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An Inside Look at JFK’s Presidential Yacht, “Honey Fitz” [PHOTOS]

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The former presidential yacht, “Honey Fitz”

With the 50 year anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s death upon us, it’s only appropriate that we honor his legacy here on gCaptain by featuring a photo tour of the presidential yacht, “Honey Fitz”.

The 93-foot wooden yacht was originally built in 1931 by Defoe Shipyard in Bay City, Michigan for Sewell Avery, a prominent businessman from Chicago, who mostly used it to cruise around Lake Michigan. The yacht was purchased, or possibly expropriated, from Avery in 1942 by the U.S. government and assigned to the coast guard.

The yacht first gained Presidential status with President Harry S. Truman, who used it mostly as a tender for the much larger, and more lavish, Williamsburg . In all the yacht was used by five U.S. Presidents – Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon – but was most famous for its role as the presidential yacht for John F. Kennedy, who renamed it “Honey Fitz” after his grandfather.

Kennedy is said to have spent some of the happiest times of is life on the Honey Fitz. During he presidency, he would use it extensively to entertain family and close friends, cruising up and down the eastern seaboard from the Potomac River in D.C. to Cape Cod.

The yacht was eventually sold to a private buyer during the Nixon Administration in 1970. Recently, the yacht underwent an extensive, two-year restoration to bring it back to its “Camelot” era glory days it is most known for.

P.S. – Yes, JFK also enjoyed cruising onboard the other presidential yacht, the familiar USS Sequoia, too.

Lone Stateroom:

Wheelhouse:

Dining Room:

President John F. Kennedy with his daughter, Caroline, aboard the Honey Fitz in 1963.

Sources:  http://www.myhoneyfitz.com/

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Manitou: John F Kennedy’s Yacht, Restored and Racing

We look back at JFK’s yacht Manitou, her restoration and racing, and trace her star-spangled origins.

Olin Stephens’ Design

The glittering twin scoops of Cannes Bay squat between the Mediterranean and the shimmering lavender hills of the Estérel mountains like a bum print in the sand. It is a place where life is slow enough to split the day with a siesta and fast enough to benefit in the thrilling warmth of the night.

The old port is surrounded by tall, dark streets where reassuringly surly waiters entice diners into their restaurants. It was fitting that I was in Cannes to join this particular boat, as one of the previous owners was so intrinsically connected with the film business that it is excusable to forget his political career entirely.

John F Kennedy’s Yacht Manitou was built at the MM Davis & Son yard in Solomons, Maryland, in 1937. She was conceived by James Lowe of Grand Rapids, who was so determined to win the Chicago Mac Race (from Chicago to Mackinac Island, across Lake Michigan) that he commissioned the young naval architect Olin Stephens to design her specifically. She is one of Olin Stephen’s famous inboard yawls, a lineage that started with Dorade in 1930, many examples of which are still loved and raced to this day.

What he wanted was a performance cruising yacht that would race well under heavy and light conditions. So Stephens designed a 62ft (18.9m) cutter-rigged bermudan yawl with 44ft (13.4m) in the water, a 13ft 9in (4.2m) beam and a four-ton keel. She had teak planking on deck and mahogany on oak for her hull.

Manitou was launched in 1937 and promptly won the 1938 Chicago Mac Race in the cruising division (on corrected time), beating all previous records. She came a close second the next year and came back to win it again in 1940 and 1941. After these successes Mr Lowe sold her, and in 1955 she was donated to the US Coast Guard to be used as a training vessel.

It was while she was at Annapolis that Manitou was first spotted by a young Senator Kennedy. She obviously made an impression on him because, when he was elected, the presidential yacht at the time was the 92ft (28m) power yacht Honey Fitz (named after his own grandfather) and, as was customary, a fighting ship ready for naval action.

Being a keen sailor, however, and now the president, Kennedy sent naval aide Captain Tazewell Shepard Jr, to search out a suitable sailing yacht that could accommodate the equipment needed for him to keep in touch with the White House, and even the Kremlin.

One of the yachts on the list was Manitou and, in the style befitting of his entire career, the signing of her deeds was one of the first things he did sitting at the presidential desk. She was promptly moved to Chesapeake Bay where engineers fitted her out as a working presidential office. Indeed John F Kennedy’s Yacht was soon given the nickname “The Floating White House”.

LOD: 62ft (18.9m), LWL: 44ft (13.4m), Beam: 13ft 9in (4.2m), Draught: 8ft 6in (2.6m), Disp: 60,000lb (27.2 tonnes), Sail Area: 1,778sqft (165sqm)

Although he never raced her himself, Kennedy and a friend, future America’s Cup winner Emil “Bus” Mosbacher, had an impromptu competition off Newport to see whether Manitou could beat his 38ft (11.6m) Weatherly . Sadly, the boats got so close approaching a mark that the secret servicemen in their RIB, nervous already at this sudden and unexpected turn of speed, intercepted Bus – much to the annoyance of the president.

During his time he not only used her as a presidential yacht, but also invited a bevy of stars and starlets aboard as guests, due to his fascination with Hollywood. The bathtub in the aft cabin, sunken under the cabin sole, is said to have been host to, among others, Marilyn Monroe.

The Star Wanes

In 1968, long after JFK’s assassination, she was finally sold at auction to Paul Hall, the leader of the Harry Lundeburg School of Seamanship, and became once more a vessel for learning. In the same year, Aristotle Onassis was wooing Jackie Kennedy, and, as a token of his love, twice attempted to buy it back for her at “any price”. But Hall was a proponent of the common man, so the offer only strengthened his resolve to keep her for teaching less privileged children about teamwork.

In 1999, in poor state and neglected, her history a mere forgotten footnote, she was bought by Laura Kilbourne, the great-granddaughter of none other than James R Lowe, the original owner. Manitou was given a major and meticulously accurate refit at the Chesapeake Marine Railway in Deltaville, Virginia – just down the road from where she was built.

By 2010, however, Laura was forced to sell by the arrival of triplets, relinquishing Manitou to the present owners Phil Jordan, Pat Tierney, Claes Goran Nilsson and Melinda Kilkenny. Though Laura’s refit had started a decade before, the boat was as yet unsailable and there was much to do. The interior, panelled beautifully in American butternut, a hard but light wood, was totally bare. There were no doors below, the original sails were still with her but could be seen through like greasy paper, and her rig, it was considered, could be improved.

And so, in December, in another fateful turn of events, she was taken back to Solomons where she had been built. Here, her stem was replaced, her engine changed for a 120hp Yanmar, the wiring redone, new tanks fitted and new batteries and navigation equipment were installed. She was given new winches and tracks and then came the varnish. After a gruelling four months of varnishing every inside inch of her, the interior finally sparkled once again.

An interior that, it is important to note, has a sunken bath, a fireplace and a fridge that has been modified to be opened from the top or sides. None of this detracts from one of the most elegantly laid-out living quarters and galleys you will come across. She seems large, light and airy with plenty of headroom and nothing seemingly compromised.

On top, the decks are uncluttered and the companionway, being amidships, leaves the cockpit free. She left the yard on 10 July 2011 and sailed into New York Harbor, flashing her cream sides past the Statue of Liberty with all sails up, making a triumphant 9 knots. Many a proud eye may have dampened with salt spray that day. From there, she went up to Newport, Rhode Island, and was shipped across to the Mediterranean.

Then the next chapter unfurled. She went into the famed Villefranche boatyard near Nice and, along with recaulking her hull and replacing the garboards, the rig was improved. The original mainmast had three sets of spreaders, and this they reduced to two, also removing the jumpers. The upwind performance was improved to such a degree that, with the mizzen staysail balancing it all, Manitou is now the envy of the fleet. Although this year was planned as a training year, no one seemed to have told the boat, and she started winning races regardless, taking first place in the Puig Vela and Alcudia and coming second in Palma, Nice and Imperia.

Sailing Manitou

I stepped aboard JFK’s Yacht as the sun was just drying the dew over the toerail and was welcomed by what at first seemed like a multinational but close family made up entirely of men. They were milling about in the restrained excitement before a race , putting on sailing gloves, taking off socks, discussing tactics and stowing breakables. The winds were light and I was soon pulled into a discussion about the advantage this gave the smaller boats in the class. We made ready and sailed out of Cannes into the Golfe de la Napoule. The wind, little that there was, perked up a bit, so we raised the jib and Manitou woke up.

