A new day at the dock

Officials at the Bird Key Yacht Club, which has a long and notable history in the Sarasota area, faced some significant issues in 2013.

Like many social membership organizations across the region, membership was in decline. And some members who remained had grown somewhat apathetic about the club and its future.

Despite the obstacles, club officials decided to re-invest in the facility to draw in new members, particularly baby boomers on the younger end of their generation. The Bird Key Yacht Club traces its history, and location, to the New Edzell Castle, the first mansion in Sarasota built with electric lights, steam heat and hot and cold running water. The yacht club was built on that site in 1959.