Presidential Yacht Honey Fitz Served Five US Presidents, Now Brings Luxury to Normies

Many of today's iconic yachts earned the nickname thanks to their size (either length or volume), their amenities, their reported costs, and their incredible achievements in terms of performance, efficiency, or sustainability. The Honey Fitz isn't in the top for size or price or even luxury features, but it does have something not many others have: heritage.

Honey Fitz is the ultimate presidential yacht, even if it started out as a somewhat "standard" luxury commission for a wealthy businessman looking to taste the finest things in life – that he could buy with his own money, of course. Over the years, Honey Fitz has served the country in World War II, did extra military work, and then went on to famously serve no less than five U.S. Presidents in both formal and informal capacity. It is the very defition of a legend.

In more recent years, Honey Fitz fell into disrepair and deteriorated to such an extent that it had to be taken out of the water lest it sank when no one was watching. But it's back now and, to use a tired cliché, it's better than ever, having undergone a 3-year complete restoration that has turned it into a leisure craft and floating museum showpiece.

Perhaps the best part of all is that Honey Fitz is now available to normies looking for a unique, absolutely memorable experience, whether that be a wedding, a business event, or a leisure cruise. Now owned and managed by Lessing's Hospitality Group, it's being offered for charter by Pelican Club in Jupiter, Florida, with the first outings planned for October this year.

A yacht with a rich history like no other

Honey Fitz began life as Lenore in 1931, a made-to-order 93-foot (23-meter) leisure craft for Montgomery Ward magnate Sewell Avery. Designed by Thomas D. Bowes and built by Defoe Boat & Motor Works from Michigan, it was named after Avery's daughter, and it would remain in his possession until 1942, when the U.S. Government requisitioned it.

That summer, Lenore became CG-92004. It was militarized and assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard, being sent to do coastal picket patrol and detachment duty, where it would aid officers in training against enemy submarines. At the end of the war, the vessel would pass on to the U.S. Navy of Defense and serve as tender for the USS Potomac.

With President Harry S. Truman, the yacht began its long and very successful career as a presidential yacht.

Under Truman and Eisenhower, sailing as Lenore II and Barbara Anne, the yacht saw considerable refurbishments and upgrades that turned it into the ultimate leisure craft for the First Family in their spare time, like Easter and Christmas holidays, but also on official visits. At times, it would only carry Secret Service agents, but on most occasions, it would be used as a secure venue for official state meetings.

President John F. Kennedy named it Honey Fitz in 1961, reportedly as a tribute to his maternal grandfather John Francis Fitzgerald. First Lady Jackie Kennedy oversaw a complete overhaul of its interiors, thus discovering a new passion that would peak with her redesign of the much bigger and equally famous Christina O, the Canadian anti-submarine frigate that Aristotle Onassis turned into his private superyacht.

The Kennedy First Family made ample use of Honey Fitz, choosing to spend many of the longer holidays onboard. They also used it to entertain dignitaries, thus solidifying its reputation as a Presidential Yacht.

Under Nixon, Honey Fitz became Patricia and reached the end of its shelf-life as the Presidential Yacht. It was eventually decommissioned and put up for sale in 1970, returning under private ownership the following year under the fitting name The Presidents.

The yacht continued to operate well into the 1990s, but by that point, it had gotten into such bad shape that it was sold again. The buyer gave it its most famous name again, Honey Fitz, and oversaw a hull restoration in 1998 but never found the funds or the time to undertake much-needed top repairs.

When Honey Fitz emerged again in 2020, it was in such bad shape that it had to be taken out of the water so that it wouldn't sink in the marina. A 3-year restoration began right away, and the version that we're seeing today of this historic and storied vessel is the result of that.

Grandeur meets timeless elegance

That's how the new management describes the restored Honey Fitz. The yacht is now a balanced blend of history and luxury, with great effort going into preserving and showcasing its heritage while also bringing the experience on water up to modern standards.

Honey Fitz can comfortably accommodate up to 35 people and is made for entertaining large parties. It features a chef's kitchen, a formal salon, a Presidential stateroom, and a generously sized sundeck that is suitable for a variety of applications. State-of-the-art navigation and safety equipment combine with historical and functional parts from the '30s, WWII, and the many Presidential eras it served.

The first photos shown to the public after the restoration show interiors as Presidential as you'd expect from a vessel dubbed the ultimate Presidential Yacht: gorgeous mahogany with gold hardware, lots of blue and white and the occasional red, and Presidential seals throughout.

Honey Fitz promises to deliver grandeur and timeless elegance but also "luxury with white-glove service." For the time being, that's the only description available of the upcoming experiences, as well as the only clue towards charter rates. While definitely more accessible than what today's super- and megayachts are asking, you can bet they won't be cheap.

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