south florida€¦ · board that lets you easily swim and dive like a dolphin for recreational fun...

ALL AT SEASOUTH FLORIDA

AmericAn mAgic in PensAcolA Hustle to LittLe Harbour | spotLigHt Miami Boat Show

rum review: Kirk & Sweeney 12 Year Old

sF4 aLLatsea.net February 2019

SOUTH FLORIDA NEWS

Project Bravo – oceanco Delivers GrounDBreakinG suPeryachtIt’s arrived! Oceanco delivered its groundbreaking 357-foot yacht, Project Bravo, to her proud owners in December. Bravo represents a new direction for Oceanco, the LIFE Design, which stands for Lengthened, Innovative, Fuel efficient and Eco-friend-ly. This unique vessel with naval architecture and engineering by Lateral has been on fast track since she was launched.

“The excellent sea keeping and performance demonstrated during Bravo’s sea trials confirmed that the LIFE Design quali-ties are indeed embedded in Bravo’s DNA,” according to James Roy, managing director of UK-based Lateral. “Coupled with her hybrid propulsion system, Bravo delivers exceptional perfor-mance and is configured to offer multiple operational modes, each matched to the variable operating profile of a yacht de-signed to adventure autonomously across the world’s oceans.”

Oceanco is a world-class builder of custom superyachts in the 260- to 460-foot range, with offices in the Netherlands and Monaco. www.builtbyoceanco.com

two hull traininG at two offshore schools in floriDaThose who want to get in on the two-hull trend are now in luck. Offshore Sailing and Power Cruising School, based in

Fort Myers, Florida, has added a beautiful 3-cabin/2-head Fountaine Pajot Power Catamaran MY 37 to its fleet at two of its locations: The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village and Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral.

“Demand has increased for both sailing and power catamaran training,” says founder and chairman, Steve Colgate. “Many sailors enjoy the spacious salons aboard multihull boats to accommodate more family and friends. Until now, our only option was to teach how to skipper and crew aboard power catamarans in the British Virgin Islands, so we’re pleased to offer an option now on Florida’s Gulf Coast.”

The package for the Fast Track to Power Cruising course taught on the Fountaine Pajot includes textbooks sent in ad-vance, one night resort accommodations with tax and ameni-ty fee, US Powerboating instruction, all provisions aboard for the week except two dinners ashore, three US Powerboating

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certifications (Basic Powerboat Cruising, InShore Powerboat Cruising, and Colgate Offshore Powerboat Cruising), lifetime Offshore Sailing and Powerboat School graduate benefits, in-cluding up to 15% off their first charter with Offshore Sailing partner, The Moorings. Course package prices vary by sea-son due to the resort accommodation rates, but generally the course in Cape Coral starts at $3,940 per person, double oc-cupancy. www.offshoresailing.com

new water toy – swim ‘like a DolPhin’ with nautBoarDCalling all boaters, charter companies, beachside watersport rentals and even dinghy and jet ski owners. There’s a cool new water toy to make time on and under the water even more fun. The NautBoard is a bird-in-flight-shaped towable diving board that lets you easily swim and dive like a dolphin for recreational fun or extreme activities. The 4.4-pound, UV re-sistant, unbreakable polypropylene constructed toy measures 27- by 12- by 8-inches and comes in blue, pink, white and yel-low colors. A dive mask and floating tow line are the only ac-cessories required, although fins and an underwater camera add to the fun.. A tow speed between 2 to 5 knots is ideal to view and explore reefs and sea life. The NautBoard is avail-able on Amazon for US $112, with a five-year warranty.

“We believe that the American marine market will love this activity and that it’s only a question of time before it catch-es on,” says Kaushinsky Hanam, manager for NautBoard maker, Aquanaut International, based in Haifa, Israel. www.nautboard.com

ocean craft marine Delivers sar Boat & traininG to BahamasFeel safer than ever when cruising the Bahamas. Ocean Craft Marine (OCM) delivered a custom-designed, high-perfor-mance Search and Rescue (SAR) Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat

Clear Heat Control for Windows

954.761.8463 www.vkoolyacht.com


ALL AT SEASOUTH FLORIDA

Cover shot: Over a hundred team members arrived in Pensacola, Florida, in December to trial the

team’s tricked out McConaghy 38 one-design test boat, the ‘Mule’. | Image Courtesy of Visit Pensacola

S o u t h F lo r i da N e w S

There’s a new face at the helm at MarineMax in North Florida. The Clearwater, Florida-headquartered largest recreational boat and yacht retailer in the nation promoted Aar-

on Kramer to district president. This puts Kramer in charge of overseeing all of the company’s stores in the region, in-cluding in Gulf Shores, Pensacola and Panama City Beach.

