Want to party like JFK? Rent the 'Honey Fitz,' the presidential yacht now based in Jupiter
JUPITER — A historic yacht that former President John F. Kennedy and his family once plied in South Florida waters is now docked at a reception hall along Jupiter's waterfront and can be booked for weddings and other parties starting in October.
Renters, beware: The venue carries a presidential price tag.
The wooden 93-foot yacht is known as the “Honey Fitz,” named by Kennedy after John Fitzgerald, his maternal grandfather and a former mayor of Boston.
Four other presidents rode aboard it under its various names from the 1940s into the 1970s: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. But the yacht is most associated with Kennedy, whose family owned a beachfront estate in Palm Beach from 1933 to 1995.
The 35th president saw the Palm Beach home as his "winter White House" and would cruise on the Honey Fitz during his extended stays there. Kennedy is even said to have worked on his 1961 inaugural address while visiting Palm Beach.
The Honey Fitz passed into private hands after its time as a presidential yacht. Then, Hobe Sound developer Charles R. Modica, who owns the Charlie & Joe’s at Love Street restaurant complex in Jupiter, purchased it and worked for three years starting in February 2020 with a team to restore the yacht’s historic elements, which were deteriorating.
The Honey Fitz now rests at the Pelican Club next door to the Charlie and Joe's complex. Lessing’s Hospitality Group oversees the yacht and the club, a glitzy waterfront restaurant and event space near the Jupiter Inlet, and manages Charlie and Joe's for Modica.
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Rates to charter the yacht and its crew for an event — whether it stays dockside or cruises around — with up to 35 guests start at $20,000, according to its spokesperson.
Food and beverage packages cost at an additional $5,000 and come with six hors d'oeuvres, one display station and a three-hour open bar. People who book an event at the Pelican Club can take photos on the Honey Fitz for an hour for a fee, a spokesperson said.
The yacht has a saloon, sun deck, fully outfitted galley and a private stateroom.
Historic elements of the boat focus on its Kennedy administration era and are on display throughout the ship, according to a statement which invites visitors to “embark on a voyage of history and luxury.”
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Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Want to party like JFK? Rent the 'Honey Fitz' yacht. Here's how.