Marco Island Yacht Club christens Riverside Marina

Carol Comeaux

Special to the Eagle

MIYC Chaplain Alan Sandlin gave a blessing at the Christening of the Riverside Marina at Marco Island Yacht Club.

The Marco Island Yacht Club marked the grand opening of its new Riverside Marina with a christening ceremony on Nov. 9.

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Christened the “Riverside Marina at Marco Island Yacht Club,” the $6.9 million state-of-the art marina provides for 27 new wet slips ranging from 45 to 125 feet long by a minimum of 23 feet wide.

MIYC Chairman of the Board Dave Everitt and MIYC Commodore Geoff Walker break a bottle of Champagne over the railing to commemorate the opening of the Riverside Marina at Marco Island Yacht Club.

Club officers and members, local officials and the professionals who worked on the project were present for the ceremony.

Yacht Club Chaplain Alan Sandlin offered a blessing and the Club’s Chairman Dave Everitt and Commodore Geoff Walker officially christened the marina by breaking a bottle of champagne.

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“Market demand for boat slips over 65 feet has grown substantially over the past few years in Southwest Florida,” commented Dave Everitt, board chairman.

“We’re pleased that the Marco Island Yacht Club is now able to address this demand and attract new members to the club.”

The new Riverside Marina at Marco Island Yacht Club provides 27 new slips on the river side of the Yacht Club. Five are reserved solely for transient boaters visiting Marco Island, and 21 of the available 22 slips have been spoken for.

Twenty-one of the 22 available slips have been spoken for. Short and long term-leases will be available as well as dockage for transient boaters visiting Marco Island.

The new marina will have a fulltime Dockmaster and is comprised of 22 floating docks, ranging from 45 feet to 125 feet in length, and five fixed docks with 40,000 lb. lifts to accommodate today’s larger outboard powered boats.

MIYC Chairman Dave Everitt (at Podium) and MIYC Commodore Geoff Walker raise a glass in a toast to the new Marina.

Five of the floating docks are reserved for transient usage. The facility offers boaters amenities including water, electricity, pump-out facilities, lighting, wi-fi and security cameras. In addition, boat-side food service will be available from the club. Using state-of-the-art dock designs, the marina meets category one to category three hurricane construction standards.

Founded in 2001, the member-owned Marco Island Yacht Club is located at the junction of the Marco River and the Yacht Basin at 1400 North Collier Boulevard, Marco Island, Florida.