“I am honored to accept this new position at MarineMax and look forward to continuing our success,” according to

a press release quoting Kramer, who joined the company in 2012 at its Houston location and most recently effec-tively led his team over the past three years as the General Manager of MarineMax Venice.

MarineMax sells new and used, premium-brand recre-ational boats and related marine products and services in 63 retail location in the U.S. as well as provides yacht brokerage and charter services. The company also oper-ates MarineMax Vacations in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. www.marinemax.com

AARON KRAmER NEW mARINEmAx PRESIDENT OF NORTH FLORIDA

(RHIB) to Buckeye Marine Terminal in Freeport, Bahama Grand Island, in December. The provi-sion came with three days of combined class-room and on-water SAR instruction to twenty-two students. The students were comprised of Coastal Pilots of Buckeye as well as members of the Royal Bahama Defense Force (RBDF).

“This SAR craft offers a unique, fast deployable and high-speed response time capability to man-over-board rescue situations in and around the off-shore fuel-bunkering platforms that did not previously exist in this operational area,” says Todd Salus, OCM’s vice president.

OCM is a privately held company headquartered in Annap-olis, Maryland, that serves leisure, professional and military markets. oceancraftmarine.com

sPot your riDe with a new GeotaG aPPlicationGet the scoop on the best ride and where to find it with Spoty-ride. Created last year in the South of France by program man-agement expert, Sophie Combettes-Sirech, and Wakeboard’s World Champion Philippe Sirech, Spotyride – short for spot your

ride – is a geotag application that serves as a digital community marketplace. It can rec-ommend destinations such as wake parks and schools and identify nearby activities like paddle boarding, water skiing, jet ski-ing and surfing, plus provide a place for real-time exchange for everyone from novice to professional riders alike.

A major advantage is that Spotyride gives operators a way to promote their activities that’s as easy

as managing a Facebook page,” says media spokesman, Daniel Pilo. “For example, Eric ‘Rico’ Lespagnon, owner of the Miami Wake Academy, can use his personal access code and in one click change the information and upload photos and videos on his Spotyride page. The community can see this immediately. For an upcoming event, he can write an article through his page and it goes directly to the general blog Spotymag. Within a few days, Lespagnon is able to send direct notifications to inform the community about discounts on any unreserved bookings.”

Available in English on iOS and Android stores, Spotyride can now recommend over 2,000 spots worldwide. www.spotyride.com


Thanks to honest input from career marine scientists in the Florida Keys, namely the four below and Lim-nologist Derke Snodgrass, readers have learned about this marine-based career in the past three is-

sues. Here are concluding thoughts.

Q: what satisfaction/Benefits come from workinG in marine science?

Brooke Denkert Black, M.S.: All science is cumula-tive. Therefore, every project, every experiment, every publication advances the field. Marine science, especially

given the rate of climate change and sea level, is progres-sive. And the field constantly responds with innovative techniques and tools. It’s hard to get bored when you’re continually adding to or modifying the knowledge in ma-rine science.

Dr. Hanna Koch, Ph.D.: Other than feeling fulfilled from knowing my research will have a direct and positive impact, my favorite aspect of marine science is being so closely con-nected to the marine environment itself. We spend so much time in front of screens that I cherish the opportunity to dis-connect from devices long enough to fully appreciate what

ExPERIENcES OF mARINE ScIENcE ExPERTS: PART FOUR OF A FOUR-PART SERIESBy Jill Zima Borski


BOAT SHOW:MiaMi, FLfeBruary 14 – 18Miami Yacht Showwww.showmanagement.com

feBruary 14 – 18Miami International Boat Showwww.miamiboatshow.com

West PaLM Beach, FLfeBruary 16 – 17Palm Beach Marine Flea Market & Seafoodwww.FLNauticalFlea Market.com954-205-7813

feBruary 16 – 17Marine and Wildlife Art Festival and Craft Showwww.MarineWildlifeArt FestivalCraftShow.cominfo@marinewildlifeart festivalcraftshow.com954-205-7813

FISHINg TOURNAmENT:Dania Beach, FLfeBruary 20 – 24Sailfish Challengewww.sailfishchallenge.com

isLaMoraDa, FLfeBruary 1 – 2Swamp Guides Ball Fishing Tournament & Auctionwww.fkfga.org(305) 664-5142

feBruary 5 – 6Poor Girls Sailfish Tourn.305-664-2012

feBruary 22 – 23Backcountry Fly Championshipwww.BFCtournament.comcaptbackbone@gmail.com305-393-2156

