The Shoofly Magazine
  • Home
    • Amtrak Gulf Coast: Latest News
    • 15 Minutes Photo Galleries
    • Arts Alive!
    • Bay Reads
    • Beach to Bayou
    • Big Buzz Blog
    • Coast Cuisine
    • The Eyes Have It
    • Good Neighbor
    • Living Large
    • Nature Notes
    • Noteworthy Women
    • On the Shoofly
    • Partner Spotlight
    • Second Saturday
    • Shared History
    • Sonny's Fishing Report
    • Talk of the Town
    • Town Green
    • Upcoming Events
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Calendar Users Guide
    • Calendar FAQs
  • Communities
    • Bay St. Louis Lifestyle
    • Diamondhead Lifestyle
    • Pass Christian Lifestyle
    • Waveland Lifestyle
  • Readers' Circle
    • Partners
  • Local Living
    • Upcoming Events
    • EAT
    • SHOP
    • PLAY >
      • Community Calendar
    • STAY >
      • Camping & RV Parks
    • TOURS >
      • Instagram Tours >
        • Beach Blvd. Instagram Ops
        • Main Street Instagram Ops
        • Second Street Instagram Ops
        • Depot District Instagram Stars
        • Black History Instagram Tour - Part 1
    • PETS
    • WEDDINGS
    • SERVICES >
      • Automotive
      • Construction
      • Entertainment
      • Financial Services
      • Food & Beverage
      • Health
      • Home & Garden
      • Legal Services
      • Marine & Boating
      • Marketing
      • Media
      • Office
      • Personal Care
      • Pets
      • Real Estate
      • Recreation
      • Transportation
      • Travel/Hospitality
      • Utilities
    • ORGANIZATIONS >
      • Churches
      • Government
      • Education >
        • Art Teachers
      • Hurricane Prep Guide
      • Wildlife Rescue in South Mississippi

Beach to Bayou - June 2017

6/1/2017

 

Solar Boat Bayou Tours 

Shoofly correspondent Lisa Monti gets a delightful, insider's view of local waterways on a silent solar-driven vessel, guided by boat builder Mark Isaacs.
More Shoofly Stories
Picture
​Those of us who love being on the water know that there are many options in our locale: fishing from a pier or lounging poolside, sunning on the beach at water’s edge, sailing, boating or canoeing.
 
If you’re looking for a less traditional way to experience local waterways — something slow-paced and relaxing, Mark Isaacs has come up with the craft and the itineraries for a unique ecotour outing. 
​
The MIT-trained Isaacs, an architect in his home state of Kentucky, is the founder of BettaBoats, the garage-based operation at his Bay St. Louis home that produces innovative SolarSkiff boats.

Beach to Bayou
is sponsored by

Picture
Click here and scroll down for archived Beach to Bayou columns

Picture
Lisa on the bayou
The lightweight, Coast Guard–certified craft can be hauled on top of a car or on a trailer and accommodate one or two passengers in cushioned swivel bucket seats. The boats run on German-made electric motors charged either by the sun or by electric outlets and have a top speed of 5 mph, the better to take in the rivers, bayous and bays and far quieter and fume free than gas-powered motors.
 
Putting in at the end of North Beach Boulevard at the Cedar Point boat launch for a late-afternoon tour of Old Joe’s Bayou, Isaacs slid our two boats into the water and unloaded the gear from his car: two motors, one battery for each plus a spare, life jackets with compass and whistle, two paddles and other accessories. Isaacs takes extreme caution in his preparation and instructions on safely operating the boats.
 
My own experience running a boat is negligible, so I admit to palpitations right before stepping onto my boat and settling into the chair. My main concern wasn’t for my safety but for my new iPhone in my life jacket pocket.
 
Isaacs does take care to talk about the proper way to board the boat and keeps a dry bag for your wallets and keys. “We have ways to address those concerns,” he said.
 
Facing sideways and with right hand gripping the tiller, I rolled the tiller handle forward to slowly pick up speed and followed close behind Isaacs’ boat as we set out into the peaceful bayou on the back side of Hollywood Casino.

Picture
Picture
It took no time to get the hang of changing the craft’s speed and direction, and with the beautiful marsh scenery and birds of all kinds flying all around, the fact that I was on this boat by myself didn’t distract from the peaceful sightseeing.
 