There were 11 people on board and she didn’t feel crowded. Six minutes were called. We admired the posture and varnish of our adversaries like jockeys leaning on the race paddock fence. Five minutes. I fiddled with my camera and changed the lens. We raised the main. Three minutes. One of the Swedes on the foredeck changed his knee pads. One minute. We no longer admired our adversaries. Go!

One of the things that is unique in sailing is that there’s no suddenness about the start of a race, no screech of tyres. You merely carry on doing what you were doing before. The crew is a syndicate made up of old friends, all evenly tanned and most of them in their fifties. I was immediately intrigued by the dynamic, and as other skippers could be heard yelling at their crews, here was calm. On a full race charter there are constant questions and eternal strangers. Here there was cohesion, the ease of familiarity and the knowledge of each others’ abilities.

I sat down next to a particularly distinguished French gentleman who lived on the western edge of the bay. He explained to me how wonderful the lobsters used to be at a restaurant on a nearby island that had been closed down by the monks who owned the lease. The wind picked up a little more and Claes swung on shrouds and gave complex trimming signals to the well-manned cockpit. Having three of the four owners on board also lightened the potential hierarchy and it became evident that this was a crew of mixed ability but shared enthusiasm.

They had their rules: no shouting was one I particularly agree on; no paid crew, and they’d decided that 30 people was the maximum syndicate size – small enough to avoid confusion but large enough to provide a full crew for most regattas. Friends, and friends of friends. And when the more salubrious regattas became oversubscribed, they decided to put extra money into the funds. Everything was done with the doff of a gentleman’s agreement. Not that there aren’t any women involved. Far from it. When on board, the ladies, as well as one of the owners, Melinda Kilkenny, are known as “The Mizzen Sisters” such is their expertise at dealing with all things mizzenly.

And so we raced. And as we raced, the skipper Alex Tilleray, prised from The Blue Peter , guided us through the race, adjusting sheet cars ready for a tack, setting the spinnaker boom in case we needed it and even explaining how to tie a particular haul knot. His influence was pervasive; his racing knowledge unquestionable and his demeanour lacked that manic violence of the fanatical winner. We won, it seemed – it’s always difficult to tell – and we headed back to the old port to drink beer in the cockpit and talk of our tactics, joined by wives who’d been shopping.

It was on dry land, however, that I fully understood the advantage of a syndicate. There was, as there often is, an altercation during the race, which led to an inquiry. The inquiry led to one of Manitou ’s owners, Phil Jordan, being threatened by the skipper of the other boat in the pub straight afterwards. He was surrounded by the syndicate, shoulder to shoulder, ready to defend him. Had they been a group of strangers, that may not have been the case.

Pat told me that when they were looking for a boat to buy, Phil had said he was looking for one with significance. There can be few, if any, with more.

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Step Aboard a Restored Presidential Yacht That Once Belonged to JFK and Jackie O.

Design veteran Jack Fhillips embarked on a three-year historic restoration to preserve this important piece of American history.

At the time, the nearly 100-year-old vessel needed an extensive architectural overhaul to save it from "certain demise," according to Fhillips. Charles Modica, a longtime client and local developer in Palm Beach County, had purchased the run-down ship and was seeking a historical interiors transformation that would replicate the decor of the Kennedy era as closely as possible.

Preceding Air Force One, presidential yachts (affectionately known as "Floating White Houses") were important destinations for escaping the "claustrophobic tension" of the Oval Office, Henry Kissinger wrote. They were used for everything from meetings with prominent world leaders to pleasure cruises down the Potomac after a tough day of running a country.

A revolutionary yacht in terms of speed upon its inaugural launch in 1931, the Honey Fitz served five consecutive U.S. presidents: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon, after being originally commissioned for Sewell Avery of Montgomery Ward, one of the most prominent retail behemoths of the day. Though Nixon renamed the boat Patricia in honor of his wife, and it has since been renamed and repurposed by various private owners, the ship is best known as Honey Fitz in popular culture once JFK took the helm, and Modica sought to restore the vessel to its highest prominence.

"After 50 years of practicing, this project was a perfect and natural fit for my firm," says Fhillips, who has a background in historical preservation as well as interiors, and, as a resident of Palm Beach County, has worked on many private yachts.

The Honey Fitz first went through a three-year restoration process that required a complete overhaul of beams, subfloor, decks, and the superstructure of the yacht in line with experts in traditional shipwright methods, wooden yacht craftsmen, historical records, and U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

Fhillips finally got to take the reins with the interiors in January 2023 after combing through archived photographs, footage, and articles written about the ship, alongside the Honey Fitz 's captain and first mate. The team was able to piece together an immaculate interiors refitting and restoration that honors the ship's most historic (and glamorous) era during the Kennedy administration. Below, you can see a side-by-side view of the ship setting sail in 1961 and today.

"We serendipitously located the original company, Bielecky Brothers , in Queens, New York that Jackie Kennedy sourced for all the rattan furniture on the aft deck," Fhillips says.

To honor the yacht's storied past, Fhillips says, "We located copies of hand sketches of built-in sofas Jackie Kennedy drew on White House stationary that was recreated by a very talented man, Brad London, of Total Refit, Inc. "

Those sofas are the focal point of the main salon, and the team also recreated the rattan oxbow club chairs, then styled the space with Kennedy family photos that would have been on the ship during the 1960s, as well as other memorabilia. Plenty more Kennedy mementos can be found in the stateroom in a vintage blue leather suitcase.

Modica had an English Regency-era antique dining set that was appropriate of the time that makes a perfect pairing with the LismoreWaterford crystal stemware reminiscent to the pattern gifted to JFK by the People of Ireland. The built-in buffet was rebuilt to its original integrity as well.

"My favorite spot on the boat would have to be the aft deck," Fhillips says. "It is so historically correct, from the iconic Kennedy captain's chair to the black telephone JFK used to the left of the chair. The rattan furniture was recreated, and we even located vintage gout stools that were seen in old photographs."

While the ship has completed its service to our country's presidents, it's certain to have a glamorous new era as it enters its next century. The Honey Fitz will now serve for use on limited charters and fundraising events, an ever-present reminder of the enduring legacy—and style—of both John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Fhillips and his team of experts spent three years restoring this iconic vessel to its former glory. First launched in 1931, Fhillips has prepared this yacht to look as good at 100 as it did on its first day at sea.

Fhillips had the iconic custom Jackie O-designed sofas recreated with help from Total Refit, LLC. ; they are covered in Perennials fabric. Vintage military campaign-style side tables, Chairish . Carpet, Pom Rugs .

Dining Area

The English Regency-era mahogany dining set is from the client's personal collection. Draperies, David's Workroom .

Fhillips brought in Waterford 's Lismore cut crystal that is reminiscent of the pattern gifted to JFK by the People of Ireland.

Even the yacht's bar space is based on the design during the JFK administration. The design team relied on archival photographs, footage, articles, and the knowledge of wooden yacht craftsmen.

The sleek galley kitchen may seem futuristic compared to its 1960s heyday, but its layout and design is in line with how it looked during the Kennedy administration.

The stateroom features custom embroidered Ralph Lauren pillows by Annapolis Pillow Company . Fhillips found the vintage Singer sewing stool on eBay .

The stateroom and bathroom are peppered with Kennedy memorabilia. The 19th century oil paintings are similar to the art selected by the Kennedys.

Fhillips commissioned replicas of the Bielecky Brothers furnishings Jackie Kennedy originally selected for the deck, while Canvas Designers Inc. recreated the iconic JFK custom captain's chair. Vintage gout stool, eBay .

All of the outdoor furnishings are covered in Perennials fabrics.

Lauren Wicks is a freelance writer and editor based in Birmingham, Alabama. Before going on her own, Lauren worked for brands such as VERANDA, EatingWell, and Cooking Light , and she covers all things lifestyle from interior design and luxury travel to wine and wellness.

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Step into the past with these glamorous photos of JFK's presidential yacht

The Honey Fitz was the longest serving US presidential yacht in history.

In its day, the 92-foot boat was one of the most luxurious vessels on the sea, housing a presidential state room, a galley, a dining room, and even an elevator — although Lyndon Johnson made the questionable decision of having the elevator removed and replaced with a liquor bar. 

Nowadays, America's presidents don't have the luxury of a private yacht, quite simply because it's not a good PR move and also because they now have Air Force One to fly them overseas ( for a cost of $206,337 (£132,144) an hour ).

However, the Honey Fitz was restored in 2013 for private chartering and Reuters has compiled gorgeous photos of some of the happiest times in John F. Kennedy's life

The Honey Fitz is a valuable piece of American history. It was built in 1931 by Defoe Boat Works in Bay City, Michigan. The yacht was used by five presidents — Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, and JFK.

