The St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious yacht clubs on the Northern Gulf Coast. The club, which had its first meeting in 1933 in the depth of the Great Depression, was formed by a group of prominent business and professional leaders in Panama City.
The first commodore was Major Frank B. Wood. Among the charter members was H. L. Sudduth, developer of the Cove residential area, who donated the land where the clubhouse now stands. The minutes of the organizational meeting in August 1933 indicate that future meetings would be held in the Dixie Sherman Hotel on the mezzanine level until a permanent clubhouse could be built. Other charter members were: M. J. Daffin, later longtime Sheriff of Bay County; Thomas Sale, a prominent attorney who also served as major of Panama City; Harry G. Fannin, a leading banker in town; and J. A. Smith, founder of Panama City and Supply Company.
The stationery of the Yacht Club in 1937 shows the Commodore to be A. M. Lewis, the father of H. Mack Lewis, the well known Panama City business and civic leader who also served as commodore in the nineteen sixties. Named on the letterhead as Honorary Commodore was Asa G. Candler, founder of the Coca Cola Company of Atlanta who had a summer home down the street from the Club on Bunkers Cove Road. Candler donated the cup which is competed for in the annual Candler Regatta at which St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club is host each year.
St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club is a long standing member of the Gulf Yachting Association, which includes the St. Petersburg Yacht Club on the east, westward through the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and Little Rock, Arkansas.
The GYA was organized in 1901 and reorganized in 1920. One of the founding clubs was Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans, which is the second oldest yacht club in North America. The GYA coordinates many regattas and other sailing related activities each year. The big regatta of the year is the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup event held every Labor Day weekend at the site of the club which won the regatta the previous year. In 2004, St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club was admitted to the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs (FCYC) founded in 1960.
What the FCYC does for you as members:
* Offers reciprocity with 38 prestigious clubs in Florida.
* First night FREE dockage at member clubs!
* Organizes council wide cruises and rendezvous on a regular basis which provide for interaction among members from all clubs.
* Monitors state and federal legislation having impact upon boating
* Provides assistance and support to federal and state agencies on safe boating issues.
* Has an active program in Tallahassee to maintain contact with the legislature and cabinet.
* Sponsors annual worldwide cruises at exceptionally low prices!
* Provides for interchange of managerial concepts and programs between clubs
The St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club is not only a boating oriented club. There are many social activities carried on during the year. The Club is also the scene of many private parties and receptions. The Club has a superior dining room and bar that provides for its members excellent fare six days a week. St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club is a private club, membership by invitation and approval by the Board of Governors.
The St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club is a non-profit corporation owned by its membership. We are a private Club whose facilities are for our members and guests. The Club is a family club where children and adults are welcomed and entertained.