“As many times as I’ve done this, I continue to not quite get over the quietness of the experience,” Isaacs said. “This for me is quiet and meditative. It’s the most powerful aspect of the experience.”
 
As to what you’ll see on one of these tours, Isaacs said that’s up to nature. “Different locations offer different experiences,” he said. The possibilities include a heron with a six-foot wing span taking off close at hand, dolphins feeding in the Jourdan River, and sand crabs scurrying on shore.

Bridge swallows put on a show for us at the old bridge near our launching spot. Isaacs once saw an enormous alligator gar in a full arching breach through the air. “You can’t control what you see but most of the time there’s a nice diversity of birds,” he said.
 
Tours of Old Joe’s Bayou are about an hour and cost $60 for a boat for two. Catfish Bayou takes about three hours to tour and costs $90. Bayou Bogue Homa on the Mississippi side of the East Pearl River typically takes about two hours for $90 and No Name Bayou in Diamondhead is $80.
 
Conditions have to be right before any tour to ensure safety. Wind can’t be more than 12 mph and temperature must be over 60. “Typically, wildlife are more active either in the early morning hours or evening so think of this as a sunrise or sunset tour,” he said. Tides also have to be right, so Isaacs recommends calling well in advance to plan a trip.
 
For more information, call or text (228) 363-2529 or visit the Solar Boat Tours website.
Picture

Harbor Highlights - May 2015

5/1/2015

 
A classic Hattaras yacht + a couple that refused to give up + a 1500 mile sea voyage = an adventure to remember. 
 - photos and story by Ellis Anderson
Tweet
Subscribe to the Cleaver!
Picture
If names of boats reflected the personality of their owners, the 41-foot Hattaras  in the Bay St. Louis Harbor would have “Determination” emblazoned on the fan-tail.  “Dauntless” would be another candidate.   “Indomitable,” fits the bill too, although it’s hard to pronounce, even before cocktail hour.

This particular boat was named “Angelina” long before Robert and Charlene Munro purchased her in Charleston this January.  Together, they brought the classic cruiser from South Carolina to their home berth in Bay St. Louis, a journey of over 1500 nautical miles, taking nearly two months.  The arduous winter voyage would test the couple’s mettle more than they'd ever have guessed.  Fortunately, they both have mettle to spare.   

Harbor Highlights
is sponsored by

Picture

Click here and scroll down to read archived Harbor Highlights columns!
Picture
Robert grew up in the village of Shady Side, Maryland, a peninsular south of the country’s capital.  The surrounding waters of the Chesapeake Bay called him daily throughout the idyllic 1950s and 60s.  By the age of 13, Robert was an accomplished boater and had built a small speedboat.   

His next project was more ambitious.  “For the price of her brass,” he bought the rotting carcass of a Chesapeake 20’ sailing sloop then restored her to full glory.  He was racing the boat by the time he was 15, garnering awards - along with an article of his exploits in the Annapolis paper.  He still treasures the boating model given to him by the sloop's designer, Captain Dick Hartge.
Picture
Picture
During his teen years, Robert worked in his father’s body shop.  When a family friend offered to trade the teenager flight lessons in return for work on a boat, Robert jumped at the chance.  He soloed when he was sixteen and by the time he graduated high school, he was an expert pilot.  Before leaving for Vietnam, he’d obtained commercial fixed-wing and helicopter licenses.  He would need every iota of his skill and experience - and good fortune beyond measure - to survive the heated warfare of 1967. 

Robert piloted helicopter gunships, which guarded the troop carriers, provided cover for men on the ground and executed assault missions.  He turned 21 in Vietnam.  His courage got a grueling work-out each day - during every perilous mission and following the loss of every comrade-in-arms. 

He recounts one mission where the helicopter he co-piloted was called back to base just after take-off.  Robert, who also served as a munitions officer, was urgently needed to solve an armament problem on a grounded chopper.  His commanding officer ordered another pilot to take his place.  Robert reluctantly obeyed.  A short time later, the base learned that his helicopter crashed due to a mechanical failure.  All aboard were killed.  

“Too many things came into play for it to be called luck,” he says.  “I’m here by the grace of God.”

He returned to the states with a “box full of medals,” one that was stored in his mother’s attic for many years.

“There were fifty people behind me every time I flew,” he says, as if believing every decoration should have been cut into dozens of parts and distributed equally among the flight crew.