However, the yacht remained relatively unknown until it was passed onto John F. Kennedy when he became president in 1961.

Kennedy, a life-long lover of the sea, spent many a summer with his family aboard the yacht. Here, he's pictured with his daughter Caroline near Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

The yacht also played host to foreign dignitaries. In this picture, Kennedy is entertaining Prince Stanislaus Radziwill of Poland and then-Ambassador of Great Britain, Sir David Ormsby-Gore, as well as several family members.

The yacht's creator, Sewell Avery, originally named the boat Lenore, but Kennedy decided to change the vessel's name in honour of his maternal grandfather, John F. Fitzgerald.

Compared to today's yachts of the super-wealthy, the Honey Fitz had a relatively basic interior. The inside was decked out in dark-wood panelling, a typical design feature of the era.

Many of the furnishings and decorations were emblazoned with the presidential seal.

The master bedroom was one of the most luxurious rooms.

The onboard office was quite a bit smaller than the Oval Office. Kennedy was known to have held several key meetings on the yacht. Several strategy meetings were held during the Cuban missile crisis.

The presidential yacht weighed 88 tons and had a cruising speed of just 12 knots, which is roughly 13 mph.

The Honey Fitz was eventually sold to Joe Keating Jr. during the Nixon administration in 1970. He renamed the vessel "The Presidents," but restored its former name shortly afterwards.

The yacht was sold again in 1998. Texas oil executive William Kallop bought the Honey Fitz for $5.9 million (£3.7 million) at Sotheby's Camelot auction.

Under Kallop's ownership, the Honey Fitz is now used as a charter boat for private events having been restored after lying deteriorating in a boatyard in Mobile, Alabama, for several years.

In this picture, an 8-year-old Maria Shriver and a 6-year-old Caroline Kennedy play on the presidential yacht during a cruise near Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in 1963, just five months before John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

People who knew John F. Kennedy say some of the happiest times of his life were spent with his family onboard the Honey Fitz.

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JFK and Victura

President John F. Kennedy’s beloved sailboat Victura (Latin for “about to conquer”) is a 25-foot Wianno Senior sloop purchased in 1932 as a 15th birthday gift from his parents. It is on the Victura that he taught his wife Jackie to sail and also where the Kennedy family enjoyed their love of sailing on Cape Cod.

John F. Kennedy was an avid sailor, having won many sailing events – including the Nantucket Sound Star Class Championship Cup in 1936, and the MacMillan Cup and East Coast Collegiate Championships in 1938 (with his brother Joe). He enjoyed many boats throughout his life, including a 92-foot wooden presidential yacht that served five presidents and the same yacht that he renamed the Honey Fitz after his maternal grandfather. However, it was the Victura that was JFK’s cherished boat and the very boat that he sketched on many of his documents in meetings during his presidency.

The Victura was struck by lightning in 1936 and rescued from ruin by John F. Kennedy as he dragged it onto a beach during a 1944 hurricane. The Victura also escaped ruin in December 2003 when a fire swept through Crosby Yacht Yard in Osterville, Massachusetts.

Boat LOA: 26 Feet Boat Width: 8 Feet Boat Weight: 3500 lb Boat Material: Wood Boat Builder: Crosby Yacht Yard in Osterville, MA Boat Launched: 1932 Look for a model of the Victura during your visit to the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum!

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The Floating White House: A Brief History of the Presidential Yacht

By: Evan Andrews

Updated: October 31, 2023 | Original: August 18, 2017

Before there was Air Force One, there was the presidential yacht. Dating back to the 19th century, America’s chief executives utilized navy ships and other vessels for recreation and entertaining foreign dignitaries. Nearly a dozen different ships acted as the “Floating White House” between 1880 and 1977, when the last vessel was sold at auction. During that time, they were the scene of international diplomatic summits, congressional schmoozing and the occasional Potomac River pleasure cruise.

The executive yacht “served an important purpose in enabling Presidents to escape the claustrophobic tension of the White House,” former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has written. It “provided a quiet sanctuary; it was handier than Camp David, easier for casual, informal discussions.”

Abraham Lincoln made use of a steamboat called the River Queen during the Civil War , but the first official presidential yachts date to the Gilded Age. Starting in 1880, America’s commanders in chief sailed aboard a series of Navy vessels including  USS Despatch , USS Dolphin and USS Sylph . In 1886, Despatc h famously ferried Grover Cleveland across New York Harbor for the dedication of the Statue of Liberty .

Presidential boating entered a new era in the early 1900s, when  USS Mayflower took over as the chief executive’s official yacht. Unlike earlier vessels, which were relatively austere in their design, Mayflower was a luxury craft previously owned by real estate millionaire Ogden Goelet. Measuring some 275 feet from stem to stern, it boasted a crew of over 150 and had a sumptuous interior that included a 30-person dining table and bathtubs made from Italian marble.

USS Mayflower is most famously associated with Theodore Roosevelt , who often used it and  USS Sylph for family vacation cruises along Long Island. A more official use came in August 1905, when Roosevelt hosted Japanese and Russian envoys aboard  Mayflower as part of his attempts to mediate peace talks in the Russo-Japanese War . He would later win the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the conflict.

Mayflower served as a presidential plaything for over two decades. Woodrow Wilson is said to have wooed his second wife Edith Bolling Galt during romantic jaunts aboard the ship, and Calvin Coolidge reportedly loved the yacht so much he stationed a Navy chaplain aboard so that he could take Sunday morning cruises without being accused of skipping church. Nevertheless, the ship’s opulence proved to be a sticking point with critics of presidential excess. In 1929, with economic concerns on the rise, Herbert Hoover  finally had  Mayflower decommissioned.

Mayflower was the largest and stateliest of the presidential yachts, but it wasn’t the last. Hoover—a devoted fisherman—soon began making day trips on a wooden-hulled vessel called USS Sequoia , and he eventually grew so attached to it that he had it featured on his 1932 Christmas card. Franklin D. Roosevelt began his tenure with Sequoia , but later switched to USS Potomac, a 165-foot former Coast Guard cutter that included a special elevator to help the wheelchair-bound president move between decks.

FDR occasionally utilized the ship for official business—it carried him to a 1941 meeting with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill —but it was more frequently used for presidential leisure. In his book Sailor in the White House: The Seafaring Life of FDR , author Robert Cross writes that Potomac provided Roosevelt with “an instant means of extricating himself from the confines of Washington. Roosevelt could escape to the open water, where he could do some politicking and thinking, or relax and entertain on deck with friends and advisors, or simply throw a fishing line overboard and patiently wait for a bite.”

Recreation was also the main role of the presidential yachts during the administration of Harry Truman , who hosted floating poker games aboard Sequoia and the 243-foot USS Williamsburg. Dwight D. Eisenhower was more of a landlubber than his predecessors, but sea excursions became popular again in the 1960s, when Sequoia resumed its former role as the main presidential yacht. John F. Kennedy —who also utilized a yacht called Honey Fitz and a sailboat called Manitou —celebrated his final birthday with a party aboard Sequoia. Lyndon B. Johnson installed a liquor bar and enjoyed having movies projected on the main deck.

As the longest serving of the executive yachts, Sequoia played host to several chapters in presidential history. The 104-foot vessel was a more humble affair than many of the other yachts, but the seclusion of its elegant, mahogany-paneled saloon made it an ideal location for sensitive political discussions. Harry Truman talked nuclear arms policy aboard the ship with the prime ministers of Britain and Canada. In the mid-1960s, Lyndon Johnson used yacht trips to hash out Vietnam strategy and lobby legislators to support his Great Society domestic reforms. “The Sequoia was a rostrum from which he was trying to persuade congressmen and senators,” former Johnson aide Jack Valenti said.

Richard Nixon was undoubtedly the most the enthusiastic user of  Sequoia. The 37th president reportedly made as many as 100 trips aboard the yacht, including one in which he met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to negotiate the S ALT I nuclear arms agreement . Near the end of his second term, Nixon also used  Sequoia as a hideout from the controversies of the Watergate scandal . During one final cruise in August 1974, the embattled president reportedly informed his family of his decision to resign before retiring to the ship’s saloon, quaffing a glass of scotch and playing God Bless America on the piano.

