Members, residents and visitors braved the cold for last year's event.

Anchors, aweigh!

The Captiva Island Yacht Club will host its second annual Fleet Review on Saturday, Feb. 26. Boats of all shapes and steerage are welcome to join in on the fun, and non-boaters will have plenty of chances to cheer on their neighbors from the docks.

And while the inaugural CIYC Fleet Review debuted under less than desirable weather conditions, Captiva Island Yacht Club Past Commodore Jeri Magg said that more than 90 people braved the cold and clouds to participate in and cheer on the parade.

“I was shocked. The event was different, and people like that kind of stuff. And even though the weather last year was horrible, it didn’t stop our review. It was very well attended and everybody enjoyed it so much — even with bad weather,” Magg said.

Before Magg became Commodore in 2009, the Yacht Club was working to create more of a public presence on the island.

Past Commodore Jeri Magg, second from left, on the reviewing stand last year.

“We wanted to become more visible in the Captiva and Sanibel community, and this Fleet Review is part of our community outreach. So far, I think we’ve been successful,” Magg said, noting that the Yacht Club also participated in the Light the Way Boat Parade during the Captiva Holiday Village in December of last year. “We’re also a member of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce, and we just recently hosted a Chamber after-hours event here at the Yacht Club.”

Magg also recognized members Paul Valentino, Ron Gibson and Ada Shissler for their hard work in drumming up community support, especially for events like the Fleet Review.

“All the members are excited for the event, and we’re really lucky to have Paul McCarthy as our guest speaker,” Magg said.

The review will begin with a 10 a.m. line-up in front of Jensen’s Marina, and continue down Roosevelt Channel, led by the CIYC fleet, and past the Flag Officer’s Reviewing Stand Boat. The parade will continue past ‘Tween Waters Inn, and circle back for disembarking.

A buffet-style lunch — with all participating captains and first mates lunching for free — will begin at 12:30 p.m. For landlubbers and passengers, the cost of lunch is $25.

McCarthy’s talk on the history of Cayo Costa will begin at 1:15 p.m.

There is a patriotic theme, and participants are asked to show their spirit by decorating their boats — and bodies. Members can sport their club uniforms and viewers can go nautical in navy and white.

“We want everyone to come out. It’s really fun and we have a lot of laughs. If you can’t find a boat but you want to be in the review, call the Yacht Club and we’ll try to find you room on one of our bigger boats,” Magg said. “Anyone can participate!”

A captains meeting for participants will take place on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. at the Yacht Club, located at 15903 Captiva Drive.

To register for the review, or for further information, call the Captiva Island Yacht Club at 472-4133.