“To Reach A Port, We Must Sail – Sail, Not Tie At Anchor – Sail, Not Drift.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
“What's wrong with you guys? Why do you want to ruin everything pure and good?”
“I'm just telling you how it translates to the rest of the world,” she says right before we hang up.
These conversations always begin with critique. This liberal acquaintance of mine can't talk about RFK without pointing out what she and like-minded friends think he's doing wrong. They tell me like it's my fault, like I'm in charge of the mishaps they resent. Typically they respond reactively with a snarky text if he says something controversial on a podcast. They loathe him, yet they are still mentally invested enough to chastise his every move. This seems to be the case with several “progressives” in my circle: They cling to an aversion proffered by the DNC, without really knowing why or what they “hate” about RFK.
They can find fault in almost everything except their own flailing president.
My friend insists that Kennedy pulling supporters aboard a sailboat at dusk comes off as “elitist and out of touch.”
I find it poetically endearing. But I tend to romanticize anything sea-related, whether literature or lyrical. My boys grew up on old sailor songs in place of nursery rhymes. Dylan's “House Carpenter” haunted them as toddlers, and they had “When the Ship Comes In” memorized by kindergarten.
Crammed three carseats across in the backseat, they sang the last verse the loudest:
Then they'll raise their hands
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh's tribe
They'll be drowned in the tide
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered
All I know is that there is something uniquely brazen about men at sea — which is why RFK should (IMO) do as many of these sea excursions as possible. Trump supporters made patriotic boat parades fun and lively. Why shouldn't RFK harken back to the stripped down version made iconic by his family?
On a purely superficial note, the Kennedys at sail in the ‘60s is peak American aesthetic. Their effortless on-deck wardrobe during this era is the epitome of relaxed luxury. I could get lost in the pages of those photo books for hours. Nothing will ever top RFK and JFK in matching cable knit sweaters, rolled pant legs, slice of cobalt blue socks exposed, and black wayfarers, smoking cigars amidst a grip of freckled-faced children crammed together at sea.
Genetics-wise, RFK Jr. inherited their same furrowed visage, which seems to be perpetually tracking dire weather ahead. Looking through old photos of his family aboard The Honey Fitz, the 93-foot wooden yacht his grandfather owned, built in 1931, the Kennedy brood looks bred to navigate the high seas, like the Bushes on a cow ranch or the Obamas on a borrowed mogul’s yacht in the Hamptons. Their legacy is practically patented by uncommon handsomeness better suited for ancient sailors: sharp jawlines, too many teeth, squinting eyes (sad when laughing), crooked noses, windswept hair, and scars on their bodies borne from daring tendencies that are, for better or worse, baked into their DNA.
When The Ship Comes In
Team Kennedy hosting a sweepstakes to sail with their presidential hopeful couldn't be cleverer, or more on brand. And it offers the public — at least those willing to pay between $500 and $3K — an intimate option to get to know a candidate they might endorse, or are just plain curious about.
Anyone who sees it differently is too jaded to appreciate the bright spots in an otherwise bleak election cycle. Let me tell you, after a certain point, all the event spaces in cities around the country start to look the same.
Sailing into the Pacific last month, we were accompanied by nearly 50 supporters, friends, and family, hosted by local boat charter Aolani Catamaran. Bobby and Cheryl settled easily among the crowd as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the San Diego harbor at twilight — she in oversized sunglasses and a black Patagonia puffer, him in a Riverkeeper-branded sweatshirt.
"Do I look like Jackie?" Cheryl joked, pulling the strings of her hood tight around her face to combat slapping winds during photos. She doesn't, and she knows it. Regardless, she is striking in any element. Unlike all the rest of us, Cheryl Hines never takes a bad photo.
“The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.”
— Jacques Yves Cousteau
Design Veteran Jack Fhillips Embarked On a Three-Year Historic Restoration to Preserve This Important Piece of American History
“Amidst the turmoil and uncertainty of 2020, designer Jack Fhillips received the project of the lifetime: a complete restoration of the presidential Honey Fitz yacht that is most often associated with JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
At the time, the nearly 100-year-old vessel needed an extensive architectural overhaul to save it from "certain demise," according to Fhillips. Charles Modica, a longtime client and local developer in Palm Beach County, had purchased the run-down ship and was seeking a historical interiors transformation that would replicate the decor of the Kennedy era as closely as possible.
Preceding Air Force One, presidential yachts (affectionately known as "Floating White Houses") were important destinations for escaping the "claustrophobic tension" of the Oval Office, Henry Kissinger wrote. They were used for everything from meetings with prominent world leaders to pleasure cruises down the Potomac after a tough day of running a country.”
As we drifted towards Coronado and downtown San Diego, the crowd got acquainted in wobbly motion with introductions between attorneys and teachers, servers and bankers. Among the mingling, an unspoken connectivity coursed through conversation based on shared political leanings grounded in curiosity. A particularly charged enthusiasm came thanks to wine in plastic cups, toasted to like-minded strangers devouring tiny albacore sandwiches from a buffet meticulously curated on the deck below. While some areas of his campaign are clearly and consistently struggling, the food and music at these events keeps getting better.
“The Baby Boomers Don’t Realize How Tenuous The Situation Is”
April’s sail was not Kennedy's first time gracing the shores of San Diego. In May 2023, he made a Memorial Day campaign stop at Humphrey's on the Bay on Shelter Island. Several staffers noticed on that trip that he seemed more at ease on the water — hence, repeated outings.
“Look at him,” one of them nudged me, nodding to Bobby laughing heartily beside three brothers and their partners sitting atop their laps.
The brothers responsible for his smile are all crypto guys from Puerto Rico with an emotional reason for being there. Their mother, a longtime Kennedy and Children's Health Defense supporter, asked that they donate to his campaign before she passed. After seeing the sailing event promoted in my stories, one of their girlfriends decided it was the perfect opportunity to meet him. Learning this story, he sat and talked with them for over a half hour.
Of all of his appearances, it’s events like these that serve as a scenic metaphor for Kennedy's vision, turning the tide on current politics, shifting the course away from corporate greed, and hoping people will vote out of hope — not fear. Six months in, he remains the “long shot candidate” with a heavy ask. Supporters, no matter how fervent, still worry their vote will be “wasted” on him come November.
In person, after selfies, sandwiches, and small talk at sea, the hope is that they just might walk away feeling otherwise.
SIDENOTE: In reading this, I ask that you hold off on any abortion stance dismay you might be harboring (no pun intended), only because I’ll have a post dedicated to that topic & discussion landing here soon!
Best pic of all is RFK w Arlo.
I actually find the way his team is trying to raise money has been very creative! To say he’s being “elitist” is quite funny to me… you basically have to be an Elite to afford to run for President in the first place…