The age of the presidential yacht came to a close in 1977. That year, newly inaugurated Jimmy Carter ordered that  Sequoia be offloaded in a public sale. Carter later noted that he was disturbed by the yacht’s $250,000 annual upkeep, but he was also following through on a campaign promise to dispense with the extravagance of the presidency. “Despite its distinguished career, I feel that the Presidential yacht Sequoia is no longer needed,” he wrote in a memo to his Secretary of Defense.

Today, Sequoia and  Potomac are the only two former presidential yachts still in existence. Potomac went through several different owners after its presidential service—including Elvis Presley —and is now moored in Oakland, California. Sequoia, though currently inactive and in a state of disrepair, was once used as a floating museum and private charter boat, and still retains much of its presidential memorabilia. Both vessels are now registered as National Historic Landmarks.

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Sail Fast, Sail Safe, Have Fun

FRIDAY'S TFE LIVE: Edit and Peter Harken (USA) via Skype from Pewaukee

MOB: Sending in a Second Soul?

TFE LIVE: Today, Richard Pound (CAN), longest serving member of the IOC, with his views on the postp

TFE LIVE: Today, Terry Hutchinson (USA), Skipper and Executive Director of NYYC's American Magic

Classic Boat: The complete story of John F Kennedy’s yacht MANITOU

CANNES, FRA – MANITOU was built at the MM Davis & Son yard in Solomons, Maryland, in 1937. She was conceived by James Lowe of Grand Rapids, who was so determined to win the Chicago Mac Race (from Chicago to Mackinac Island, across Lake Michigan) that he commissioned the young naval architect Olin Stephens to design her specifically. She is one of Olin Stephen’s famous inboard yawls, a lineage that started with DORADE in 1930, many examples of which are still loved and raced to this day. The yacht is now owned by a syndicate of keen Med racers. What he [Mr Lowe] wanted was a performance cruising yacht that would race well under heavy and light conditions. So Stephens designed a 62ft (18.9m) cutter-rigged Bermudan yawl with 44ft (13.4m) in the water, a 13ft 9in (4.2m) beam and a four-ton keel. She had teak planking on deck and mahogany on oak for her hull. MANITOU was launched in 1937 and promptly won the 1938 Chicago Mac Race in the cruising division (on corrected time), beating all previous records. She came a close second the next year and came back to win it again in 1940 and 1941. After these successes Mr Lowe sold her, and in 1955 she was donated to the US Coast Guard [or did the author mean the Naval Academy? –TFE] to be used as a training vessel. It was while she was at Annapolis that MANITOU was first spotted by a young Senator Kennedy. She obviously made an impression on him because, when he was elected, the presidential yacht at the time was the 92ft (28m) power yacht HONEY FITZ (named after his own grandfather) and, as was customary, a fighting ship ready for naval action. Being a keen sailor, however, and now the president, Kennedy sent naval aide Captain Tazewell Shepard Jr , to search out a suitable sailing yacht that could accommodate the equipment needed for him to keep in touch with the White House, and even the Kremlin. – The esteemed Guy Venables writing in Classic Boat Magazine issue 294. Read the delightful photo essay here .

JFK at MANITOU's helm circa 1962. White House photo by Robert Knudsen .

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9. The Kennedy Sailing Tradition

One of the most well-known Kennedy pastimes is sailing around Hyannis Harbor, Lewis Bay and into the Nantucket Sound. JFK spent many summers sailing with family in his Wianno Senior "Victura" in these waters. U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy often raced in the legendary Figawi regatta every May in his wooden schooner,  Mya . Many Kennedy family boats are moored at Hyannis Port Yacht Club, less than one mile from here. Visitors may wish to board a sightseeing vessel to see the Kennedy Compound from the water. Boats leave from Bismore Park docks.

 The Kennedy Sailing Tradition

Close by, at the Hyannis Port pier is where Ted Kennedy's beloved sailboat Mya could be seen on its mooring if he wasn't out winning a race! It wasn’t just Ted and JFK, but most of the Kennedys that have enjoyed taking to the waters in a vessel powered by wind. Today, the next generation of Kennedy sailors race their various Wianno Senior sailboats. The famous Crosby Yacht Yard made the "Seniors" in nearby Osterville to navigate our shifting Cape Cod shoals.

Sailing on the Cape

For the majority of Cape Cod’s history, sailing was a necessary part of life. Before the engine and modern infrastructure, marine travel was the most effective means of getting from place to place, and for longer distances, sailing was less rigorous than the alternative of rowing. As most know, large ships set sail to transport people and goods or explore other parts of the world. Fishermen also used sailboats for their work. Sails formed the foundation of Cape Cod.

Yachting and recreational sailing became popular in America in the early twentieth century, and numerous yacht clubs opened up on Cape Cod during that time. With the establishment of these clubs came some of the first regattas on Cape Cod, such as the Chatham Yacht Club regatta first held in 1921, which is still held annually to this day. The Figawi Regatta, which occurs annually on Memorial Day weekend, is the most notable of the Cape’s regattas, and originated in 1972.

The Crosby Yacht Yard is a historic shipyard in Osterville, well-known for its construction of the Wianno Seniors beginning in the early twentieth century, and the Crosby brother’s model of the catboat designed in 1850. The aforementioned Victura was bought by the Kennedys in 1932 and is to this day stored and maintained in the Crosby Yacht Yard during the colder months. In the warmer months, the boat stands on display outside the window of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Bobby Kennedy

Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, active in politics and instrumental in the civil rights movement, was born on November 20, 1925, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He and his wife Ethel, who married in 1950, had eleven children. They purchased the second of three houses that formed the Kennedy Compound as their family started to grow. Robert managed his brother John F. Kennedy’s successful senate campaign in 1952 and went on to manage JFK’s national campaign in 1960. JFK appointed him U.S. Attorney General. In that role he worked closely and confidentially with his brother, serving as advisor during difficult times such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. He resigned as attorney general after his brother’s death. He was then elected U.S. Senator from New York. Robert was shot on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California during his campaign for President. He was pronounced dead the following day.

The 35th President of the United States, 1961-1963

1. the kennedys and cape cod, 2. 1960s main street, hyannis, 3. rose fitzgerald kennedy, matriarch of the kennedy family, 4. the kennedy church, 5. site of presidential election acceptance speech, 6. protecting cape cod’s seashores, 7. peace corps memorial, 8. the kennedys’ contribution to maritime heritage, 9. the kennedys sailing tradition, 10. the 35th president of the united states, 1961-1963, explore hyannis, while you are in hyannis, plan some extra time to explore main street and its shops, restaurants and extensive arts and cultural offerings  for a list of current events and things to do in hyannis:.

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Photos of JFK's Presidential Yacht That Will Leave You Speechless

Inside pictures from the former presidential yacht, honey fitz, in west palm beach, florida. the 93-foot wooden motor yacht has been restored to the years when it was used by us president john f. kennedy. the yacht was used by five us presidents, harry s. truman, dwight d. eisenhower, john f. kennedy and richard nixon..

Last Updated: 2018-09-04 09:18:22

The former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is seen docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. The 93-foot wooden motor yacht was restored to the years when it was used by US President John F. Kennedy. The yacht was used by five US Presidents, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. (Image: Reuters)

The salon on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is seen as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

Christopher Hill, a deckhand, walks past a seal on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

Pictures are seen on the wall in the salon of the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

The dining room on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is shown as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

The salon on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is seen as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy's desk is shown in the corner. (Image: Reuters)

The aft of the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is shown as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

US President John F. Kennedy's desk is seen in the salon on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

The bridge on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is shown as the vessel is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

The lone stateroom is seen on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

The bridge on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, is seen as the vessel is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

Pillows are seen on the bed in the lone stateroom on the former presidential yacht, Honey Fitz, as it is docked in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image: Reuters)

• JFK: a president with a passion for boats

Most members of the Kennedy family shared a love of boats, of recreational and competitive sailing, and John F. Kennedy, one of America's most famous presidents, was no exception. Throughout his life, he sailed and raced a variety of boats, winning multiple awards in yachting competitions. After all, he began sailing long before graduating from Harvard, long before becoming a senator, a war hero or even a president and it remained a passion of his throughout his lifetime.

The Kennedy sailing tradition

A prominent political dynasty, the Kennedys are renowned for their involvement in public life, contributions to the United States and the world, as well as a series of family tragedies, the most notable being the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A little know fact, however, is that the Kennedys were avid and successful sailors.

John F. Kennedy and his eight siblings were introduced to yachting by their father, Joseph Kennedy, who was chairman of the Maritime Commission, as well as holding many other important positions, particularly in finance. Interestingly, despite their wealth and ability to afford huge luxury yachts, the Kennedys preferred to sail in smaller, sport boats they could steer and pilot themselves.

