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Boca Ciega Yacht Club (BCYC) is a private sailing club for use by its members, their families, and guests, is located on the South East end of Boca Ciega Bay in Gulfport, Florida, where dry and wet slips are available.  The clubs is recognized as the most active sailing club in the Tampa Bay area where members maintain the clubhouse, club owned boats, and facilities.  Club boats are available for members at no cost and two night stay at T-docks for members and or their invited friends. To enjoy our club you do not need to own your own boat, but you must enjoy sailing.

Activities include, monthly weekend cruises, day of racing, and a cover dish dinner party.  Yearly functions that include Christmas boat parade, installation banquet, youth sailing school, adult sailing school, blessing of the fleet, Labor Day raft up, and 4 to 5 day Thanksgiving holiday cruise.   Many members gather to use their vacation time to cruises covering weeks and some a month or more.  If you like sailing you will like BCYC, and learn why the club is the most recognized sailing club in the area.

Who can be a member?
Most anyone interested in sail boating, sailboat racing, or social activities and who are willing to help maintaing our club can be a member of the BCYC. All it takes is to contact our Membership Chairman, who will arrange a tour, introduce you to some of our members and help you fill out an application. Our membership dues are surprisingly reasonable, and we are always ready to welcome new members. For more information, call us, drop by, or check out our web site for a photo tour, functions and activities. For a person seeking membership - they need to fill out an application they will find on the front porch, place it in the office door mail slot. the membership chairman will call you. Membership Chairperson is Gerri Angel, (727) 345-9837. membership@sailbcyc.org

What's in it for me?
  • Low membership dues
  • 8,000 sq. ft. clubhouse
  • Lounge (with TV and pool table)
  • Large patio (with Bar B Q and tables)
  • Large screen in porch.
  • 56 -slip marina (with power and water)
  • Private boat launch ramp
  • Small boat hoist
  • 50 Dry slips
  • Fleet of small sailboats
  • Shower facilities
  • Swimming beach
  • Social activities
  • Sailing regattas
  • Recreational boating activities
  • Adult sailing classes
  • Junior sailing program
  • Sea Scouts
  • Parties
  • Discount on B.O.A.T./US membership
 		 Club Cruise Social Hour  
  Christmas Parade
Youth Sailing School

 

History of the Boca Ciega Yacht Club

The colorful history of the Boca Ciega Yacht Club dates back to the early 1940's during World War II. About a dozen men who owned small powerboats shared the single desire to form a club and have their own dock. Their request for waterfront had been denied by the city of St. Petersburg, so this low horsepower group came up with a high-powered plan. They pre-assembled a dock and trucked it to the Vinoy Basin 'on a dark night' where they constructed it in hopes they would not be evicted. The City eventually granted a lease on that land for the sum of one dollar per year at this site. The club was named the "Sunshine City Boat Club", and it grew to 110 slips and remained a very active all volunteer organization at that location until 1964.

The "M.G.M. BOUNTY' (of Mutiny on the Bounty) was coming to St. Petersburg and would be a tourist attraction for the city. The club was given its walking papers to make way for The Bounty. They found a new location on Boca Ciega Bay. Gulfport was improving its waterfront and was happy with a marina that was realistically planned and financed. The "Sunshine City Boat Club" was considered an asset to the community.

The club set about to build a rick-rack sea wall and to dig out the marina basin that we now occupy, and changed the name of their organization to "THE BOCA CIEGA YACHT CLUB' July 21,1964. A golden spike was driven into the dock to signify completion of phase one, which included the construction of 48 slips. An additional 27 slips were added later to accommodate up to 75 boats. In 1996, our marina was re-built by the City of Gulfport in accordance with BCYC's lease with the city.

Due to the 1964 move, the membership dropped. The ability to attract more yachts and yachtsmen was found when the club started its highly successful sailing school. In 1967 BCYC opened the club doors to an enrollment of 170 students. This fulfilled the provision in the club charter "to promote education in safe boating and all nautical activities while remaining as a non-profit not-for-profit organization."

The club grew and so did its programs. We now have sailing for the area youth in the summer; monthly club cruises to nearby anchorages and ports of call, potluck dinners and parties on club weekends, monthly club races, and more.

The annual Labor Day Sunflower Raft-Up started in the summer of 1989 with only 17 boats with no wind and nothing better to do than to tie up and party. This event grew each year to be the best-attended activity in the Club. Festivities include a dinner and dance the night before the raft, and then a day of rafting, swimming, and end of summer companionship.

The 1991 raft was built in 5 hours and gained national recognition in Boat/US Report with the 81 boats participating. The 1994 Raft-Up was the largest ever on this continent and it had a record-setting 176 boats. 'The Day on the Bay' and Blessing of the Fleet at the Gulfport Pier held in March has become a more recent tradition and is gaining popularity. Participation has doubled from one year to the next.