< Previous20 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2023 FEATURE is a watercraft used for pleasure — a broad enough definition to encompass nearly all personally owned boats. The first yachts were used by the Dutch in the pursuit of smugglers, pi- rates and criminals. The small, swift ves- sels quickly became outlets for leisure. Charles II, who was King of En- gland, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy un- til his death in 1685, is known as the world’s first yachtman for commission- ing the building of 20 yachts during his lifetime. His affinity for yachts was inspired by the gift of a 60-foot yacht from the city of Amsterdam after his 10-year exile there. Yachting remained the pastime of royalty until the 18th century, when the world’s wealthiest boating wan- nabes joined the ranks. The first yacht club in the world, dubbed the Cork Water Club, was founded in Ireland in 1720. It’s still in operation today. The first in the United States was the New York Yacht Club, founded in 1844. A group of nine New Yorkers interest- ed in yachting decided to build ships to compete with their English coun- terparts. They christened a ship called America in May 1851, challenging England’s fastest ships later that year. ‘A SIMPLE LIFE’ The ship finished eight minutes ahead of the closest of 15 English ships, winning the Hundred Guinea Cup, which was later renamed the America’s Cup in honor of the win- ning yacht. Like countless boaters before him, Alfred Poindexter quickly got into boat racing after a short stint flying planes in the late 1970s and early ‘80s. “Well, you know what they say about bike racing? It started when they built the second one,” Alfred quipped. “We started racing, and over time you start smelling the roses and start making stops and checking things out and seeing what the rest of the world is doing. “Now, the lifestyle is very casual in the sense that there aren’t many worries — you just enjoy the day when you’re out on the boat. It’s just a simple life that we live, every boater has a different lifestyle.” MAKING MEMORIES Texas City resident Chris Cotter has been boating his entire life and spends his working days repairing boat motors. He spends nearly every weekend on his 53-foot 1987 Magnum Marine called Texas City resident Chris Cotter spends nearly every weekend on his 53-foot 1987 Magnum Marine entertaining guests. He named the boat Memory Maker because he wanted to make memories on it. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2023 21 the Memory Maker, which is likely the only of its kind in the state, he said. “You’ll mostly see them in Europe, in places like Italy,” Cotter said. “You can kind of tell because you drive on the left side.” Cotter has made significant up- grades to the Memory Maker in the more than nine years he has owned it. He put in new engines, bow thrusters, a custom hardtop he spent six months assembling the most advanced elec- tronic systems and much more. “I put in a thermal imaging camera for running at night,” Cotter said. “You can see every ripple in the water — it’s very cool. It has air conditioning inside and out.” Cotter even installed a pricey gy- roscope, dubbed the seakeeper, that keeps the ship from rocking in rough waters. Another prominent and unusu- al feature of the Memory Maker is its custom-built liquor dispenser, which Cotter stocks with Tito’s vodka, Crown Royal, Patrón tequila and more. ONE OF A KIND Although Cotter has bought and sold many boats in his life, he’d never sell the Memory Maker, he said. “You just can’t get another one,” Cotter said. All those accoutrements are enjoyed by 20 to 50 people each weekend, and Cotter said that crowd can all fit comfortably on his vessel. When he’s not entertaining guests, and some- times when he is, Cotter typically takes his boat to various Floridian sites, like the Florida Keys, Pensacola and Key West. “It’s got 22 feet of deck space on the back, and we can comfortably fit 30 people back there.” Cotter said. “We named it the Memory Maker because we wanted to make memo- ries on it, and we do that almost every weekend. I just love being out in big groups of people on the water — with no drama. “You just feel free, you can go any- where you want to go — there are no stop signs.” PHOTOS: ST u ART VILLAN ue VA Chris Cotter prepares to take his boat for sail at Pelican Rest Marina in Galveston. “You just feel free, you can go anywhere you want to go – there are no stop signs.” CHRIS COTTER1K 5K 10K24 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2023 The Training Ship Kennedy is moored at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Each summer, the ship is crewed by hundreds of cadets from the Texas A&M Maritime Academy who gain real-world experience on the open ocean. