General Manager’s Log

by: Rhett J. Robicheaux, CCM

As summer ends later this month, kids are back in school, and the heat is still dialed up, we still must be mindful of the busiest time for hurricanes in this region. With that said, being prepared is the number one defense. We were lucky last year, and we can only hope for the same this year. In the meantime, have your plan in place and ready to execute.

The downtown Club’s annual shut down took place July 24th through August 7th. Within that time, we accomplished quite a bit when it comes to general cleaning and upkeep of the Club. The main project was moving our Banquet operations back upstairs and our bakery downstairs as it was years ago. This will help in being much more efficient in Banquets as well as in our day-to-day a la carte operations. Finally, our new garage arm gates are in full operation with most members cars registered and tagged. With any new roll out there will be obstacles that we will face and conquer, please be patient as we all go through this process together.

As you well see the dock project is underway. Please be sure to check out a more comprehensive update from our Port Committee Chairman, Fred Higham. Moving forward, we are expecting our new docks to arrive mid to late October with installation following the J-70 Worlds event we are hosting here on October 27th through November 5th.

The BROC (Building Replacement Oversight Committee) has been formed and has started their charge in the development of a comprehensive plan for our new Clubhouse. We are very much in the early stages of the work that will come out of this committee; in which we will be sure to communicate regularly with our membership of their progress. To begin this transparent process, we will be holding two Master Plan Member Informational Meetings on September 5th and again on September 28th, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. This is your opportunity to meet one-on-one with Club Leadership to learn how the Master Facility Plan came about, and how the future of our Club will be secured.

Congratulations to, Kerrie Paquette, who will be transitioning into the Member Relations Manager role. Kerrie has been an amazing asset to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club team for 19 years, most recently serving as our Pass-a-Grille Clubhouse Manager. Prior to joining SPYC, Kerrie spent over 15 years working as an office manager. She will continue to be a wonderful representative for the Club and liaison for members. Congratulations Kerrie! Over at Pass-a-Grille, in addition to her Beverage duties, Delora Croteau, will be overseeing the Beach Club as the new Pass-a-Grille Clubhouse Coordinator. Delora has been a key asset to our team since 2008. She is looking forward to continuing to work with the membership at that location. Congratulations Delora!

In addition to these two promotions, we have added a crucial Team Member in our culinary operation. Troy McCue, our new Executive Sous Chef, will oversee the overall a la carte operations at our downtown Clubhouse. Troy comes to us with an impressive background, starting at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club many years ago. After leaving Tampa and making the move to St. Petersburg he took a Sous Chef position at Birch and Vine downtown St. Pete. During the pandemic an opportunity came along at the St. Petersburg Pier, his team designed the menus, plates, and presentation for Teak and Pier Teaki. Since joining SPYC, Troy immediately felt at home with family, and we couldn’t be happier to have him here. He is going to make a great addition to Chef Christian’s Team!

In closing, and as we close in on another successful fiscal year here at SPYC, the staff and I want to thank the entire membership for the great year we have all had! Please keep in mind that Pass-a-Grille will be shut down from September 5th through September 20th for some maintenance and for staff to take some well-deserved rest before starting another successful season. Cheers,

Rhett J. Robicheaux, CCM General Manager, COO

Contact Us

General Manager - Rhett J. Robicheaux,CCM, COO (727) 823-1219 | gm@spyc.org

Chief Financial Officer - Colleen Finney, CHAE (727) 823-1061 | controller@spyc.org

Waterfront & Club Communications Director - Corey A. Hall (727) 822-3113 | Waterfront-director@spyc.org

Member Relations Manager - Kerrie Paquette (727) 892-6888 | Membership@spyc.org

Facilities Director - Steve Partridge (727) 892-6892 | facilitiesmgr@spyc.org

Food & Beverage Director - Jason Hooper (727) 892-6896 | FBDirector@spyc.org

Executive Chef - Christian Mayrhofer (727) 892-6889 | executivechef@spyc.org

Catering Director/Clubhouse Services Manager

Shannon Nylander, CPCE ,WSET2 (727) 892-6882 | catering@spyc.org

Catering Assistant - Caroline Stehr (727) 892-6897 | cateringinfo@spyc.org

Executive Pastry Chef - Natalia Nunez Torres (727) 822-3873 ext. 223 | pastrychef@spyc.org

Beverage Manager - Pierre Dumaine (727) 892-6891 | pierre@spyc.org

Member Services/Marketing Coordinator - Leah Wieter (727) 892-6893 | member.services@spyc.org

Pass-a-Grille Clubhouse Coordinator - Delora Croteau (727) 360-1646 | Pag@spyc.org

Harbormaster, Chase Hudspeth & Dockmaster, John Toberman (727) 822-3227 | harbormaster@spyc.org - dockmaster@spyc.org

Youth Sailing Director - Todd Fedyszyn (727) 896-8101 youthsailingdirector@spyc.org

Housekeeping/Valet/Security Manager - Maritza Villanueva (727) 892-6894 | housekeeping@spyc.org

Downtown Clubhouse: (727) 822-3873

Pass-a-Grille Clubhouse: (727) 360-1646

Snell Isle Marina: (727) 895-8142

Downtown Marina: (727) 822-3227

Sailing Center: (727) 822-3113

Business Office: (727) 892-6883/892-6884 | www.SPYC.org