Sailing Through Time
A Florida Legacy
Our flagship, LAHOMA, is 28' double-ended wooden sharpie. She was built in 1989, by Bill Smith of Fort Pierce, Florida. She is a replica of the EGRET, a legendary boat and design by one of Florida's first settlers, Commodore Ralph Munroe of Coconut Grove. Birthed in 1886, at a time when there were few roads and few boats that could traverse Florida's shallow waters, EGRET was designed as a 'Sharpie Lifeboat'--a boat that can float where the egrets stand. Known for her speed and seaworthiness, she performed many services in her time; such as water rescue, wreck salvaging, and most notably--delivering mail from Key West to Palm Beach. Tales of the Commodore and his 'sharpie antics' are as numerous as they are legendary.
A Legend Rebirthed
In 1989, Bill Smith, a Florida Native and accomplished shipwright, decided to build himself a personal boat with which to enjoy the Intracoastal Waterway in his hometown of Fort Pierce. In keeping with tradition, Bill chose to build a traditional Florida boat design--the EGRET. Additionally, he chose to imbue the build with his own tasteful modifications--formulated through years of knowledge and experience. The boat was named in honor of one of Bill's ancestors, a Delaware Native American woman by the name of Lahoma. Earning quite a name in her own right, the boat has proven herself in a variety of sea conditions, including multiple Gulf Stream crossings to the Bahamas.
New Horizons
In March of 2021, I met Bill Smith while I'd been working on my own boat project at Riverside Marina. Having recently learned some of Florida's boat history and specifically that Bill had built an EGRET, I asked him if he still had it? His reply was, "Do you want it?" I couldn't say no. LAHOMA had been residing on the hard at Bill's property for a number of years and needed a lot of work. . . Over the next 6-month period, Bill instructed me in the restoration and maintenance of a wooden boat--the knowledge and experience of which I received remains my greatest life achievement thus far, and Bill, the realest dude I've ever met. Period.
LAHOMA 3.0 was completed and splashed on October 2, 2021. Her legend sails on--Freedom's Dream.