purchased the Boca Blue. The boat, along with the
name Sundown, was retired for a time but when
Denby sold her Knight Brothers-built-boat called
Snafu to acquire a new 31-foot Morgan, Timmy and
Peggy resurrected the name and dubbed the new
boat Sundown as well, keeping one of the most
recognizable names in the Pass alive.
Another 31-foot Morgan, Magic, is captained by
Robbie Hannenberger and is often seen in the Pass.
Other notable boats in the Pass
Capt. Fred Scott was the skipper of the No Prat, a
Francis Knight-built boat. He wanted a name that was
just a little different (spell it backwards). Capt. Scott
also owned Prae Dawn, a 34-foot Crusader. He
chose the name because of its poetic sound and, he
50GASPARILLA ISLAND July/August 2018
once said, “as a night fisherman
I am usually on the water
as the sun rises, so I thought
it was appropriate.”
Capt. Babe Darna operated
the Seahawk, a 26-foot
Daniels, in Boca Grande Pass
for more than 35 years. Its
sister boat, Searene, was
brought here by Cappy Joiner,
then went to Capt. Lamar
Joiner Sr. These two wooden
boats are among the oldest
still fishing the Pass.
Lamar Sr. now currently
owns the Miss Sarah, a 31-
foot Morgan named for his
daughter. The original Searene
is now in the hands of Capt. Lamar Joiner Jr. and
still catching lots of tarpon.
Another well-known Daniels-built Pass boat is
Lucky Strike, though you don’t see it around
much any more. According to the boat’s owner
Bill Miller, when Johnny Morgan from Naples
decided to build a fiberglass version of a Daniels
he spent a whole day measuring, photographing
and studying Lucky Strike.
The Teal, once owned by Capt. Mark Liberman,
was built in 1969 by Sarasota boat builder
George Luzier for Bill Spencer, another
Sarasotan who often fished Boca Grande Pass.
The boat was skippered by several local guides
during the 1970s, including Capt. Freddy Futch
and Capt. Billy Hathcock.