Key West, FLjan. 31 – feB. 2Cuda [email protected]

march 4 – 7March Merkin Permit Tournamentmarchmerkin.com/[email protected]

PoMPano Beach, FLfeBruary 20 – 24The Sailfish Challengewww.bluewatermovements. com/salifish_challenge/

NAUTIcALFLEA mARKET:isLaMoraDa, FLfeBruary 23 – 24Gigantic Nautical Flea Marketwww.giganticnautical fleamarket.orggiganticnauticalmarket@ gmail.com

POKER RUN:MiaMi, FLfeBruary 21 – 24Miami Boat Show Poker Runflpowerboat.com/project/ miami-boat-show- poker-run/954-545-1414

SAILINg REgATTA:MiaMi, FLjan. 27 – feB. 3ISAF Sailing World Cup Miamimiami.ussailing.org

feBruary 13Miami to Havanawww.havanarace.org

march 4 – 10Bacardi Miami Sailing Weekwww.miamisailingweek.com/

STAND UP PADDLEBOARDINg:JuPiter, FLfeBruary 9Palm Beach Paddlefestwww.PalmBeach Paddlefest.com561-863-0012

it means to be out on the water, to SCUBA dive and carry out scientific research underwater, and for a moment, to be integrated with that environment in such a way that we don’t typically experience above water.

Robert Nowicki, Ph.D.: As a scientist, I have seen and done things most people will never get to see or do. I have lived in foreign countries, done research in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, worked with sharks, sea snakes, dolphins, sea turtles and more, gone diving, seen sunsets, and met incredibly interesting people -- all while being paid. People come to you for in-terviews, and their listeners/readers/viewers spend their free time learning about what you do for a living. I can’t think of too many careers that let you do so many cool things and pay you for it. Remembering these things helps keep me going when the boat breaks down or I’m up at 3 a.m. trying to finish a grant proposal! But, what keeps me engaged is the knowledge I can make a real, positive im-pact on the natural world.

Heather Page, Ph.D.: Marine biology/sciences can be a difficult field but it is so satisfying to know you are helping leave the world a better place. I also feel incredible satisfac-tion when I figure out a method I’ve been struggling with for weeks, have a paper accepted for publication, establish new collaborations at scientific meetings, interact with the pub-lic, and see our college interns grow as scientists. Additional benefits of this field include variety in the day-to-day work, opportunities to be outside in or on the water, and traveling for research and conferences.

Q: i wish i woulD have known…

Nowicki: To pay more attention in math and writing class! Scientists are professional analysts and writers, but in many other ways, being a research scientist is like be-ing an entrepreneur -- you have to learn a lot of different skills because you often need to do a variety of things. For example, to do my job, I have had to learn advanced sta-tistics, good writing practices, how to drive, maintain and repair boats; how to design experiments, how to maintain aquariums, how to budget and write budget reports, how to apply for grants, how to give public research presenta-tions, how to edit videos and images with computer soft-ware, how to program, how to mentor, and more -- in addi-tion to all the biology! The best single skill you can learn in preparation for a career in science is how to teach yourself things without a formal classroom setting. The best thing is, if you learn that skill, it serves you very well both in sci-ence and in life.

EvENT cALENDAR


AmERIcAN mAgIc AmERIcA’S cUP SyNDIcATE PIcKS PENSAcOLA FOR WINTER TRAININgBy carol m. Bareuther

They’ve won the America’s Cup 25 times. yet even the famous Cup-founding nearly undefeatable New york Yacht Club (NYYC) is no match for Nature’s icy grip on the northern Atlantic in the winter. With no time to

spare in preparing, the NyyC’s American Magic, one of two U.S. Challengers for the 36th America’s Cup in 2021, took a page out of other sports playbooks and headed south. Specifically, over a hundred team members arrived in Pensacola, Florida, in Decem-ber to trial the team’s tricked out McConaghy 38 one-design test boat, the ‘Mule’. Its history in the making as American Magic’s presence represents the first time an America’s Cup syndicate has trained on the Gulf Coast of Florida since 1970.

“Sailing conditions were a big factor in choosing where to go and Pensacola Bay has consistent breeze and flat-water ideal for testing,” says Rob Ouellette, American Magic’s chief oper-ating officer. “We were also welcomed by the city. Some plac-

es we considered, and we examined a lot of locales, didn’t know if they wanted to give us a yes or a no. With Pensacola, it was always a yes, from the mayor to the port officials. Every-one is excited about the project.”

