JFK presidential yacht heads to Florida event

Posted on 16 October 2012

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The Key Largo, Fla.-based Ocean Reef Club will showcase John F. Kennedy’s presidential yacht Nov. 29-Dec. 2 at its 18th annual Vintage Weekend.

The club, which is on 2,500 acres, is one of the few destinations that show vintage antique yachts, aircraft and automobiles at one location.

The display will include Honey Fitz, JFK’s 93-foot classic motoryacht, which has been completely refit and upgraded by Moores Marine in South Florida. Built in 1931 and christened the Lenore, Kennedy renamed the yacht Honey Fitz, the nickname of his grandfather, John Francis Fitzgerald, a two-time mayor of Boston.

A longtime lover of the sea, Kennedy enjoyed the yacht with his family on the Potomac, in Newport and on Palm Beach. The Honey Fitz served five presidents. Although much of the vessel’s structure was replaced, her interior and galley remain very much the same as when Kennedy used her for meetings and getaways.

Honey Fitz will take her place alongside other classic yachts that gather each year for the prestigious show. Elegantly restored Trumpy Yachts and sportfishing yachts from Rybovich & Sons Boat Works are typical fan favorites among event spectators. Revered automobiles and an impressive collection of meticulously restored working aircraft round out the exhibits.

Although the club is a private member-owned community, non-member guests are invited to the event.

Click here for information on Vintage Weekend.

Click here for photos of the Honey Fitz restoration.

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