The 34th annual sale to benefit the Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team will feature watersports equipment and boats
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (Mar. 2, 2022) — Sailboats, powerboats, kayaks, engines and more will be on sale during the 34th Annual Marine Yard Sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 19, at the Eckerd College Waterfront Complex, 4200 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Fla. Every dollar raised will go toward equipment, fuel and other operational costs for the Eckerd College Search and Rescue (EC-SAR) Team, the only volunteer undergraduate maritime rescue group in the nation.
Organizers expect crowds in the thousands and early birds lined up before gates open to snag great deals. One of the most unique boats for sale is a 1956 Norwegian Launch, a double-ended whaleboat that was rebuilt here in St. Petersburg during the 2000s. Items available for purchase are new and used.
“Since we haven’t held this event since 2019, our inventory of items for sale is much larger than normal,” says Waterfront Program Director Renee Register ’83. “Our popular collection of vintage items has also grown, with unique additions including antique fire extinguishers, flare guns, tools and other gems that we have received through donations for the sale.”
Register says the 2019 sale raised $26,000 to support EC-SAR’s mission of training students and helping the Tampa Bay community. Students join the volunteer group and work in shifts around the clock, answering distress calls from the area in coordination with local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard. More than 500 distress calls were answered by EC-SAR in 2021.
To arrange media-only sneak previews of the sale items on the evening of Friday, March 18, or in the early morning on Saturday, March 19, please contact Robbyn Mitchell Hopewell at hopewerm@eckerd.edu.