BOATING BUFFETT
4/30/2007 11:14:29 AM by Sandy Lindsey
From Margaritaville to a fleet of boats that has inspired more than their fair share of musical hits, Jimmy Buffett loves the sea — and everything that comes along with the lifestyle.
The name Jimmy Buffett is synonymous with boating. The kind of boating that involves pristine, uncrowded waters, the perfect island breeze, loose shorts, steel drums, a cold one or two and a few good friends. In other words, idyllic “life-doesn’t-get-any-better-than-this” tropical boating. For Buffett, this is more than just a cool image to sell his music, it’s a way of life.
Buffett has owned his share of boats over the years starting with the purchase of Euphoria, a 33-foot Cheoy Lee sailboat in 1976. Euphoria II, a 48-foot Cheoy Lee Clipper Ketch arrived in 1977. Buffett wrote “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and many other popular songs aboard. After one more sailboat, Buffett switched to powerboats with the acquisition of the 62-foot Nordhavn Continental Drifter and the 90-foot Cheoy Lee Explorer that became Continental Drifter II. The third to bear this monicker was a 124-foot Delta Marine Defiant bought in 2003. Around the same time, Buffett took his three decades of boating experience and worked with legendary sportfishing boatbuilder Rybovich Spencer on a new line of boats, aptly named Margaritavich. The first Margaritavich, a 42-foot Express Walkabout, went to Buffett in 2003, and was christened Last Mango.
“I wanted a boat I could get lost on,” says Buffett. “Before Last Mango, I had a 33-foot L&H walkaround, and it was an all-around boat, not some macho fishing machine with wasted space forward.” He has since acquired two sailboats, as well.
He’s also a huge fan of airplanes, as was evident when he turned 50. “I wanted to do something to mark that occasion, so we were looking at what kind of a trip to take. After exploring the options from everything around the world, I took my seaplane and did a trip around South America. I fly by myself. I have pilots who go with me, but I fly part of the time.” Buffett’s time in the pilot’s seat is doubly impressive since he survived an airplane crash off the coast of Nantucket into the sea a while back. “Luckily, I had gone to naval survival school in Norfolk, Virginia, where they make you go as a civilian before you go on an aircraft,” he says. “That training basically saved my life because I was alone in the plane. There was a striped bass in the back…” Buffett chuckles, then turns serious again. “I was kind of cut and scratched. The thing that I kept saying to myself was that if I don’t panic, I can get out of here.
“I got in another airplane about four days later,” he continues. “I just wanted to make sure I could go do it...and I did. I think I know I’m a better pilot for it, and I’m glad I lived through it.”
Buffett believes in giving back to the sea and local communities. He was instrumental in helping the Save the Manatee group raise manatee awareness and get legislation enacted to protect these unique creatures, and has done plenty of benefit concerts over his decades as the master of relaxed cool.
When he’s not on tour or writing another bestselling novel, Buffett still keeps very busy. The master of island escapism sound has made two successful forays into the restaurant business: his Margaritaville chain and the Cheeseburger in Paradise eateries. The seven Margaritaville restaurant and gift shop sites range from Las Vegas to Cancun, and are usually full on weekends with Buffett fans.
“Everybody has some kind of version of paradise,” says Buffett of the Cheeseburger in Paradise palm tree-laden theme décor. “This is ours, where we invite our guests to enjoy time away from the real world.”