Anchored by Tradition

Naples Yacht Club is a welcoming home away from home. What makes it so special?

From memorable on-the-water excursions to friendly terra firma gatherings, Naples Yacht Club members revel in the Club’s vibrant ambience, honored traditions, special events, and social clubs that offer something for everyone—boaters and non-boaters alike.

What do members celebr ate about NYC? For starters, its world-class clubhouse, gourmet dining, affable staff, boating amenities, and prized proximity to beaches and shopping. When asked what really sets NYC apart, members consistently return to the same reason—the people.

“W e belong to many clubs in many places in the country, and there’s nothing that has a special feel like Naples Yacht Club,” says Lindsey Thomas, who served as Commodore in 2011. “When new people join, it’s amazing how quickly they become involved. Almost everyone volunteers for a committee or offers to help, and they’re all tied around a common theme of good cheer and brotherhood. It turns out to be a wonderful environment.”

The Club’s selective vetting process ensures a membership accomplished in business, community, voluntarism, and philanthropy—attributes that nourish a culture of engagement.

“We’ve enjoyed our time at the yacht club in so many ways that it’s hard to describe all of them,” says Charlie Brown, who has lived in Naples with his wife, Elise, since 1985. The Browns finally joined the Club about eight years ago because they could no longer justify not jumping into the action. “We had a boat behind our house. We didn’t need to join,” he says. “We just loved the parties and the people we met there.”

A Magic Combination Whether they’re discussing kingfish, KingFishers, or knitted tiles, members are drawn to the Club’s common conviviality found at the dock, in the Main Brace, and at “clubs within the Club” that indulge a wide range of interests: vintage cars, bridge, bocce, books, and mahjong.

David Lawson says the Club atmosphere deftly weaves a sophisticated, knowledgeable boating tradition with festive, inviting social activities. “The essence of what makes the place different from other yacht or social clubs is the way it combines those two things,” says Lawson, a North Carolina native who has lived all over the world and joined NYC with his wife, Emiliana, about three years ago. “It makes it quite appealing to both sets of people,

and you end up with this organic overlap. I belong to a range of clubs, but this one I feel most connected to.”

Club staff rolls out the red carpet in making each member feel special and in planning events that honor the Club’s traditions and special place in Naples’ history as the first private club— established before the city became incorporated. “Every big tree in the forest has great roots,” Brown notes. “And our Club has great roots.” In January, when Charlie and Elise Brown celebrated their 80th birthdays, the staff, in typical fashion, threw a grand party at the Club. “It was quite a show,” says Brown.

The C lub’s Annual Fleet Review & Commissioning Ceremony is a long-standing yacht club tradition, but Thomas says, “I’ve never been to a club that did it quite to the nines as we do,” he says.

Its walkable proximity to downtown Naples and the beach—and its picaresque

location on Naples Bay—make the Club a rare find, Lawson says. Despite its enviable amenities, the Club is embraced as a casual, down-to-earth second home. “I think it is just very welcoming,” says Toni Mueller.

Shortly after Mueller and her husband, Charlie, joined in 2017, she got involved with the Women on Water Committee and book and mahjong clubs. “We’ve had so many fun activities the past couple years,” she says. “It’s been really great.”

When it’ s time to make Club changes or upgrades, they are driven by members. “We want to know what they want, what they like,” says Melanie Sabelhaus, who serves on the House Committee. “We feel like family. It’s like walking into your living room or dining room when you walk into Naples Yacht Club. It’s fabulous.”

Cruising Camaraderie

Drawn to cruising companionship, Sabelhaus joined NYC with her husband, Bob, in 2004 after Hurricane Charley wiped out their Useppa Island home. The Club’s extensive cruising program—which includes lunch, overnight, and even international trips—is key to fostering a communal culture.

“The cruises are the highlights because of the friendships, the camaraderie, and the water experiences,” she says. “You’ll have all kinds of different boats, all kinds of different people, joining the cruises. That was the way we met most of our friends, who are now our very good friends.”

For boaters, nautical knowledge and yarns

are exchanged at the weekly Boaters’ Lunch and along the dock, where members offer a hand to tie up or cautionary tale. On the water, “something is always going wrong, and you end up with a great story as a result,” Lawson laughs. “There’s a great camaraderie amongst the group. It’s a very collaborative culture.” 