Patty Gordon
The Patty Gordon was an 87-foot stern wheel riverboat commissioned by Al Woodward in 1983. It was designed by J. B. Hargrave Naval Architects, Inc. of West Palm Beach, Florida and Irving Cunliffe of Henry Sprott Long & Associates. The craft contained six large staterooms with private baths, a mahogany-paneled salon with fireplace, a dining room with crystal chandelier, and an elevator to the Texas deck. It was reported to have been named for a prostitute.
The boat was designed for a 200 horsepower oil-fired Clayton steam generator. The steam powered two engines with 9" diameter by 48" long cylinders to turn the large stern-mounted paddlewheel via Pitman arms. Other smaller motors were used to operate a maneuvering thruster at the bow, as well as water pumps and an anchor line.
Eventually the steam-powered boat was converted to diesel and used to run commercial charters from St Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida. Actress Debbie Reynolds purchased the boat for her Hollywood Motion Picture Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, but the craft, renamed the Jean Mary, sank in six feet of water during a storm. The boat was salvaged, but remained at Green Cove Springs on the St John River.
The Apalachicola Maritime Museum of Apalachicola, Florida negotiated the donation of the damaged riverboat from Reynolds' son, Todd Fisher. The museum renamed it the Samuel A. Floyd in honor of a Florida riverboat captain and great-grandfather of the museum's founder. The museum plans excursions up the Apalachicola, Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers as far as Columbus, Georgia.
References
- The Robb Report (January 1986)
- "Debbie Reynolds' boat sinks: 'Jean Mary' was carrying antiques to Tennessee museum." (July 17, 2008) St Augustine Record
- "View from the Bow: Paddle Wheeler Restoration Update through mid-December: Work continues at a Vibrant Pace" (June 2018) Apalachicola Maritime Museum News
External links
- video of the Jean Mary on Youtube.com
- video of the restoration at wfsu.org