Captain Dave here from the Quonset Davisville Navy Yacht Club, or QDNYC. We are a community driven yacht club located on the beautiful coastal waters of Quonset Point. Our community members have been working hard this off season on renovating our main building. We have done improvements on the kitchen and the siding of the building, which were both in dire need of repairs. We here at the QDNYC take a lot of pride in our facilities and I know you will be happy with what we’ve done. Special thanks to all of our members who have completed their hours of community marina service to make our marina better for everyone.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with our marina, here is a brief history of QDNYC, courtesy of our new commodore, Donna Bannon and our website www.qdnyc.com.
“The year was 1966; the Vietnam War was slipping irrevocably into a full-scale conflict and Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara were facing problems that no one had anticipated. Here in Rhode Island our military bases continued to operate much as they had since the 1940’s. The two major bases west of the bay were the Naval Air Station Quonset Point and the Construction Battalion Center Davisville, both located in North Kingstown. It was from these two installations that the Quonset Davisville Yacht Club was organized on May 26, 1966. The word Navy was added to the title several years later. The initial site was located on the Air Station property on Allen Harbor where the North Kingstown Town Marina is currently located. The yacht club moved in 1973 to its present location on the southwest side of Allen Harbor at 81 Wescott Road in North Kingstown. QDNYC has 145 slips and 265 membership units. The Quonset Davisville Navy Yacht Club, Inc., is currently open to both military and non-military individuals and provides an affordable, fun and safe boating experience for all. For information email info@qdnyc.com.”
Commodore Bannon was kind enough to add a few comments about the Quonset Davisville Navy Yacht Club in a recent interview with the NK Blog.
Donna, thanks for taking some time with us. First off, congrats on becoming the first female Commodore at QDNYC. How does that process work?
Yes, I am the first female Commodore at the club. We have elections for all officers in September of every year, and I was thrilled to be elected to this esteemed position. Last year I was the Vice Commodore, so I have leadership experience at the club. It is an honor and a privilege to be Commodore at the Quonset Davisville Navy Yacht Club.
How do boaters get involved membership wise at QDNYC?
We are always accepting applications at the club, but at this time our membership is full. We are at 165 membership units. (A unit could be one person or a couple.)
RI and specifically, southern RI has a ton of marinas. What would you say separates your club from others?
QDNYC is more than just a club, it is a family and a community of friends. We all work together performing up to 100 hours of service every year and for some many more than that, which allows us to keep the costs down at the club, and thus we offer extremely affordable boating.
Captain Dave mentioned how busy you are both personally and professionally. In addition to kids and grandkids, what else keeps you busy here in Southern RI?
My family and I also have a family-owned and operated company in East Greenwich, Bannon Tile at 5700 Post Road. It’s a busy life for sure. And, I’m looking forward to getting out on the water, especially after this seemingly neverending winter we’ve had here in RI.
The Rhiter 
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