Local marina to become semi-private yacht club

A sale, a big spruce-up and the transformation of Marco Island’s Cedar Bay Marina into a semi-private club called Cedar Bay Yacht Club is in the cards.

Photo by QUENTIN ROUX, Eagle staff

Cedar Bay Marina forklift driver Terry Volney checks a stack of boats in dry storage at the marina.

It will be similar to a country club, with equity memberships initially catering to 350 people who’ll be able to store their boats in dry slips and have full use of expanded facilities by paying monthly maintenance fees.

The Marina’s General Manager, Scott Hopkins, made the announcement this week after successful negotiations between seller Jack Antaramian — a prolific island and area developer — and new owners Fonte & Associates out of Miami.

Closing on the deal is expected Sept. 6, Hopkins said.

Hopkins, formerly an Atlanta software developer and business consultant, took over the helm of the marina in 2001.

His improvements were topped, he said, by the marina becoming the first on Marco to achieve Clean Marina status from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Changes to the marina will include a restaurant and bar that will be open to the public, additional landscaping, the relocation of the service department to a new building on an adjacent lot, the covering of the existing deck and a possible second-story deck next to the existing ship’s store.

Photo by QUENTIN ROUX, Eagle staff

Marco Island's Cedar Bay Marina, as seen from the east side of the property, is set for some big changes.

Club members can expect to be pampered, Hopkins said.

“A day in the life of a member,” he said, “would be to call ahead, find their boat in the water, gassed up, stocked with drinks and food and ready to go.”

Upon their return, everything would be taken care of as well — boat cleaned, engine flushed and personal gear hauled back to the parking lot by staffers. “Just like a valet service,” Hopkins said, “except that it’s on the water.”

Further expansion, he said, will include adding more slips for more members to stow their boats and admitting associate members who can make use of facilities such as the restaurant and service department.

Initial equity memberships for smaller boats will be around $85,000 with monthly maintenance fees running around $220.

The entire project, he said, should be wrapped by around the summer of 2007.