Page 13
An anonymous visitor many years ago wrote the following essay. Long-time member, P/C Tom
Whitlock, passed it on to me. Except for the names being different and the lack of a juke box in the
lounge, our Club seems the same wonderful place today as it was back then.
Why I Think Your Fort Walton Yacht Club is the Best in the World!
To begin with:
1. It’s on the best continent of the world.
2. It’s in the best country on the best continent of the world.
3. It’s in the best place on the coast of the best continent and best country of the world for all forms of
yachting or boating activities all-year-round in both protected waters and off-shore or coastal or blue-water
cruising waters to any harbor, marina, yacht club in this part of the world or any other part of the world.
Now what are some of the not so obvious things about your club that makes it superlative among all other yacht
clubs in the world:
4. You pretty much have the local waters to yourselves. You don’t have to share them with commercial
shipping or non-pleasure boat traffic. You are the primary yacht club, in fact, the only yacht club in the
region.
5. This area is not a large city or metropolitan area. Yet, you have all the advantages and none of the
disadvantages of the Club’s being in a very small coastal town or its being in a large city or metropolitan
area on this or any other coast, i.e., Pensacola, New Orleans, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Miami, et al.
These advantages are apparent to one who is a member of one.
Now let’s consider some very fine things you have that in total make your Club the best of all yacht clubs I’ve
ever known or visited or seen that perhaps has escaped the notice of many of your members.
6. Whether by design or happenstance or some of both, your Club's location and plan and layout of the
clubhouse and the Club's facilities are perfect or close to perfect as one can be in an imperfect world.
a. You are on your own point-of-land, not shoulder-to-shoulder with other marinas, businesses, public
buildings, estates, docks, shops, stores, parking lots, fishing piers, thoroughfares, etc.
b. Your Clubhouse is ideally sited and oriented to your members' boats, docks and slips. By ideally, I
mean that one can see the boats, the docks, the slips and the members and their friends coming and
"working" on their boats or going away or coming back with their boats or coming back up to the Club
from their boats; see them from one's seat or table in the bar or lounge or di