Back home, Robert’s skills as a pilot led him through a rich and varied career, much of it spent off the ground.   He worked nationally and internationally as a flight instructor, an oilfield pilot, and airshow performer, racking up over 10,000 hours in the air.

Yet despite his passion for aircraft, his love of boats stayed on the front burner.  He’s owned more than thirty in his life, most of them restoration projects that he later sold or traded after a time. 

Retired now, Robert still can’t resist the call of a great boat crying out for care. And Charlene, his wife of the past ten years, is not the type to tap the brakes.  

Charlene grew up on a dairy farm near Ashville, North Carolina.   When she first traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, she fell for it hard, moving down within six weeks.  The couple met shortly after Katrina and married the following year.

“Let me tell you,” says Charlene, laughing.  “I’ve been on some adventures with this guy!”

The first time Robert took Charlene flying set the tone for their life together:  the pilot put his plane through a few acrobatic maneuvers.  Charlene was thrilled.  Since then, they’ve taken a trans-Atlantic cruise, and lived in an RV (traveling across country for five years).  But their most arduous adventure to date was bringing the Angelina around the coast of Florida.
Picture

Picture
Angelina in Charleston - with the tuna tower, photo by Charlene Munro
Picture
underway in Miami - photo by Charlene Munro
Robert purchased Angelina in Charleston, drawn by her classic lines.  She boasted new 370 HP Volvo engines, new props and a recent bottom job.  Built in 1969, the boat had been well-maintained, but needed some cosmetic work on the interior.  After spending two weeks in Charleston, repairing a few electrical problems and steering issues, Angelina began the voyage south.   

Robert was no stranger to long voyages.  In 1977, he’d soloed a 25’ Hunter sailboat from Annapolis to New Orleans.  And he’d owned an earlier model 41’ Hatteras, so was familiar with how they handled.  But to make this passage easier, the Munros hired another couple as crew.

The first day’s leg from Charleston to St. Augustine was idyllic.  After that, heavy seas plagued the voyage to Key West.  Angelina’s tuna tower made the boat shudder and jerk with each ten-foot wave.  At one point, a rogue wave washed over the stern and smashed out the glass in the main cabin doors.  Robert patched the large holes with plywood and the voyage continued.   

Although they dipped into the inter-coastal for breaks, the constant battle against nature frayed nerves.  Then once, while Robert was sleeping, the hired crew member grounded the boat.  Another time, he steered Angelina through a row of crab traps, wrapping the prop with line.
By the time they put in at Key West, the Munros knew they’d be better off alone.  They parted ways with their crew and rested for a week.  Then, after provisioning and making minor repairs, they set off into the gulf alone. 

The seas in the Gulf did not prove smoother and the Hattaras struggled north.  When they reached Marco Island, Florida, Robert was convinced that Angelina’s tuna tower was making the boat top-heavy and ham-stringing its seaworthiness.  They docked at a local marina where they attempted to give away the tuna tower, but found no takers.  So Robert piloted the boat out into open water again and then anchored.  He carried his sawzall aloft and cut the tower into pieces, lowering the sections by rope to Charlene, who stood waiting on the deck. 

Once towerless, Angelina rode the swells instead of being battered by them.  The Monros’ spirits lifted.   The couple found they worked well together as a team, even in the stressful off-shore circumstances.  In fact, they both claim the ability to  “practically finish each other’s sentences.”   Charlene, who had never been in the ocean before in a small craft, rose to the challenge of crewing and even captaining.

“She relieved me at the helm for hours at a time, using both compass and chart plotter for the first time,” says Robert.  “She did an amazing job in the rough seas, allowing me some much needed sleep.”

The passage from St. Petersburg to Panama City took 24 hours since they cut across the gulf.  They both still remember the brilliant stars overhead that night, and how it was impossible to determine where the sea and the sky met.  They saw no other vessels during the crossing until they neared land.

Angelina seems at ease in the Bay St. Louis harbor now.  The Monros drive from their Picayune home several times a week to tend to her, sometimes spending the night on board.  Charlene likes the fact that “everything’s right here.  It’s just a beautiful place to be.”  Robert likes the deep harbor and the protection it affords the Hattaras. 

But Robert’s original plan to update Angelina’s interior and sell her seems to be wavering a bit. 