Pensacola is the westernmost city on Florida’s Panhandle, lo-cated a little over 10 miles from the Alabama border. This nat-ural sea port, home to a US Naval Air Station and of the Blue Angels flight demo team, is protected by the barrier island of Santa Rosa and connects to the Gulf of Mexico.

A year ago, Talbot Wilson, owner of public relations firm, Tal-bot Wilson & Associates; 2017 America’s Cup correspondent for the Royal Gazette; and marketing and communications director for the Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC), and other PYC members attended the U.S. Sailing Leadership Forum in San Diego. The Florida sailors listened to a presentation by Amer-

american magic’s mule

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AmERIcAN mAgIc AmERIcA’S cUP SyNDIcATE PIcKS PENSAcOLA FOR WINTER TRAININg

ican Magic’s principal, Hap Fauth, skipper, Terry Hutchinson, and NyyC commodore, Phil Lotz, about the syndicate’s quest to take back the Cup from current defender Emirates Team New zealand as well as to rebuild the competitive sailing base in the U.S., starting with junior sailors.

“Since they wanted to reach the next generation of sailors, we reached out to them because the PyC was hosting the 2018 Optimist National Championships,” says Wilson, who worked closely with PyC members, Tom Pace and Hal Smith. “We worked all spring and in June, American Magic gave a pre-sentation to over 300 Opti sailors and their parents. Hap Fauth really captured the kid’s imagination and got their attention. From there, we learned the team was looking for a place to train in the winter. We convinced them that Pensacola was the right place. The port has world-class facilities; the Andrews In-stitute for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, which caters to elite athletes, is nearby in Gulf Breeze; Pensacola’s economic devel-opment office and mayor were immediately onboard; and in the winter we usually have frontal systems move through every 3 to 4 days producing a pretty fresh breeze perfect for foiling.”

Beyond America’s Cup sailors, the port and city of Pensacola is a great place for all types of boaters.

“Highlights to consider in addition to the natural deep-water harbor and mild year-round temperatures are sheltered areas for anchoring, access to miles of undeveloped coast line, and that downtown, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key offers a variety of restaurants accessible by boat,” invites Nicole Stacey, director of marketing and communications for Visit Pensacola. “Must see are the Naval Aviation Museum, Lighthouse, Fort Pickens and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach and the historic village, where there are twenty properties that belong to the Pensacola National Register, including several museums.”

The best place to watch American Magic test and train is from Pensacola’s Plaza da Luna, according to Wilson. This is located at the end of Palafox Pier on South Palafox Street. Binoculars are an advantage, however it’s common for the syndicate’s Mule to come within 300 yards. The Palafox Pier & yacht Harbor nearby offers 88 slips, about 10 of these for transient non-liveaboards.

American Magic plans to train in Pensacola until May.

“We’re in the process of planning public outreach events. We have to be careful though because members of other Chal-lenges from Italy, British and the Kiwis, are here and eager to see what we are doing,” Ouellette says. “We hope to be in New zealand next winter, but if our training schedule puts us in the U.S., Pensacola is at the top of our list.” C

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EScAPE THE HUSTLE TO LITTLE HARBOURBy capt shane mcclellan

Would you believe just 10 miles south of all the boating activity that happens in the Hub of Aba-cos, a triangle formed by Marsh Harbour, Hope Town, and Man O War Cay, there is a totally dif-

ferent world? Little Harbour sits at the southern end of the Sea of Abacos and is about as removed from the outside world as you can get. For some reason, very few boats will take the 1-2 hour sail south, so you can get away from the hustle and bustle of Marsh Harbour (albeit still slower paced than a big city).

This tiny little bay offers all around protection, a good spot to jump offshore from the Abacos, and lots of nature, which is prob-ably the reason Randolph Johnston first settled here with his fam-ily in the 1950’s. Once here he built a modern bronze foundry and continued his popular career as a sculpture. In addition to the foundry, Randolph built a gallery featuring his work along with other local artists including his son’s Pete and grandson’s Greg.

Pete obviously continued in the family business, but also ven-tured into the bar and restaurant career when he opened the ever-popular Pete’s Pub. This totally chill establishment fea-tures a bar built out of the remains of a local fishing boat and is decorated with a wide collection of stuff including a stop light and eight-foot anchor.