Joseph Kennedy encouraged his children to learn to sail from a young age, sailing together as a single crew, or competing against one another. It soon became clear that most of them had a natural flair for sailing. The most successful of them was JFK, winning numerous awards for his sailing achievements, such as victory in the Nantucket Sound Star Class Championship cup in 1936. Both his brother Joseph Jr. and sister Kathleen were also very accomplished sailors.

Read stories of other famous personalities and sailors:

The sailboat Victura, his lifelong companion

The first boat JFK helmed was a 22-foot Olympic sailing boat named Flash II . It was at her helm that the President learned the basics of sailing and went on to win several major American regattas.

President JFK on his sailing ship Victura.

John F. Kennedy's greatest love, however, was his second boat, the Victura , a 25-foot sloop he received from his father for his 15th birthday. JFK kept this classic wooden sailboat throughout his life, often taking his entire family out on it during his presidency. As it was easy to handle, it was on the Victura , that he taught his children Caroline and Johnny Jr. to sail. In fact, the Kennedy family kept the sailboat long after his death and sailed it for more than 50 years. Today, she sits with her bow pointing out to sea in front of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Kennedy's love of yachting and boats, as well as his love of the sea, provided a welcome respite from his tumultuous presidency. Even while the administration was negotiating the Cuban missile crisis, it is said he was sketching drawings of yachts and often used sailing-inspired phrases in his speeches: 

"We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war."   JFK

Captain JFK and the sailboat Victura

All the President's ships

After JFK became president, he almost immediately acquired an official presidential boat, the 62-foot yawl Manitou , on which he not only sailed with family, but also welcomed Hollywood stars, statesmen and other notable personalities. This 1937 performance yacht, made of mahogany with teak planking, had caught his eye when he was just a senator. And as soon as he took office, he converted it into an office, from which he could communicate not only with the White House, but also the Kremlin. Manitou was quickly dubbed the "Floating White House".

Other official presidential vessels included the motor boat Marlin and the presidential yacht The Honey Fitz, which   John. F. Kennedy used on a regular basis, as had former presidents, such as Truman, Eisenhower, Johnston, and Nixon. The Kennedy family spent most of their summer weekends and holidays with close friends on this yacht, where it is said he was at his happiest. In fact, it was aboard The Honey Fitz  that Jackie Kennedy threw him his last birthday party just months before his assassination. 

"It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea — whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came." JFK

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Boat of the Week: This Historic 325-Foot Superyacht Hosted JFK, Winston Churchill, and Elizabeth Taylor

Christina o , owned by aristotle onassis, has a rich past that includes visits by prime ministers and presidents, love affairs with famous opera singers, and 42 phone lines. it is now available for charter., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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It wasn’t always a glamorous superyacht . The vessel started out as Canadian Navy Frigate,  HMCS Stormont , built in 1943 by Vickers of Montreal. It played an active role in World War II. In 1952, Onassis acquired it for $34,000 as part of a block purchase of ten ships that he intended to convert into a fleet of whaling vessels. When plans fell through, he kept Stormont for himself, spending $4 million (or about $46 million in today’s dollars) to convert it into a luxury superyacht—the first true gigayacht. He lengthened the hull by 29 feet and named it Christina after his daughter.

No expense was spared for its rebirth. Powered by steam engines that delivered a top speed of 21 knots, the yacht was equipped with five fast launches, a glass-bottomed boat for underwater observation, a small dinghy, two kayaks, a Fiat 500, and a five-seater Piaggio P.136L-2. (This was the same seaplane that crashed in 1973, killing Onassis’s 24-year-old son Alexander.)

Christina was one of the few yachts of its time to have an elevator, not to mention a surgical operating theater with radiography equipment. The mosaiced swimming pool also broke molds, with a minotaur-themed lifting floor that converted into a dance floor.

A close-knit group of Onassis’s friends and family partied alongside powerful figures and stars of the silver screen, including Marilyn Monroe, Margot Fonteyn, Frank Sinatra, the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds and Paul Getty. Ex-King Farouk of Egypt referred to the yacht as “the height of opulence.” The guests were entertained in reception lounges that are now famous with whispered stories.

The wood-paneled Jackie O Lapis Lounge on the main deck—named after a lapis-lazuli fireplace rumored to have cost a princely sum of one dollar per square centimeter—is stocked with rare books and a self-playing electric piano. The fake El Grecos that Onassis hung during his ownership—“If people want to believe they are authentic, why spoil their pleasure,” he once quipped—have been switched for real masterpieces by Renoir, Le Corbusier and Chirico.

Adjacent is Ari’s Bar where orca teeth serve as armrests for stools and are engraved with scenes from Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey . Wood from a sunken Spanish galleon was used for the bar. On the walls hang portraits of John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, all guests aboard the boat.

Christina was also a place where Onassis conducted business, thanks to the network of 42 telephone lines across the boat. John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill had their first encounter on the yacht. Britain’s wartime Prime Minister enjoyed eight voyages between 1958 and 1965 and was the only guest for whom Onassis gave up his own suite. The Library is named in his honor.

The 16 additional guest cabins are named after and inspired by Greek islands. The Ithaca suite was Christina’s cabin, which she surrendered to Greta Garbo, Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy (prior to her marriage to Onassis in 1975) whenever they visited. They each feature wood, marble and gold bathroom fittings. The pastel color schemes were selected by Jackie O, who was renowned for her restoration of the White House.

Maria Callas embarked on a nine-year-long love affair with Onassis in 1959. The Maria Callas Lounge contains her original grand Steinway piano. Her wedding rings from her first marriage and a solid silver Tiffany dish presented to her by JFK are displayed by the entrance, and the entire collection of her operatic recordings are available to play. For film nights, there is a remote-controlled projector.

After Onassis’ death in 1975, his daughter gifted the boat to the Greek government and a slow deterioration ensued. In 1999, a new owner, Onassis family friend John Paul Papanicolaou, undertook a sizable refit estimated at $50 million that replaced 65 percent of the steel hull. He also renamed the vessel Christina O .

Subsequent refit work from 2016 to 2018 added an aft deck bimini system and a boarding platform for easier guest transfers. Two sets of Vosper stabilizer fins were installed, along with cold rooms, an incineration chamber and garbage compactor for the lower deck galley. A split-level Jacuzzi deck now overlooks a bar and large dining table with intricate marquetry inlays depicting the tales of Ulysses.

A pair of restored mahogany HackerCraft tenders sit alongside original features, such as the circular staircase with its onyx and silver handrail, vintage wall lights and leather settees.

The vessel has recently been a case of life imitating art. Christina O played a starring role in the Netflix series  The Crown and 2022 comedy  Triangle of Sadness . The 1956 wedding reception held on board for Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly was echoed in 2019 when supermodel Heidi Klum was married on board. Most recently, Rupert Murdoch chartered the yacht in July for a family reunion in Positano, Italy.

Other amenities include a spa with two full-time therapists forming part of the 38 crew and a chest of water toys, including an inflatable slide and Flyboard. Those weren’t toys that were available when Onassis acquired the vessel and turned it into a superyacht, but one imagines he would’ve approved.

Christina O can be chartered around $768,500 per week with Morley Yachts.

Click here to see more images of Christina O.

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Yachting - the boats of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, president, sailor and skipper!

April 6 2020

Written by François Meyer - Yachting Art English Edition

If there is a president who loved the sea and travelled it on many types of boats, it is John Fitzgerald Kennedy ... 

Light sport sailboat, fast torpedo boat, motor yacht, classic yawl... discover the boats of JFK, the President Skipper.

Victura, a classic little sloop

The young JFK, born in 1917 to a wealthy family whose father, Joe, made his fortune during Prohibition, attended the best Ivy League and British universities where he developed his passion for regatta racing and sailing. For his 15th birthday, the lucky young man received a beautiful 25' Wianno Senior, Victura, which he will always use. These classic, jib sailboats were designed for regattas in the Nantucket Strait, the waters closest to the Kennedys' family summer home in Hyannis Port.

Lieutenant Kennedy's PT 109 Torpedo Boat

Enlisted as a volunteer in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Kennedy commanded a PT 103 class fast torpedo boat, the PT 109. These interception ships, 24 m long and weighing 57 tons (including armour and armament), carry three 1500 HP Packard V12 petrol engines, i.e. 4500 HP, for a top speed of 41 knots. They are armed with 4 torpedo tubes, 2 cannons and 4 heavy machine guns.

