Member Login

John Izmirlian
Fleet Captain Sport Fishing


The Fleet Captain Sport Fishing coordinates all Club activities relating to sport fishing, is a Flag Officer and serves as an active member of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Fleet Captain represents the BYC at members’ fishing events, charity functions and tournaments hosted by the BYC.

John Izmirlian grew up in the northern section of New Jersey. He was introduced to fishing the Belmar, Asbury Park and Long Beach Island areas by his father, who was an avid fisherman.

Upon graduating college John purchase his first sailboat, an O’Day daysailor. He was immediately “snake bit” by the sailboat racing bug. Most of John’s racing was done out of Spray Beach Yacht Club where he was a member for twenty five years  and Little Egg Harbor Yacht Clubs both located on Long Beach Island in New Jersey.

I have raced Laser, Sunfishes, Lightnings, E-scows, Flying Scots, GP 14’s, 470’s, J-24s over the past forty years. After a twelve-year hiatus from sailboat racing John joined Bradenton Yacht Club in 2007 to rekindle his passion for sailboat racing only to find that he had “kindled” a romance with another Bradenton Yacht Club member Betsy Oakey.

Clubs I have raced at include St. Pete Yacht Club, Davis Islands YC, Sarasota Yacht Club, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Lake Eustice Sailing Center, Charlotte Harbor YC, Upper Keys YC, Brand Beach YC, Sea Isle City YC, Toms River YC, Lake Hopatcong YC, Severn Sailing Association, Surf City YC, Long Beach YC (CA) and Shrewsbury River YC.

BYC Board Member Fleet Captain Sail for five years. Organized each of the following club regattas at least five times each: Kick Off Regatta, Commodores at the Helm, Ladies at the Helm, Around Egmont Key Regatta.

For the past eight years or so I have been a committee member of the Crosthwait Fishing Tournament.

I also was also a board member of the Sarasota Bay Yachting Association and the West Florida Yacht Racing Association. Both groups are responsible for the promotion and coordination of sailboat racing activities among the various yacht clubs on the West Coast of Florida.

On the professional side John graduated Fairleigh Dickenson University with a BA in Anthropology in 1973. In 2001 he earned a “six pack” Coast Guard Captain’s license. John has spent thirty five years in the dry-cleaning industry, ten years with the JC Penney Company as a buyer of hardware for five hundred retail stores and catalog. Currently John owns and operates a fishing tackle/marine/sailboat equipment retail shop located in Bradenton.

 JULY 2001 TO PRESENT:  FISHERMEN’S HEADQUARTERS AT 924 Manatee Ave East, Bradenton, Florida

fishermensheadquarters.com