“Maybe we’ll just keep her,” he muses.  “These days, I just want to spend some time fishing.” 

“Something else will come up,” Charlene says, predicting another adventure with a smile.  “Just you wait and see.”
Picture

Harbor Highlights - November 2014

11/1/2014

 

"A Most Exceptional Yacht"
Tamora
- owned by Bob and Gerri Gros

Picture
Even seen from atop the seawall above the Bay St. Louis Harbor, the Tamora is a standout kind of boat.  The elegant lines of the cabin cruiser and the varnished wood trim shout out “classic!”  to both the veteran boater and the average land-lubber. 

A row of trophies in Tamora’s main salon testifies to the fact that wooden boat show judges have the same impression.   It’s easy to imagine Katherine Hepburn sunning herself on the foredeck, with Spencer Tracy behind the wheel.   Maybe Clark Gable’s nursing a drink on the aft deck, playing a hand of pinochle with Carole Lombard.  Who knows?  It might have happened on this fine vessel that was crafted in 1936.  

The ship’s wheel still testifies to its maker, Wheeler Shipyards in Brooklyn, New York.  Wheeler was founded in 1910 and according to this article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle,  in the 1930’s the company was known as the “Cadillac of yacht builders.”  In 1934, Wheeler was commissioned to build Ernest Hemingway’s world-famous boat, “Pilar”  which provided the inspiration for Old Man in the Sea and other of the author's works.

Costing only $7,495 when it was built, Pilar was downright cheap compared to Tamora, which was built only two years later for an original cost of $60,000.  Figuring inflation, in today’s currency that’s over a million dollars.  Who was the original owner?  That information has been lost. 


Picture
Tamora’s current owners are Bob and Gerri Gros.  They have several old photographs of the boat, including a stunning one captured from a bridge in 1951 as the boat passed beneath (is Clark aboard?).  From what they’ve been able to piece together, Tamora spent its first fifty years on the eastern seaboard, between the Chesapeake Bay and Florida. 

According to one document Bob Gros has, “Tamora’s hull was fiber-glassed in 1986 here on the Mississippi coast by local businessman Bill Seeman (Seeman Composites), who used the C-flex fiberglass material he invented and patented. 

The boat’s history after that goes into soft focus again, until a friend of Bob’s bought her at a YMCA auction around 1994.  Ed Guedan worked on Tamora for nearly 15 years,  restoring different parts and even building a covered wheel-house.  Its home was a dock in the Rigolets where the yacht rode out the fury of Katrina’s passage directly overhead.  Ed tied her across a wide canal with enough slack in her lines to allow her to rise up with the surge, which was well over twenty-feet high. She suffered only a few broken windows.

Bob Gros purchased Tamora in 2009, after Ed became ill.  He had her painted soon after and since then, he’s been steadily working on getting all the yacht’s systems in good working order again.  Like all boats, "she's a work in progress." 

Bob grew up in New Orleans and has fond memories of spending time on the Mississippi coast with family and friends when he was a teenager.  His love of boating started then and he’s owned a succession of boats most of his life, starting with a fishing boat he purchased right after his college graduation. He’s a veterinarian and still practices two days each week.  For many years, Bob and Gerri split their time between their home in New Orleans and one in Jordan River Shores, in Kiln.  When they decided to consolidate into one house, they chose the one in Mississippi. 

The couple recently moved Tamora from their dock at home to a slip in the new Bay St. Louis Harbor.  They like the Old Town neighborhood, with shops and restaurants just steps away from the dock.  The family can come over during special events like the monthly Second Saturday Artwalk and use the boat as their Old Town home. 

For the time being, they’ve put aside their dreams of taking Tamora on an extended cruise back up the east coast to the waters she knows so well.  The prospect of spending time with their four grandchildren is more tempting.  But should they want to take a trip out to the barrier islands, casting off from the harbor instead of from their home up the river cuts four hours off the round trip. 

Tamora still has star power, even though she’s over 80 years old. 

“She’s a lovely old girl and a steady one too,” says Gros.  “She’s always gotten me where I’m going.”


