For 75 years, the Venice Yacht Club has been a place where friendships are forged over sunsets, celebrations carry over from the dock to the dining room, and a shared love of the water binds generations together. In 2026, that legacy takes center stage as the club celebrates its Diamond Jubilee—an anniversary that honors not only its past, but its enduring role in the Venice community.
Founded in February 1951, when a charter was granted by Florida’s State Department, the Venice Yacht Club (VYC) has long been recognized as a traditional yacht club offering boating, social activities, waterfront dining, and holiday celebrations for all ages—young to the young at heart. Over the decades, it has become a cornerstone of community life on Roberts Bay, evolving while remaining rooted in tradition.
That blend of history and forward momentum is what drew Ed Tindall to the role of General Manager and COO just over a year ago. After researching the club, Ed and his wife, Cheryl, moved to Venice with their two adult children to be closer to family as they “aged up.” What excited him most was the VYC’s strong sense of identity. “I found the club’s members to be friendly, kind, witty, and relaxed,” he said. “I’m big on fostering traditions, which the club clearly was too. I wanted something with a history, and a future.”
That history is being celebrated in style. The 75th anniversary festivities officially kicked off during the 2025 Venice Holiday Parade, in partnership with the City of Venice’s 100th anniversary celebration. VYC members built a commemorative float, pulled by Ed himself in his Jeep, and handed out anniversary flags and challenge coins to the community, sharing the milestone well beyond the clubhouse walls. The celebration will continue through 2026, with members, staff, and Ed all looking ahead to a major anniversary party on April 18, when 250 to 300 members are expected to gather for the club’s largest event of the year.
Adding a lasting artistic tribute, the club commissioned renowned artist Graeme Baxter to create a painting commemorating the Venice Yacht Club and its storied past. Known internationally for his oil paintings and limited editions of iconic golf courses displayed at events like The Ryder Cup, Baxter brought that same reverence and warmth of spirit to Venice. At an October 2025 “Meet the Artist” event, he praised the club’s charm and member’s enthusiasm, calling the evening “truly inspiring” and the community “wonderful.”
While boats are part of the picture—there are 74 slips, and many members keep vessels elsewhere—Ed joked that the VYC is “a social club with a boat problem.” What unites the membership, he said, is a shared love of the water and the club’s unbeatable view of Roberts Bay. That passion fuels a social calendar that, by Ed’s own account, “far exceeds” anything he’s experienced in his decades of prior leadership roles at golf and country clubs. Monthly events are the norm, and members are deeply involved in planning and hosting them, working hand-in-hand with staff in a way Ed describes as both extraordinary and uncommon.
The past year has also underscored the VYC’s resilience. Ed arrived as the club was continuing its recovery from the 2024 hurricanes. Renovations, including the completion of two elevators, the installation of removable flood barriers, and comprehensive emergency planning, helped protect the club’s future.
As it marks three-quarters of a century, the Venice Yacht Club remains rooted in tradition while investing in its future and embracing the community where relationships are built, celebrations unfold, and members sail together into the sunset.