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2023 25 FEATURE LADY IN WAITING TS Kennedy will serve Sea Aggies until 2025 when Lone Star State arrives story by SARAH GRUNAU photos by STUART VILLANUEVA T raining Ship Kennedy docked at Peli- can Island in April and will serve as an education tool for the next two years while Texas A&M University Galveston awaits a permanent vessel. The 540-foot ship will depart June 3 with a full complement of Sea Aggies with Texas A&M Maritime Academy. During the two-month summer term, students have the opportunity to advance their education, while learning and working as the ship’s crew. Arriving from the Massachusetts Maritime Acade- my, the ship has been docking in Galveston every summer since 2018 to provide training for students during the summer sea term. “We sailed this ship first in 2018 as part of a tri- al,” said Capt. Allan Post, deputy superintendent of Texas A&M Maritime Academy. “We were supposed to sail in 2020 but didn’t because of COVID-19.” Instead of departing after the summer term this year, the vessel will remain on the island until 2025. Deck and engine license cadet candidates are required to accrue time at sea before graduating, and the vessel will give them the chance to learn marine navigational skills. State maritime academy training ships are feder- ally owned vessels operated by the six state mar- itime academies to serve cadet-training purposes, according to the university. The university is awaiting a new state-of-the-art National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, named the Lone Star State. All the training ships stationed at maritime acad- emies across the country are named to honor the states where they are docked. The California State University Maritime Academy’s ship is the TS Golden Bear, after the animal on the 26 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2023 FEATURE (Clockwise from top) Capt. Allan Post, deputy superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, displays a section of the control room aboard the Training Ship Kennedy; a sleeping berth aboard the TS Kennedy. The vessel can accommodate 600 cadets; engineering spaces aboard the ship. (Opposite from top) Texas and Texas A&M University flags fly on the dock beside the TS Kennedy. The 540-foot ship will serve as an education tool for the next two years for Sea Aggies at the Texas A&M Maritime Academy; Capt. Wade Howell, master of the training ship, speaks about the vessel’s mission as a floating training ground. During the two-month summer term, students have the opportunity to advance their education, while learning and working as the ship’s crew. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2023 27 state flag. The Massachusetts Maritime Academy trains on the TS Kennedy, named after that state’s famous political family. The Lone Star State, expected to dock at Pelican Island in 2025, will provide 12 times the capacity of the maritime academy’s former training ship, the TS General Rudder. The large TS Kennedy expands the Texas A&M Maritime Academy’s ability to provide highly trained and profession- al U.S. Coast Guard-licensed deck and engine officers to serve on oceangoing and inland waterway vessels, accord- ing to the university. The TS Kennedy will serve Sea Aggies year-round and will give students hands-on experience and a chance to get out of the classroom for additional learning, Post said. “We have dreamed of having this capacity for over a de- cade and are extremely grateful to the Department of Trans- portation, MARAD, university administration and elected of- ficials for helping us get here,” said Col. Michael E. Fossum, vice president of Texas A&M University and superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. “MARAD” is the U.S Maritime Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation that administers financial programs to develop, promote and operate the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Merchant Marine. “A large training ship that accommodates our entire mar- itime academy will allow us to meet industry demand for highly skilled mariners and maritime professionals and sup- port the blue economy on the Gulf Coast,” Fossum said. At Texas A&M University at Galveston, marine biology students research the genetic mechanisms of Turritopsis dohrnii, a biologically immortal jellyfish, right alongside renowned faculty. While human immortality is distant, with this research and the advent of DNA-based technologies, relief for those with genetic disorders could be within a tentacle’s reach. Whether your interests take you above, below or on the water, as the marine & maritime campus of Texas A&M University, we have the resources you need to succeed. Discover your part in driving our blue economy with degrees in science, engineering, transportation, business and liberal arts. Chart the course to your future today. Visit tamug.edu for more. EVEN BETTER THAN Next >