Marina Dock Age

North Light Yacht Club in Niceville, Fla., opened in October 2009, according to a Nov. 6 Northwest Florida Daily News report. Owner Joseph Winkeler wanted this yacht club to be more than just a docking spot for boats, but rather a destination resort for boaters and their families, which is why he spent several years and $19 million to upgrade it.

The renovated marina includes a dry stack storage facility capable of storing up to 260 boats, along with 57 wet slips.  The new marina is a significant upgrade of the former Lighthouse Key Marina that was on the site. Winkeler, through his company Ozean Development, bought the old marina and decided to turn it into a destination resort.

Winkeler is planning to sell individual racks in the dry storage building, which can withstand hurricane winds up to 145 mph, and lease out the wet end slips.  His eventual plans call for removing the existing wet end slips and replacing them with 57 high-end ones.

To serve his customers, Winkleler’s North Light Yacht Club staff will make sure every customer’s boat is fueled, cleaned, and even stocked with food and drinks before the customer arrives to use his boat. The yacht club also offers its boaters a 4,200 square-foot clubhouse with a bar and grill, shower facilities, and an outdoor pool. Winkeler has collected antique nautical items, which decorate both the inside and outside of the North Light to create a unique boating environment.