Remember the refurbished cruiser Honey Fitz that John F. Kennedy enjoyed off Martha Vineyard? Or Kennedy’s epic adventures aboard PT109 in the Pacific Ocean?
Then, there was FDR planning D-Day while on the Potomac aboard the elegant Trumpy-designed Presidential yacht Sequoia. Nixon entertained aboard her, too. Eventually Jimmy Carter sold her. And, of course, the amiable George H.W. Bush still goes fishing in Maine waters in his current go-fast Fountain called Fidelity III.
So, for fun today, let’s speculate about what a few of today’s Republican presidential hopefuls might be doing on the water.
For some answers, I turned to Barb Hansen and the article she penned in her monthly newsletter “View from the Marina.” Barb manages Southwest Florida Yachts, yacht charters and a sailing and cruising school. Here’s some of what she thinks today’s major hopefuls might be floating on:
Donald Trump: A 100-foot-plus megayacht called Liquid Asset, fully staffed with crack captain and crew, of course. He doesn’t cruise with the yacht, but flies in by helicopter to meet the boat at the next port — Block Island, Newport and beyond. He entertains only top names in politics, business and the arts. No drinking for The Donald, but surely the champagne would flow freely with gourmet food for guests in their best Hamptons garb. No shorts and T-shirts here, only designer whites for the ladies and blue blazers for the men.
Dr. Ben Carson: Likely a Grady-White fishing machine. He loves hanging out with family and friends. He fillets his own catch of the day with the precision of a surgeon. Oh wait, he is a surgeon — never getting a spec of fish guts on him. He’s dressed in the latest Columbia fishing shirt, coordinated shorts, belt and new Topsiders. On the transom, the name reads Knot On-Call.
Marco Rubio: A go-fast center console, perhaps a Yellowfin or Intrepid, fits his style so he can go from his Miami home to the Bahamas or Keys for the weekend. The hotter the weather, the better. With lots of friends aboard, he communicates effortlessly in Spanish and English. He likes to emphasize all the points of interest along the way. It’s hard to read the name on the boat as he flies by . . . looks something like Pura Vida.
Carly Fiorina: A handsome express cruiser, could be a Tiara or a Regal, but not too flashy. She wants to be seen as “for the working class.” At anchor in Belmont Bay on the lower Potomac, this Virginia resident throws on her jeans and jumps into the kayak she tows behind. Her style is to be passionate about sticking to a cruising schedule — not straying from the original float plan. The name on the transom is Lady Liberty.
Jeb Bush: No doubt he would be aboard a classic, fully restored Chris Craft. Maybe it’s a rare Cobra model. She’s probably kept in Maine at his parents’ home. She is meticulously varnished with a U.S. flag flying at the stern. Every traditional appointment has been painstakingly restored. He likes to cruise slow and steady, hardly ever at full throttle. He doesn’t want to get to far off course. The gold-leaf lettering on the boat spells out Dreamin’.
Mike Huckabee: It wouldn’t be hard to find him floating around an Arkansas lake on a hot Sunday afternoon aboard Second Chance. She’s a loaded pontoon boat that’s the perfect platform to entertain his kids and grandkids. They’ll stop for a picnic ashore, setting up the grill. This easy-going former governor loves his barbecue. He’ll serve up his ribs with a tall glass of lemonade.
Rand Paul: He doesn’t own a boat. Still, he likes to go bass fishing with pals back home in Kentucky, a state truly rich in good fishing and great cruising lakes. Truth be told, he doesn’t actually know how to fish all that well, but that doesn’t seem to matter much. It fits his style and if he had a boat the name might just be No Rules.
So, if you could choose a boat for each of the Republican, or Democratic candidates for that matter, what would you put him or her in?
