Club History
Tampa Bay Mariners Club, Inc.
History: 4/2/73 – 4/2/10
The Tampa Bay Marines Club was formed April 2, 1973 to provide an interchange of information intended to improve the business of Marine Insurance and to maintain equitable and lawful business principles, along with high standards of ethical and sound business practices among its members.
The charter originally included individuals employed in the Management, Administration and/or Technical support of Marine Insurance. It was later expanded to include Maritime Industry and allied fields.
On March 4, 1973, Tom McClave (Geo. F. Brown then Hull & Co. now Brown & Brown, met with other insurance people to see if there was an interest in forming a Mariners Club in the Tampa Bay area. Thirty-two attended a meeting at the Causeway Inn, Rocky Point, Tampa, Florida.
On April 2, 1973, Charters from clubs in Boston, Atlanta and Jacksonville were reviewed and the Tampa Bay Mariners Club Charter was adopted:
Our First officers were:
| Dick Blake* | Skipper | (Fireman’s Fund) |
| Don Politis | First Mate | (INA-Insurance Company of North America) |
| Frank Muoio* | Purser | (MOAC – Marine Office of America Corporation) |
| Alice Jardine | Yoeman | (Aetna Insurance Company – i.e. Little Aetna) |
 |
|
|
Traditionally, officers move up in line, and Don Politis become our 2nd Skipper.
Other Charter Members are Woozy Bouck*, Margaret Porcelli, Dick Murdock, Rick Wheeler, Yvonne Boyle, Red Aydelotte, Tom Howland, Capt. John Brewster* and Skip Spanczak.
In 1976 our First Female Skipper, Sylvia Bennett, CPCU, was installed –Sylvia wrote the Bennett Review Guide for the CPCU Society.
The 1979 Skipper, Yvonne Boyle, attended the First International Mariners Conference held in Toronto, Canada. The Second International Conference was held in Tampa, Florida in March 1980. This Seminar was the beginning of the Tampa Bay Mariners Club annual educational seminars as well as the birth of the International Mariner’s Pin, “The Compass Rose” worn on the lapels of the members.
Each year our Skipper has the challenge to conduct an Educational Seminar. With the assistance of members, the seminars have been well received and focus on a wide range of subjects of interest to those in the marine field.
In 1989, David Allen (Past TMBC Member) moved to Ft. Lauderdale and with the assistance of the TBMC officers the Ft. Lauderdale Mariners Club was formed. On October 25, 1989 the first educational seminar was held in Ft. Lauderdale to coincide with the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show, and the tradition continues.
In 2008 our Tampa Bay Mariners Club became a Not for Profit Corporation.
Congratulations to the Mariners Clubs countrywide for their expertise, energy, dedication, time and efforts to the enhancement of the Marine industry.
Yvonne Boyle
Tampa Bay Mariners Club
Past Skipper
Charter Member
*Deceased