On August 1, 1943, a flotilla of 15 US Navy fast torpedo boats headed for the Japanese "Tokyo Express" convoy, in order to destroy it in the middle of Blackett Strait near Kolombaranga Island (Solomon Islands). blackett picture

On a moonless night, the PT 109 was rammed then cut in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri (120 m). For 6 days, the weakened JFK men swam every day, hauling the wounded on rafts from island to island to get closer to the American troops.

Having been able to report their position engraved on a coconut and delivered to the authorities by a native, the survivors found themselves on the deck of a fast torpedo boat on August 7, on their way to their base. The coconut, passed on to posterity, will come back to JFK and serve as a paperweight on his desk in the Oval Office!

The Honey Fitz (ex. Barbara Ann and ex. Lenore), a former tender that became a presidential motor yacht!

Once in the Oval Office, Kennedy found a 92' motor yacht, the Lenore 2 (ex. Lenore and ex. Barbara Ann, who was particularly fond of her predecessor, General Dwight Eisenhower, the architect of the Normandy landings of 1944.

The latter, an enemy of ostentatious luxury, had decommissioned the 245' Presidential Yacht Williamsburg, which he considered too "bling bling" in 1945, and of which the Barbara Ann was the tender! Refitted by Ike, the Barbara Ann became Lenore then Lenore 2, a Commuter boat intended to transport its owner from his residence to his office...

Kennedy also refitted it, renaming it Honey Fitz on occasion, and used it extensively on the Potomac River, near Washington, but also in Newport or Palm Beach. He used this yacht with his family, often one-on-one with his children.

Manitou, the Floating White House

Although a frequent user of the Honey Fitz, the President missed the sail. Victura, on which he often still sailed with his family, was proving too small to accommodate the members of his firm in the relaxed management style he loved.

So he had a large, sporty and elegant sailboat searched for among the fleets of federal departments and agencies.

Built in 1937 in Maryland by Davies & Sons and designed by Olie Sparkman (The Sparkman by Sparkman & Stephens, yacht architect but also the Swan by the Finnish Nautor), Manitou is a pure regatta sailor of the great lakes. At the time of its launch, its sponsor had offered itself the fastest yacht of the moment.

Rigged in Bermudian yawl (or yawl Marconi or in French côtre à tapecul), heavily canvassed, long and low on the water, sparkling with varnish and bronzes, Manitou, (which means "Spirit of the Water", the deity of all deities, in Algonquin Indian) is a magnificent classic.

Its 167m2 of upwind sail area for 62' and 27 tonnes (4 tonnes of ballast) gives it a very good speed thanks to an upwind sail area/displacement ratio of nearly 19!

Once spotted by JFK's office, the yacht left for a rather special type of yard during which unusual equipment was added to the existing chimney:

• A bathtub in the aft cabin and a hot water system.
• An encrypted long-range radio, even allowing communications with Moscow, as the Cold War requires.
• A cover for an automatic pistol and its ammunition (later replaced by a rocket launcher).

At the end of this shipyard, JFK had an elegant, comfortable and fast sailboat, an almost mobile office that was soon to be nicknamed "The Floating White House"...

On board, Kennedy received the members of his limited cabinet as well as members of his family and, for much more intimate visits, those of Miss Marylin Monroe, for example.

Decommissioned, then rearmed 15 years after the assassination of the president, Manitou served as a training ship to train socially disadvantaged American teenagers, very much in the vein of Father Michel Jaouen's Bel Espoir in France.

Returning to the hands of regatta sailors, last year he was still racing on the classic regatta circuit, participating in the Saint-Tropez and Antibes regattas.

Yachting - les bateaux de John Fitzgerald Kennedy, président, marin et skipper ! - ActuNautique.com

S'il est un président qui ait aimé la mer et l'ait parcouru sur bien des types d'embarcations, c'est bien John Fitzgerald Kennedy... Voilier léger de sport, torpilleur rapide, motor yacht, yawl ...

http://www.actunautique.com/2020/04/yachting-les-bateaux-de-john-fitzgerald-kennedy-president-skipper.html

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Historic presidential yacht that served five American presidents on display at Florida boat show

A presidential yacht, which served john f. kennedy and more, is on display at the 2023 palm beach international boat show in south florida.

New JFK assassination files spark questions

Fox News contributor Gregg Jarrett shares details about the newly released JFK assassination files on 'Your World.'

A 93-foot wooden yacht that has served five presidents of the United States is currently being exhibited in South Florida.

Honey Fitz, the newly restored historic motor yacht, is on display in West Palm Beach as it makes its debut at the 2023 Palm Beach International Boat Show.

Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon are the five presidents who commanded the luxury vessel from 1945 to 1971, according to a press release for the 41st annual boat show.

PRESIDENTS DAY QUIZ! HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE POPULAR HOLIDAY?

The 92-year-old ship was built in Bay City, Michigan, by Defoe Boat & Motor Works, a now-defunct shipbuilding company.

President Kennedy, followed by Pakistan President Mohammed Ayub Khan, leaves his yacht, Honey Fitz upon arrival at Mount Vernon. (Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images)

Honey Fitz was reportedly built in 1931 for Sewell Lee Avery, an American businessman who achieved wealth through gypsum mining. He eventually became an executive at Montgomery Ward, a prominent mail-order business and department store chain.

The historic yacht is currently owned by Charles R. Modica, chancellor of St. George’s University in Grenada, according to the Palm Beach International Boat Show. 

In February 2020, a restoration project was started on Honey Fitz to prevent it from "completely deteriorating."

The restoration project went on for three years, and a bulk of it sought to tie in elements from Honey Fitz’s original build in 1931, the ship’s brief government appropriation during World War II and the Kennedy Administration, according to the boat show's press release.

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Out of the five presidents who have used Honey Fitz yacht, Kennedy is said to be the one who is "most notably" associated with the presidential vessel. 

Kennedy reportedly gave the yacht its Honey Fitz name in honor of his maternal grandfather, John F. Fitzgerald, the 38th and 40th mayor of Boston, who was nicknamed Honey Fitz, according to Yachts International magazine.

Other presidents have named the presidential yacht.

Historical records show Truman named the yacht "Lenore II" and mostly used it to ferry Secret Service agents, while Eisenhower named it "Barbara Anne" after his granddaughter.

PRESIDENTS DAY 2023: FASCINATING FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICA'S GREATEST LEADERS  

Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy after his assassination, left the Honey Fitz name that Kennedy had established. 

Harry S. Truman (1884 to 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States. After succeeding Franklin D. Roosevelt to power during the last months of World War II, he who was forced to make the decision to end the war with Japan by dropping the atomic bomb. (MPI/Getty Images)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 to1969) was the 34th President of the United States (center). Here he is with Mamie Eisenhower (1896 to 1979), Queen Elizabeth II (1926 to 2022), Prince Philip (1921 to 2021) and Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker (1895 to 1979) and his wife at the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, on June 26, 1959.  (Express Newspapers/Getty Images)

President John F. Kennedy (1917 to 1963) was the 35th President of the United States. Here he is posing for a picture at his desk with the American flag in the backdrop.  (Alfred Eisenstaedt/Pix Inc./The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Lyndon Johnson (1908 to 1973) was the 35th President of the United States. Here he is speaking to members of his advisory commission on civil disorders at the group's first meeting on July 29, 1967, at the White House. Otto Kerner (left) of Illinois, the chairman of the group and Mayor John Lindsay of New York (right) vice chairman. (AP Photo/WX)

Richard Nixon (1913 to 1994) was the 37th President of the United States. Here he is at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on May 20, 1987. (Reuters)

Nixon changed Honey Fitz's name to "Patricia" before he sold it, according to Yachts International.

Much of Honey Fitz’s history was lost after its sale, but Yachts International reports that it has spent a fair amount of time sailing through New York, Louisiana and Florida (including Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale).

The presidential yacht reportedly weighs 94 gross tons, measures 16.6 feet across the beam, can reach a top speed of 11 knots and has space for three crew members, according to BOAT International, a luxury boat media company.

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The Palm Beach International Boat Show is being hosted at Flagler Drive in Downtown West Palm Beach and will run until Sunday, March 26.

General admission tickets range between $16 and $56, while VIP tickets range between $370 and $520.

Visitors who stop by will be able to see a mix of boats – big and small. About 900 boats will be displayed, according to marketing materials.

Additional information on the show can be found on pbboatshow.com. 

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The boat show is owned by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, a not-for-profit trade organization. 

