HERE SHE IS !
THE ORIGINAL STORM KING
Docked in Fort Lauderdale at the home of her second owner John R. Cox who purchased the then 9 year old 53 foot cruiser from his neighbor Joseph F. Knapp in 1940. He only had to move it two canals over from Knapp's 410 Isle Of Palms SE22nd Ave back yard to 626 SE 24th Ave aka Solar Isle Dr .
" John ...Just take her across the lake & head south "
That is Sunset Lake behind a person I ONCE strongly believed was J. F. Knapp sitting in his backyard at Isle Of Palms circa 1939 . I NOW KNOW IT'S PROBABLY A FRIEND OF OF MR KNAPP's AS I NOW HAVE CONFIRMED PICTURES OF J, F. KNAPP. That said , Mr. Cox would only have to run the Storm King over to where the boat is in the background and down the canal to his backyard.
MANY MANY THANKS TO JOHN W. COX FOR COMING THROUGH WITH THE FIRST PHOTO OF THE STORM KING. IT LOOKS REMARKABLY LIKE MR. WILLIAM J, DEED'S (THE MARINE ARCHITECT) ORIGINAL 1931 PLANS. JOHN TELLS ME IN WWII , SHE SPORTED A COAT OF NAVY GREY WITH HUGE BLACK HULL NUMBERS WHEN SHE DID DUTY AS A COAST GUARD AUX. CUTTER. HE SAYS THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN DURING OR JUST AFTER WWII. HE ALSO TELLS ME HIS DAD ENTERED HER IN A RACE AT THE CLEVELAND YACHT CLUB IN THE 1940's AND SHE WON HER CLASS (50 FOOTERS AND UP)
I AM STILL HOPEFULL STORM KING IS AFLOAT SOMEWHERE. I KNOW THAT SHE SURVIVED A BAD FIRE IN 1976 AND WAS STILL REGISTERED IN 1980.
I ALSO RECENTLY LEARNED THAT IN FEB OF 1931, WHEN SHE WAS BEING BUILT AT THE MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. YARD IN WILMINGTON, DEL. FOR MR. KNAPP, HE MOTORED DOWN TO THE FLORIDA KEYS AND TOOK THE SS NORTHLAND TO CUBA FOR AN EXTENDED STAY.
FOR MORE ON THE HISTORY OF THIS BOAT