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    15 Minutes
    Across The Bridge
    Antiques
    Architecture
    Art
    Arts Alive
    At Home In The Bay
    Bay Bride
    Bay Business
    Bay Reads
    Beach To Bayou
    Beach-to-bayou
    Beautiful Things
    Benefit
    Big Buzz
    Boats
    Body+Mind+Spirit
    Books
    BSL Council Updates
    BSL P&Z
    Business
    Business Buzz
    Casting My Net
    Civics
    Coast Cuisine
    Coast Lines Column
    Day Tripping
    Design
    DIY
    Editors Notes
    Education
    Environment
    Events
    Fashion
    Food
    Friends Of The Animal Shelter
    Good Neighbor
    Grape Minds
    Growing Up Downtown
    Harbor Highlights
    Health
    History
    Honor Roll
    House And Garden
    Legends And Legacies
    Local Focal
    Lodging
    Mardi Gras
    Mind+Body+Spirit
    Mother Of Pearl
    Murphy's Musical Notes
    Music
    Nature
    Nature Notes
    New Orleans
    News
    Noteworthy Women
    Old Town Merchants
    On The Shoofly
    Parenting
    Partner Spotlight
    Pass Christian
    Public Safety
    Puppy-dog-tales
    Rheta-grimsley-johnson
    Science
    Second Saturday
    Shared History
    Shared-history
    Shelter-stars
    Shoofly
    Shore Thing Fishing Report
    Sponsor Spotlight
    Station-house-bsl
    Talk Of The Town
    The Eyes Have It
    Tourism
    Town Green
    Town-green
    Travel
    Tying-the-knot
    Video
    Vintage-vignette
    Vintage-vignette
    Waveland
    Weddings
    Wellness
    Window-shopping
    Wines-and-dining

    Archives

    December 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    August 2014
    November 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

Shoofly Magazine Partners

​Our Shoofly Partners are local businesses and organizations who share our mission to enrich community life in Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Diamondhead and Pass Christian. These are limited in number to maximize visibility. Email us now to become a Shoofly Partner!
Picture
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum

Bay Town Inn

Bay-tique Boutique

The Bay Bum

The Shops of Century Hall

Chiniche Engineering

Creole Creamery

The Cultured Oak

The French Potager

Hancock County Historical Society

HL Raymond Properties

Kenny Dental

Lagarde's Fine Wine & Spirits

The Loft
The Mane Salon

Magnolia Antiques

Ms. Mary's Old Town Snoballs

Mystic Ghost Tours

PJ's Coffee

Salty Soul Outfitters

Theatre in the Pass

VSPA at Hancock Women's Center

The Wedding Collection ​

John & Ning Wiebmer


The Shoofly Magazine is published by MAC Media, LLC. Unless otherwise attributed, all written content and photography copyright MAC Media, LLC

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
  • Home
    • Amtrak Gulf Coast: Latest News
    • 15 Minutes Photo Galleries
    • Arts Alive!
    • Bay Reads
    • Beach to Bayou
    • Big Buzz Blog
    • Coast Cuisine
    • The Eyes Have It
    • Good Neighbor
    • Living Large
    • Nature Notes
    • Noteworthy Women
    • On the Shoofly
    • Partner Spotlight
    • Second Saturday
    • Shared History
    • Sonny's Fishing Report
    • Talk of the Town
    • Town Green
    • Upcoming Events
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Calendar Users Guide
    • Calendar FAQs
  • Communities
    • Bay St. Louis Lifestyle
    • Diamondhead Lifestyle
    • Pass Christian Lifestyle
    • Waveland Lifestyle
  • Readers' Circle
    • Partners
  • Local Living
    • Upcoming Events
    • EAT
    • SHOP
    • PLAY >
      • Community Calendar
    • STAY >
      • Camping & RV Parks
    • TOURS >
      • Instagram Tours >
        • Beach Blvd. Instagram Ops
        • Main Street Instagram Ops
        • Second Street Instagram Ops
        • Depot District Instagram Stars
        • Black History Instagram Tour - Part 1
    • PETS
    • WEDDINGS
    • SERVICES >
      • Automotive
      • Construction
      • Entertainment
      • Financial Services
      • Food & Beverage
      • Health
      • Home & Garden
      • Legal Services
      • Marine & Boating
      • Marketing
      • Media
      • Office
      • Personal Care
      • Pets
      • Real Estate
      • Recreation
      • Transportation
      • Travel/Hospitality
      • Utilities
    • ORGANIZATIONS >
      • Churches
      • Government
      • Education >
        • Art Teachers
      • Hurricane Prep Guide
      • Wildlife Rescue in South Mississippi