Informa Markets, a specialty industry marketplace with headquarters on five continents, is a producer of the show.

Cortney Danielle Moore is a writer on the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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John F. Kennedy's yacht Honey Fitz, built in Bay City, restored to former grandeur

• Updated: May. 06, 2013, 7:20 p.m.
• | Published: May. 06, 2013, 6:20 p.m.

President John F. Kennedy's boat the Honey Fitz was built in Bay City and is now restored and on a fundraising cruise on the Eastern seaboard.

• Tim Younkman | The Bay City Times

BAY CITY, MI — More than 80 years after a Bay City shipyard built the pleasure boat used by President John F. Kennedy, the yacht is sailing the seas once again.

The 93-foot Honey Fitz, based in West Palm Beach, Fla., begins a season-long series of visits to ports up and down the Eastern seaboard as a charity venue.

“We will have a number of events this summer, such as the `Holidays for Heroes' in Nantucket, which raises funds for a wounded veteran’s son to attend college,” said crew member Francis Pavlov, executive chef and director of charter sales for the Honey Fitz.

The boat was built as the yacht Lenore in 1931 by Bay City's Defoe Boat & Motor Works. Until recently, it had been drydocked and in poor repair as the subject of litigation.

Houston oil man William Kallop purchased the vessel in 1998 for $5.9 million and has spent millions to renovate the craft.

In 2009, a group of Bay City historians had hoped to use the craft as the main attraction for a maritime history center on the Saginaw River. That plan never came to fruition.

The vessel today will host fund-raising events through August, including stops in Washington, D.C., New York, and Georgia.

Pavlov said there sometimes are several charitable fundraisers per port. There are ports of call for such charities as the Ronald McDonald House, the One Fund Boston, Ernie Els' Foundation “Els For Autism,” and a number of maritime museums on the East Coast.

“We urge readers to go to our website and to check out our mission statement,” Pavlov said. “Hopefully, people will donate to the various causes we have listed there.”

The website is myhoneyfitz.com .

This photo from 2009 shows a presidential seal on the boat.

For veteran Capt. Mark Glasser, 62, originally of Biloxi, Miss., getting the ship under way is the culmination of a three-year renovation effort, which refurbished or rebuilt everything from the hull up.

“The hull had to be re-planked and straightened,” he said, noting that as it sat in drydock for more than five years, the hull bowed out and sagged badly.

“There were a lot of bends and dips,” he added. Because it was in litigation over who could actually sell the ship to the new owner, no one legally could work on it. It was pretty sad.”

Once the work actually began, it took a master plan using photographs and renovation plans ordered by Kennedy to get the ship back to its presidential-yacht appearance.

He said the power plant of twin diesel engines, capable at one time of 1,000 horsepower, had to be replaced and four smaller engines were installed, coordinated to turn the twin screws. The new engines can provide up to 600 horsepower, more than enough needed for its current mission.

Glasser said the ship will only need to top out between 12 and 15 knots rather than the super-fast 25 mph generated with its original engines.

The yacht served as a getaway for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who named it the “Barbara Anne” after his granddaughter; Kennedy who named it “Honey Fitz,” the nickname of his grandfather John Fitzgerald; and Richard Nixon, who named it “Patricia,” in honor of his wife.

First Mate Paul Ocepek, 44, said the ship renovation retained the extensive use of mahogany trim both inside and out, encased in a minimum of eight coats of varnish.

“Standing inside, one can almost feel what it was like back when it was new,” he said. “You have all of the rich mahgony woodwork and the deep maroons and light-colored coverings. At night with the lights, it is great. It is something as you might see in old movies. It has the feel of a luxurious railroad car, long and narrow and elegant.”

The ship has a capacity of 70 guests, although it would only be for day trips since there is only one stateroom.

The ship is adorned with presidential memorabilia and the ship's stack features the presidential seal.

The inaugural travel season hopes to generate enough interest so that reservations will fill up well in advance of next season.

While there is no plan yet to sail to Bay City, its original home, Glasser and Ocepek haven’t ruled it out.

“That would be most interesting,” Ocepek said.

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5 things to know for Aug. 21: DNC, Chicago protests, RFK Jr., Ukraine, Superyacht sinks

T he launch of Boeing’s long-delayed 777X aircraft has encountered another problem, forcing the company to pause testing . It’s another setback for the airplane maker, which is already embroiled in a safety crisis after a door plug blew off a 737 Max flight earlier this year.

Here’s what else you need to know to  Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day .

Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were the big speakers on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago . The Obamas delivered an impassioned call to American voters and pledged to continue their efforts to help Vice President Kamala Harris in the final 11 weeks of her presidential campaign. Emhoff used his speech to show a personal side of Harris , who he described as the anchor of their family. While Harris skipped night two of the DNC to campaign in Milwaukee, she symbolically accepted the party’s presidential nomination after delegates at the convention held a ceremonial roll call. The speaker lineup today includes Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, former President Bill Clinton, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In today’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s David Rind travels to the DNC to hear from Democrats about how Harris has injected energy into the race — and if that enthusiasm will translate into votes. Listen here .

2. Chicago protests

Large protests are erupting outside the Democratic National Convention this week, including clashes with police in the streets of Chicago . Crews set up an additional line of security fences in the area on Tuesday — a day after a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators , rallying against US support for Israel in its war against Hamas, breached a barrier near the United Center. Tuesday’s protests also saw some tense moments outside the Israeli Consulate in Chicago where protesters and police in helmets began pushing and shoving, a CNN crew observed. Hundreds of officers have taken to the streets, clearing the roadway and sidewalks. It’s unclear how many arrests had been made Tuesday but multiple people appeared to be detained by police.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering dropping out of the 2024 race and endorsing former President Donald Trump, his running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview Tuesday. She framed the decision as an effort to reduce “the risk” of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming president, arguing Kennedy pulls more votes from Trump than from Harris. When asked about the role Kennedy could play in a future Trump administration, Shanahan speculated that her running mate may be open to taking a role as secretary of health and human services. Trump said Tuesday he would “certainly” be open to Kennedy playing a role in his administration. This comes as new filings also show Kennedy is facing dwindling campaign resources and nearly $3.5 million in outstanding debts.

Russian authorities today accused Ukraine of launching “one of the largest ever” attempts to attack Moscow with drones. Russia said their defense systems had destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight — including 11 over Moscow, two over the Belgorod border region and two in Kursk. Since the Ukrainian incursion began nearly two weeks ago, its forces are inching forward in Kursk and destroying key bridges in an effort to cripple Moscow’s logistical capabilities and disrupt supply routes. Separately, Russian authorities have urged people in the border regions to stop using dating apps and limit their use of social media to prevent Ukrainian forces from gathering intelligence as they press on with their advance.

5. Superyacht sinks

Italian authorities continued their search today for six missing people after a tornado sank a luxury yacht Monday off the coast of Sicily. Fifteen passengers were rescued from the boat shortly after it capsized, according to Italy’s Coast Guard. One body was later recovered from the hull of the stricken vessel, called the “Bayesian.” Two Americans and four Britons are among those missing — including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch , Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Chris Morvillo, a prominent lawyer. Initial reports suggest a small waterspout, which developed over the area Monday, could have been behind the yacht’s sinking.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are divorcing after two years

“Bennifer” is calling it quits … again. Here’s what we know about their split .

An airport in Japan shut down because a pair of scissors went missing Airport officials eventually located the tools , but some travelers were quite snippy about the hours-long delays.

Delicious canned pumpkin recipes The official start of fall is over a month away but it’s never too early for — dare I say it — pumpkin recipes. Here’s how canned pumpkin can easily be incorporated into every part of your meal.

New study shows the link between red meat and type 2 diabetes Many people try to cut back on red and processed meat for heart health or environmental reasons. A comprehensive study published Tuesday explains how replacing red meat can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes .

Billions of crabs vanished around Alaska. Scientists have evidence it will happen again The decline of the Alaskan snow crab signals a wider ecosystem change in the Arctic , as oceans warm and sea ice disappears.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$1.9 billion

That’s how much Alaska Airlines said it will pay to buy Hawaiian Airlines. “The merger will vastly expand the number of destinations throughout North America for Hawaii residents that can be reached nonstop or one-stop from the islands,” Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green said this week after the merger cleared a review by the Department of Justice .

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Mpox is not the new Covid.”

