History

Origins

The Marco Island Yacht Club has roots that go back to the 1960's, when a small, one-story wooden clubhouse was built on the site we now occupy. Sailing was a big focus, and Members enjoyed participating or watching the action from the patio. However, in the 1980's, the wooden clubhouse burned to the ground.

The "Marco Island Yacht and Sailing Club" Era

Eventually, the site was purchased by Jack Antaramian. He completed our current Clubhouse in 1998 and established the Marco Island Yacht and Sailing Club (MIYSC) as part of his own development ventures. In 2001, he decided to sell the Club.

The Birth of "Marco Island Yacht Club"

A group of interested boaters very quickly put together a consortium to purchase the MIYSC. They decided to limit ownership to 200 Charter Members and mailed offerings to members of several boating organizations on the Island. Response was overwhelming with mailbags of replies returned. The Steering Committee turned away many potential investors to keep the number to 200, and in Fall 2001 the Marco Island Yacht Club was born. In addition to the 200 Charter Members holding equity in the Club, there were more than 300 General Members when the Club opened its doors.

The Riverside Marina

When MIYC was founded in 2001, the Club did not have its own Marina, but simply owned a dozen slips in the adjacent MIMA Marina. In 2007 MIYC filed for  permits to build dockage on the northeast side of the Club, however plans were shelved when the economic crash of 2008 hit.  In 2019 the Club reevaluated its position and filed updated plans based on strong market demand for larger slips in the area. A new 27-slip state-of-the-art Marina was approved and was christened "The Riverside Marina" in a beautiful grand opening ceremony November 9, 2021.