Other nearby activities include exploring the small limestone cave the Johnston family first called home when they set

down roots in the bay. There are also beaches both in the bay and on the Atlantic side of the peninsula and the reefs are well worth snorkeling when the seas are calm enough. Take your dinghy around the Bight of Old Robinson to do some gunkholing and if you are looking to stretch your legs you can take a short walk to the lighthouse ruins or a much longer walk to the settlement of Cherokee.

Little Harbour is the type of place you come to visit for a night and find yourself torn away when you leave a week later. If you do venture down to Little Harbour make sure you work with the tides as the buoyed channel is only about three feet deep at low tide. Once inside you will find moorings you can pick up for $15 a night, which I recommend because there is very little room to anchor and have adequate scope and swing room. If your vessel can not pass through the channel, or you feel you must anchor, you can try on the west side of Tom Curry point, which forms the western part of the channel. The only problem is you can get surge from the nearby cut to the Atlantic Ocean and you have a mile of fetch if the wind is from the west to northeast.

Captain Shane is the author of Cooking on the Guiding Light, filled with stories & recipes and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He also runs svGuidingLight.com discussing all things cruising & travel related.


2019 PROgRESSIvE INSURANcE mIAmI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOWBy carol m. Bareuther

Boaters, boating enthusiasts and buffs of all things nautical will feel like a kid in a candy shop at the Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show (MIBS). Set for February 14 to 18, 2019, and

now located at the Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin docks, there is truly something for everyone. New features include upgraded on-the-water programming, think sea trials on a dreamboat and powerboat/sailing courses; a conservation village, where its possible to learn about ways to help protect ocean and marine environments from experts in the field; and the Meiomi Home, a California Beach Bungalow pop-up with wine tastings and pairings.

“The 2019 show promises an experience for buyers and dreamers alike, showcasing more than 1,400 of the new-est boats, from motor yachts and sailing catamarans, to off-shore fishing boats and family cruisers, plus the latest marine technology, gear and accessories from more than 1,000 ex-hibitors,” says MIBS director, Larry Berryman. “What’s more, the show’s location this year is historically a boating destina-

tion. Complete with a pristine deep-water basin and direct proximity to the water, the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin provides an oasis-type experience for attendees to en-joy and shop for all aspects of the boating lifestyle.”

new Boats, new water toys, new electronicsThe MIBS features a 60-acre display that includes a mas-sive 67,000-square-foot exhibition space and nearly 500 yachts from the world’s foremost yacht and superyacht manufacturers and brokers. A sampling of three manufac-turer’s showing new designs are Scout, Robalo and Riviera. Scout Boats, headquartered in Summerville, SC, will debut its ‘mega center console’ 530 LXF, the company’s newest


2019 PROgRESSIvE INSURANcE mIAmI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

luxury sportfishing vessel. Robalo’s R272, the latest deep vee 27-foot center console on the market features the Nashville, GA’s signature “mix of hard-core fishing features and family-friendly creature comforts”, according to east-ern U.S. regional sales manager, Joe Pegg. Riviera, a luxury motor yacht builder, will make a huge splash. The Austra-lian company’s on-water display includes its new Belize 66 Sedan, long-range and luxurious Riviera 72 Sports Motor yacht and sporty and adventurous 395 SUV. The exhibition also includes Riviera’s stylish 4800, 5400 and 6000 sport yachts, the Riviera 52 enclosed flybridge model and classic Belize 54 Daybridge.

A different kind of craft on show will be the JetSurf. This mo-torized surfboard, which comes from the Czech Republic, is already the focal point of world championships hosted in countries from the USA and Mexico to Korea and China. It’s also been popularized by celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton, Sylvester Stallone and Justin Timberlake.

“you don’t need any waves, but you surf. There is a board with a built-in engine under your feet, controlled only by tilt-ing your body and gas trigger in your hand,” explains On-drej Prikryl, marketing manager at JetSurf USA in Miami, who adds that the company’s 2019 boards are uniquely equipped with a direct fuel injection (DFI) system making the water toy environmentally-friendly. “We’ll be presenting our brand-new model, JetSurf Adventure. Its cruising range on one fuel tank

(2.8 liters) is 3 hours. Along with a special rack with straps for a waterproof bag, it’s perfect for discovering little islands in the Bahamas and the Caribbean.”

