The Bitter End Yacht Club’s popular repeat guest recognition program continues in high gear with more flags going up every week. Since November of 2002, Resort Manager Mary Jo Ryan has been presenting repeat guests with a “repeater flag” at the Monday Night Guest Cocktail Party. The repeater flag has the guest’s family name inscribed on it and an anchor pin or a star pin commemorating each separate visit to BEYC. Although we always knew a lot of our guests keep coming back, we have been amazed at not only how many guests are here for a repeat visit, but the number of times that they have visited (and continue to visit). The Scher family, the Laws and the Russells, among others, have all been to BEYC over twenty times. The Buckner family has not only visited seventeen times, but Carrie still works at our Quarterdeck Marina and her brother Jake, who used to work with Gordo at Watersports, will be back for his wedding in October 2003. Karen and Davis Young and Jim and Barbara Jung arrive together each year and have thirteen visits each. By July of 2003, we had over 300 repeater flags flying in the Captain’s Table, so if it takes you a moment to find yours, we’ll understand.


Twice this year repeat guests the Symkens

On June 30, 2003, we had another first for the repeat guest program: Sandy and Amanda Symkens and their daughter Serena were our first repeat guests to come back for another visit after their flag had already been hung at the Captains Table. Instead of being presented with a flag, the Symkens were given their anchor and sent out to find their flag the next morning so they could pin the anchor on themselves. This was the sixth visit for the Symkens family and their second this year alone. Their first trip to BEYC was in 1999 and it was so successful that the following year Sandy and Amanda changed their wedding plans, foregoing a large wedding in New York and deciding instead to get married at Bitter End with just a couple of friends in attendance. The Symkens hope to come back this November, but promise that at the very latest, they will be back next spring. According to Sandy, the choices of activities and sailing, the food, the staff, the beauty of the place and the fact that it is a fun and safe place for Serena keep them coming back. As for Amanda, she just says, “It’s a feeling of coming home.”

We are all happy to welcome you “home again” soon, Sandy, Amanda and Serena; and we look forward to seeing returning members of our repeat guest family soon.