They made the cover of People Magazine

[Will Gilmore]

13, living on a schooner in Clearwater FL.,
enjoying the empty beaches because Jaws came out the year before. I was pulled out of 8th grade, for a sail to Maine. We had that Christmas on Boot Key on our way. The next Summer, Star Wars came out.

-Will

 

[Leeward Rail]

11,. First year of junior high... Living a boring life in the burbs, dreaming of:
Being a famous guitarist, Farrah Fawcett, and..apparently being adopted by @Will Gilmore parents.

 

[Leeward Rail]

living on a schooner in Clearwater FL

Around that time we went to Disney World and saw a bit of Florida.. Right beside one the hotels we stayed in, was a drydocked submarine that was unfortunately closed for tours for some reason....
Any idea where that may have been ? I keep thinking it was in Clearwater.
Saw my first sub.. my first palm tree, my first gator... first cruiser sailboats...

 

[Kermit]

Thanks for the warm welcomes, y’all. Dang I miss this forum. Almost makes me want to own a boat again.

Naaaaaaaa. No boat ownership for me!

 

[Kermit]

Yeah, her hair was even bigger than John Travolta's.

Good to hear from you again, my friend.

I'm currently touring the land of the Count
View attachment 200058

View attachment 200059
A view is Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler.

-Will

Talk about the valley of the shadow of death. He was one scary dude!

 

[Justin_NSA]

13, living on a schooner in Clearwater FL.,
enjoying the empty beaches because Jaws came out the year before. I was pulled out of 8th grade, for a sail to Maine. We had that Christmas on Boot Key on our way. The next Summer, Star Wars came out.

-Will

I saw Jaws on the Midway during one of our deployments. Spooked the crap out us because we knew sharks followed the boat . The mess hall dumped all their garbage off the fantail.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Right beside one the hotels we stayed in, was a drydocked submarine that was unfortunately closed for tours for some reason....
Any idea where that may have been ? I keep thinking it was in Clearwater.

Not Clearwater. Key West, Jacksonville, maybe Pensacola.
The Clearwater waterfront was dominated by the fleet of catamaran head boats. My father owned the two painted red, white and blue. It would be unseemly bragging to tell you they were the fastest fishing boats that brought in the biggest fish, so I won't tell you that.

-Will

 

[Leeward Rail]

Not Clearwater. Key West, Jacksonville, maybe Pensacola.

We didn't get to any of those locations when I was a kid.

On the trip with the submarine, it was in a small park beside the hotel.

We were in Fort Lauderdale at a hotel/golf resort for my dad"s sales conference, then stayed in a cheapo Howard Johnson's beside Disney, and then went to Tampa, Clearwater, St. Pete. an eventually flew home from there.

I had to be in the Tampa St Pete region.

I remember walking outside the hotel on my own to explore. The weather after we left Disney, was really cold for the locals, but for a prairie kid who just came from -30C it was still heaven because I could wear a fall jacket in mid winter
I walked outside to explore and was amazed to find the sub in the park next door. Alas it was closed to tours. Likely due to the wimpy locals

Edit: may have been the USS Requin SS481.. in Tampa. I just found a photo on a Florida historical site. Apparently the boat was there until 1986 when it ran out of money.

 

[Davidasailor26]

@Kermit I was just thinking about you the other day when my wife said Lenox released a new Christmas ornament.

 

[Kermit]

@Kermit I was just thinking about you the other day when my wife said Lenox released a new Christmas ornament.
View attachment 200117

Thank you!