Technology takes center stage at the 2019 MIBS. Hans Rooker, account man-ager for Cypress, CA-headquar-tered Standard Horizon will be exhibiting a number of marine radios, including the GX1400, with its large bright backlit

display and updated easy-to-op-erate menu system. Apps are in. C-MAP, a digital marine cartography company based in Southamp-ton, UK, will show its new AIS functionality for its Embark navigation app. This feature lets users see boats around them in real time with AIS data over-laid directly on their charts. The mazu SportFishing app, by Ontario, Canada’s mazu Marine, links the company’s m2500 hardware to offer global service using the Iridium satellite network. This enables sports fishermen to see their location in relation to

fellow anglers and makes it simple to coordinate with mul-tiple boats. Techie in a different way is the lightest electric motor system on the market. The EP Carry, by North Bend, WA-headquartered PropEle Electric Boat Motors, weighs 14-pounds, comes with a buoyant battery pack that is un-der 7 pounds, and has a 3- to 6-mile range per charge with speeds of 3.5- to 4.2-knots.

maximize your miBs exPerienceOver 100,000 local, national and international visitors are expected to attend the 2019 MIBS. Last year, the show con-tributed an estimated $854 million to Miami and the state of Florida, or an economic impact greater than two and a half Super Bowls.

To get the most out of the show, plan before you go, recom-mends director, Berryman. “Based on what type of boater you are, visit our website ahead of time to navigate the various exhibitors and see who is showcasing the type of boat you’re eyeing, whether it’s an offshore fishing boat, luxury motor boat, sailboat, or family cruiser. Another tip is using the show website to determine what features and

seminars you’d like to attend and then map out your plan. Finally, we have a variety of new and im-proved transportation options for show goers. Miami is one of the most traffic dense cities in the country, therefore the show is cre-ating a stress-free experience for attendees with more park-and-ride locations in 2019, free water taxi and shuttle bus services, and easy-to-navigate public transpor-tation options.”

For more information, visit: Miami YachtShow.com.


and inviting me for more. My second sip I held in my mouth for a bit to discover something. I do pick up apricot but still can’t find the buttery goodness that was on the nose. Like Clint, the finish totally carries this rum making me come back for more.

overallThis is a three part rum – imagine the possibility, wonder where it’s taking you then finally enjoy the full, long finish that a fine sipping rum should have. 4 out of 5

RUm REvIEW: KIRK & SWEENEy 12 yEAR OLDrum By clint and terry Boram

The bottle of Kirk and Sweeney 12 year old rum stood out among its sleek and slender peers not only for its round shape, but also for the tag hanging from the bottle’s neck. The U.S. Coast Guard tag, dated

January 13, 1924, lists Kirk and Sweeney as a vessel coming from the Dominican Republic to Long Island, New york with 867 cases of rum. Prohibition. Well that got our attention.

As the story goes, the schooner Kirk and Sweeney, a rum-running vessel sailing between the Caribbean and the U.S. Northeast coast, was four miles off the coast of New york in an area known as “Rum Row.” In 1924 the Coast Guard seized the schooner carrying massive amounts of rum. The vessel was then recommissioned as “Chase,” a trainer for the Coast Guard Academy in the 1930s. Though some have challenged the timeline of the tale, it nonetheless makes for a great back-drop for a Caribbean rum.

Named after old fire service badges, 3 Badge Beverage Cor-poration of Sonoma, CA is led by 4th-generation vintner Au-gust Sebastiani. The company is “built upon a philosophy of commitment and craftsmanship.” This is evident in the unique container inspired by the 18th-century onion bottles typically used for rum. The rum itself is handcrafted in the Domini-can Republic, using hand harvested sugarcane which is then made into blackstrap molasses, then fermented and distilled. The rum is aged in oak wine barrels for 12 years (non-solero) at the distillery.

he saiDA mild nose with vanilla, oak, a hint of berry and an ever so slight alcohol burn. When the rum first hit my palate, the liq-uid seemed to skip straight to the finish which is absolutely delightful. Finishes as it began with pleasant vanilla and oak. I kept sipping to explore the rum on the palate. There are hints of tobacco and maybe a charred oak, but truly the finish is the star of this rum. It pleasantly lingers begging you to sip more.

she saiDThe golden amber liquid coats the glass producing a light lacing. The nose is buttery with notes of vanilla, almond and caramel. The first sip surprises me because it’s as if I didn’t take a sip. There is nothing there until it finishes buttery, warm

siPPinG rum scale 1 – An expensive mixer 2 – A quick celebratory shot 3 – Wouldn’t be embarrassed to share with friends4 – Are my friends worthy of a sip5 – Special moments rum

aBout clint anD terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.

south florida€¦ · board that lets you easily swim and dive like a dolphin for recreational fun...

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