Yacht Club Hosts 4th Annual Boat Show

Seeing boats at the Marco Island Yacht Club is nothing new, though one rarely sees dozens of new boats and pontoons set up on dry land. Yet that’s what visitors saw when they stopped at the clubhouse over the weekend for the fourth annual Marco Boat Show: row upon row of the newest luxury watercraft, along with 75 local marine vendors and food stalls.

This is the second year the show has been held at the club, after a hiatus of several years when the addition of new lifts at the Rose Marina meant the event could no longer be accommodated at the venue. Taking place over three days on the weekend, the event showcases top-of-the-line 2027-model ships, from pontoons and fishing boats to yachts and other personal luxury craft.

Surrounding the clubhouse are numerous vendor stalls, including local names like Collier Seawall and Dock and Sandy Hook Yachts, while Eden’s Earth Wind and Fryer served food to visiting guests.

One of the largest boat shows in the Collier County area, the Marine Industries Association of Collier County (MIACC), which runs the event, said it expected around 3,000 attendees. Many administrators said they were proud to bring the event back to the club for a second year in a row. Having a boat show in the area was important, said organizers, as Marco Island has always had a rich recreational maritime history.

“It’s been a great partnership. The Yacht Club and the Marina Association are great to work with. Super boater friendly and the members have all been great,” said Tiffany Sawyer-Schank, executive director of MIACC. “They enjoy having something at their facility to come and check out and give them an extra reason to come and enjoy the beautiful Yacht Club and facilities here. So I think we’re all a bunch of boaters, and we all love to help support each other and promote what we love.”

“It’s been wonderful,” added Peter Chapman, the facilities director at the yacht club. “Our General Manager, Missy [Milanese], said this was one of the things she wanted to bring back to Marco … And last year was our first time doing it, and we did it well. And this year we’re doing it even better.”

This year saw the addition of sailing activities for kids, allowing for younger children to get experience on the water and find a love for boating from some of the experienced captains on the local waterways.

Fish Tale Boats, a prominent luxury boat dealership in Collier County, also had a large presence at the show, featuring many of the newest boats from brands like Chaparral, Robalo, and Grady-White.

While rising diesel prices have impacted the boating industry, Sawyer-Schank said that because Marco Island and the Naples area are more upscale, it didn’t affect the show or yacht owners as much as it would commercial fishers or other marine industries.

Overall, organizers felt the event was a success this year and were happy to draw in many boaters, new and old, to the island.

“I love seeing people out here checking out boats and getting excited about living in this beautiful paradise,” said Sawyer-Schank.