Guy Harvey Outpost Coming To St Pete Beach

Celebrated marine artist Guy Harvey will  open his first Guy Harvey Outpost in the U.S. in St. Pete Beach. Harvey and his partners plan to spend $3 million re-branding the TradeWinds Sandpiper Suites with his sportfishing motif. Construction will begin on the new hotel and restaurant in late February with an opening set for 2013.

The re-branding will include incorporating Guy Harvey art throughout the public and exterior spaces of the hotel. Guy Harvey décor will adorn guest rooms, which will get new carpet, paint, artwork and flat-screen TVs. The gift shop will make way for a Guy Harvey Adventure Center, to feature his signature clothing and marine-related goods. The restaurant will get a face lift and there are plans to develop a second, upscale restaurant featuring the Guy Harvey brand.

St Pete Beach was chosen because the Tampa Bay area has an endless amount of outdoor and marine activities to keep Outpost guests busy and because of it's easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and marine research facilities. Harvey, a native of Jamaica, is a marine biologist by training and  pioneered a diving technique that allowed him to photograph free-swimming billfish in the open ocean. Today, his realistic depictions of billfish have given him an international following and adorn millions of t-shirts worldwide, and more of those shirts are sold in the Tampa Bay area than anywhere else in the world.

The Outpost property will remain owned and managed by the TradeWinds, and will share privileges with its larger, sister property, the TradeWinds Island Grand. Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts has  re-branded two additional properties in the Bahamas.

 

Clearwater and Sand Key Host Sailing Regatta

The International Sailing Federation Laser Midwinters East Regatta will take place Feb. 22 - 26. This is the 11th straight year the Class 1 International Regatta has been hosted by Clearwater Yacht Club. Two hundred sailors from 16 countries will compete on the Gulf of Mexico just off Pier 60. Participants sail the Laser, a 13.8 ft. one-design boat carrying one main sail and 3 classes of Lasers, defined by sail size, will compete in several races over four days. Pre-race meetings, and daily launching and recovery of boats will be at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center on Sand Key. For more information go to www.clwyc.org.

Clearwater Designated Coast Guard City

Clearwater is now one of 14 cities in the United States to officially be designated a Coast Guard City, and the only city in Florida to hold the title.

The Coast Guard City program was enancted into law in 1998 to recognize communities that go above and beyond in their support of Coast Guard members and their families. Other cities to receive this designation include Grand Haven, MI, Eureka, CA, and Rockland, ME.

Clearwater is home to Air Station Clearwater, the largest air station in Guard. Air crews support a variety of missions with fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft. Their area of operations includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean basin and the Bahamas.

The Coast Guard Station Sand Key, is a 60 person unit with a 2k square mile area of responsibility in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat crews at the station perform approximately 300 search and rescue cases each year.

Port Security Unit 307, a Reserve unit based in Clearwater, just returned home from a 6 month Middle East deployment in support of Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. PSU 307 provided security port locations around the Persian Gulf.

 

2012 Florida Boat Show Schedule

Stuart Boat Show
Fri Jan 13, 2012- Mon Jan 16, 2012
Stuart Harbor; Stuart, FL

Charolette County Boat Show
Thu Jan 19, 2012 - Mon Jan 23, 2012
Charlotte County Fairgrounds Port Charlotte, FL

Naples Boat Show
Thu Jan 26, 2012 - Mon Jan 30, 2012
Renaissance Village, 100 Goodlette Rd S, Naples, FL

65th Annual Jacksonville Boat Show
Fri Jan 27, 2012 - Mon Jan 30, 2012
Prime Osborn Center, 1000 Water St., Jacksonville, FL

Miami International Boat Show
Thu Feb 16, 2012 - Tue Feb 21, 2012
Where: Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr. Miami

Fort Myers Spring Boat Show
Thu Mar 8, 2012 - Man Mar 12, 2012
Where: Lee Civic Center, 11831 Bayshore Rd., Fort Myers, FL

Southeast US Boat Show 2012
Fri Apr 20, 2012- Man Apr 23, 2012
Where: Metropolitan Park and Marina, 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd, Jacksonville, FL