites.

“We have a band that comes up and they play both nights.”

Another past commodore Rick Baird has been boating since 1985 and also love the camaraderie.

“We have a tradition of dock tales every night” Baird says.

Baird lives in Ohio in the summer months, but his “Go Bucks” boat can be found cruising from the Tampa to the keys from October to May. Right now, the Pelican Isle Yacht Club has 190 slips for members.

Naples yacht clubs cracks the top 10 just one spot ahead of Pelican Isle, at number 6.

If you would like to view the full list of top yacht clubs in the nation, you can find them here.

Our partners at Gulfshore Life spent the day aboard the Pelican Isle Club’s “Ritz Karllton Too.” You can read about their experience with the cruising culture in the June edition, which you can buy at Publix and Barnes and Nobles.

 

 

 

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