— The World Health Organization , calling for a coordinated response to the ongoing mpox outbreak as officials work to tamp down alarm about the virus . Thousands of mpox cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one case was recently confirmed in Sweden — the first case outside of Africa. At least one potential case is also being investigated in Argentina, health authorities said this week.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

How do art auctions really work?

From the lead-up to the sale to the moment the hammer comes down, former Christie’s CEO Steven Murphy explains what happens at an auction .

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How Kennedy & Khrushchev’s secret correspondence saved the world from a nuclear catastrophe

John F. Kennedy shaking hands with Nikita Khrushchev.

The personal acquaintance of Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy began at the ‘Vienna summit’ – one of the most disastrous meetings in the history of Soviet-American relations, which took place on June 4, 1961. Before the summit, Khrushchev’s advisors characterized the Kennedy brothers to him as weak-willed “boys in short trousers”, an easy target for verbal attacks. Kennedy’s seconds, in turn, also couldn’t offer their president a positive tactic for the talks, since all of them were ardent opponents of the communists.

The leaders of the two rival blocs abstractly argued at length and quite aggressively about ideologies and the fate of the world, in the end, not dipping into any specifics. As a result of the ‘Vienna summit’, not a single official paper was signed. The meeting that was supposed to bring the end of the Cold War closer, only exacerbated relations between the USSR and the U.S. and resulted in the Berlin Crisis of 1961.

Soviet statesman Nikita Khrushchev, first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and U.S. statesman John F Kennedy, 35th president of the U.S., shake hands at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna on meeting for talks.

Secret correspondence

Despite the failure of the ‘Vienna summit’, neither of the sides wished for a new large war. Already in September 1961, Khrushchev sent Kennedy a 26-page-long letter, in which he tried to reanimate their relations.

“My thoughts have more than once returned to our meetings in Vienna. I remember you emphasized that you did not want to proceed towards war and favored living in peace with our country, while competing in the peaceful domain. And though subsequent events did not proceed in the way that could be desired, I thought it might be useful in a purely informal and personal way to approach you and share some of my ideas. If you do not agree with me, you can consider that this letter did not exist, while naturally I, for my part, will not use this correspondence in my public statements. After all, only in confidential correspondence can you say what you think without a backward glance at the press, at the journalists.”

Khrushchev wrote his first letter to Kennedy at his dacha near the Black Sea.

In his letter, communist Khrushchev unexpectedly drew a comparison between the planet and Noah’s Ark, where both “clean” and “unclean” animals had found refuge: “Regardless of who lists himself with the ‘clean’ and who is considered to be ‘unclean’, they are all equally interested in one thing and that is that the Ark should successfully continue its voyage. And we have no other alternative: either we should live in peace and cooperation, so that the Ark maintains its buoyancy, or else it sinks.”

Khrushchev’s idea to hold informal correspondence was to John Kennedy’s liking. He agreed to keep it secret.

“I like very much your analogy of Noah’s Ark, with both the ‘clean’ and the ‘unclean’ determined that it stays afloat. Whatever our differences, our collaboration to keep the peace is as urgent – if not more urgent – than our collaboration to win the last world war,” Kennedy wrote in his reply.

Khrushev and Kennedy preferred to talk to each other, circumventing the official communication channels, so as few people as possible in the Kremlin and the White House would know about their correspondence. The First Secretary of the Soviet Union had his man in Washington, who could become the liaison between the two leaders.

Georgy Bolshakov was the deputy editor-in-chief of the Soviet Union magazine in Washington. The perfect cover for a GRU colonel.

“So then we had a spy that used to come to our house all the time, a guy called Georgi Bolshakov, and he was this Russian spy my parents had met at the embassy. They had gone to a party or a reception at the Russian Embassy. And he had approached them and they knew he was a GRU agent and KGB. He was both, oh, he used to come to our house. They really liked him, he was very attractive. He was always laughing and joking. He would do rope climbing contests with my father. He would do push-up contests with my father. He could do the Russian dancing, the Cossacks dancing. And he would do that for us and teach us that. And we knew he was a spy, too. And this was at the time of, you know, the James Bond films were first coming out. So, it was really exciting for us, to have an actual Russian spy in our house. The State Department was horrified by it… Khrushchev… sent this long letter to my uncle and he didn’t wanna go through his state department or his embassy. He was friends with Bolshakov, so he gave Georgi the letter and Georgi brought it and handed it to Pierre Salinger, folded in the New York Times. And he gave it to my uncle,” - from the memoirs of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

In Vienna, June 04, 1961.

Later, Bolshakov met Robert Kennedy and Salinger several more times to pass them oral and written messages from Khrushchev. Aside from that, the leaders of the two superpowers agreed to establish a hotline. A red telephone appeared in the house of the U.S. president, by which he could directly contact the First Secretary of the Soviet Union. 

The world on the brink of a catastrophe 

Left: First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Nikita Khrushchev on the tribune, 1944. Right: Lt. John F. Kennedy in ceremonial dress, 1942.

But, the mutual respect of Kennedy and Khrushchev was not enough to prevent the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1961, American PGM-19 ‘Jupiter’ nuclear warheads were placed in Turkey. With them, in just 15 minutes, the main industry centers in the European part of the USSR could be destroyed. Soviet leadership and Khrushchev personally took this move as an insult. 

The USSR’s response came shortly after. In August 1962, the first Soviet ships with ballistic missiles arrived to communist Cuba. By the middle of October, the ‘island of freedom’ already had 40 nuclear warheads and 40,000 Soviet Army soldiers and officers. Kennedy was furious because of Khrushchev’s venture, while Khrushchev himself couldn’t forgive Kennedy for the missiles in Turkey and plans for a second invasion of Cuba. The situation was heated to the limit; the world had never been closer to a nuclear catastrophe.

John F. Kennedy signs the interdiction of the delivery of offensive weapons to Cuba. White House, Washington, D.C.

“I think you will recognize that the steps which started the current chain of events was the action of your Government in secretly furnishing offensive weapons to Cuba,” was Kennedy’s message to Khrushchev on October 23, 1962.

“You are disturbed over Cuba. You say that this disturbs you, because it is 90 miles by sea from the coast of the United States of America. But, Turkey adjoins us; our sentries patrol back and forth and see each other. Do you consider, then, that you have the right to demand security for your own country and the removal of the weapons you call offensive, but do not accord the same right to us?” 

Khrushchev and Kennedy tried as much as they could to prevent the catastrophe, since they knew from experience how horrifying a world war might be. Kennedy is the only U.S. president who received the Purple Heart medal. He personally fought in the war against Hitler’s coalition in the Pacific. Kennedy’s boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer; three of his comrades died, while John had to carry one of the heavily wounded more than nine kilometers on water to the closest shore. Khrushchev, meanwhile, participated in the Battle of Stalingrad – perhaps the most terrifying battle of the 20th century, which took the lives of more than 2.6 million people. And, although Washington and Moscow generals were itching to test their armies in a battle against each other, the heads of the countries stood their ground – a peaceful solution was required. 

“We value peace perhaps even more than other peoples, because we went through a terrible war with Hitler. But, our people will not falter in the face of any test. Our people trust their Government and we assure our people and world public opinion that the Soviet Government will not allow itself to be provoked. But, if the provocateurs unleash a war, they will not evade responsibility and the grave consequences a war would bring upon them. But, we are confident that reason will triumph, that war will not be unleashed and peace and the security of the peoples will be ensured,” was Khrushchev’s message on October 28, 1962.

A U.S. Navy Lockheed SP-2H Neptune (BuNo 140986) of patrol squadron VP-18 Flying Phantoms flying over a Soviet freighter. The freighter is most probably the Okhotsk, which left the port at Nuevita carrying 12 IL-28 airplanes, December 5, 1962.

Finding a way out of crisis

On that very same night, Attorney General of the U.S. Robert Kennedy secretly met the USSR’s ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin to offer a peace deal with the following conditions: Khrushchev orders to remove nuclear weapons from Cuba, while President Kennedy promises to lift the blockade from Cuba and dismantle the missiles in Turkey over a period of six months.

That was an oral agreement, without any signatures or guarantees. However, both sides followed through. By November 20, Cuba already didn’t have a single Soviet nuclear warhead, while Kennedy had ordered to lift the blockade from the island. And, in several subsequent months, the American ‘Jupiter’ missiles were removed from Turkey.

Khrushchev and Kennedy realized that they needed to maintain their communication. Only this way they could avoid mutual hatred and reckless decisions that could bring about an irreparable catastrophe. It was important to see a human being, even in one’s enemy; it was the humaneness of the two superpower leaders that saved the world in October 1962.

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