“Making Boats Affordable”™ Is the Mission of the Sovereign Boat Club
The Sovereign Boat Club started life as BoattestLEASING, a division of BoatTEST.com. Once the concept of “shared access” was proven with well-equipped, expensive large premium boats, it was time to move the concept into Phase II – a club format independent of BoatTEST. However, all the same people are involved.
Meet Your Crew
You are never alone when you’re a member of the Sovereign Boat Club, because our dedicated crew is always on hand to help you. These experienced professionals are dedicated to making sure every member has a safe and enjoyable experience on the water.
Jeff Hammond
Principal
Jeff is a 51-year veteran of the boating industry, and over the years has been an editor or publisher of 7 major boating magazines in America, including Boating, Yachting, Motor Boating, The Skipper, Motorboat, and Motoryacht International. He was the founder of Power and Motoryacht, and was co-founder of BoatTEST.com, where he is now the CEO.
Jeff has owned a number of boats over his career in boating ranging from a 15’ sailboat to a 92’ motoryacht, with fishing and cruising boats in between from 19’ to 55’. He has sailed, raced, and cruised all over the world in both sail and powerboats. He has written three books on boating, including one on the America’s Cup. He’s a member of the New York Yacht Club.
Greg Sweeney
General Manager
Greg Sweeney is the General Manager of the team and is a boating industry veteran having spent over 25 years working in technical aspects of engines and related aspects of boats, with positions at Volvo Penta, Ilmor and Mercury Marine. He has been a certified tech on Yamaha outboards. More recently he has been active in introducing boaters to the boating lifestyle through clubs. Greg has been a life-long boater all over the country and currently lives on Treasure Island, west of St. Pete. Greg is in charge of all aspects of the boat club including sales, the social calendar, customer service and making sure all members have a rewarding experience.
Email: Gsweeney@sovereignboatclub.com | Tel: 727-200-3474
Melissa Zeno
Membership Executive
Melissa Zeno is an avid boater who spent allot of time cruising the Florida waters on her 30 ft sailboat. Her background is in communications and she handles all of the social media for SBC, as well as membership sales for SBC. She grew up around the water and when she’s not introducing new members to the boating lifestyle, you’ll find her out at one of the many sandbars in the Dunedin/Tarpon Springs area.
Email: Melissa@sovereignboatclub.com | Tel: 734-564-4499
Danette Szakaly
Project Manager
Danette manages various projects related to the boat club including all the daily administrative tasks for its boat owners and members. Experienced in the marine industry, Danette previously held positions at The Moorings & Sunsail as well as Dream Yacht Charter.
An avid boater and sailor herself, she and her husband currently own a 43’ sailboat that they cruise regularly.