# Presidential yacht Seqoiua's twin (1 Viewer)



## garza (Aug 10, 2010)

A few years ago I read a novel by, maybe Dan Brown, or someone writing in that same style, about the President of the United States disappearing from his yacht, the Seqoiua. The plot was built around the existence of a sister ship to the Seqoiua. I'd like to read the book again, but I can't remember the name of the book or for sure the name of the author.

I thought of that book while looking at the web site for the Seqoiua, which is retired and living the life of a high priced tour boat. The web site includes a line from the New York Times that says there is only one Seqoiua, which is not quite true. There really was a sister ship, the Francis Fayard out of Gulfport, Mississippi. The two were built in the same yard and are exactly alike. The Francis Fayard always had pictures of the Seqoiua in the saloon. I don't know if she still exists. I intend finding out.

Does anyone know the name of the book I mean, and the writer?


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## Gorman Newman (Sep 16, 2010)

I grew up in Gulfport , Mississippi and have cruised on the Francis Fayard Trumpy Yacht.  Unfortunately the Fayard , a 65 foot twin to the Sequoia, partially sank in the Industrial Seaway Canal behind my parents house and sat there partially under water for many months.  This happened years ago  I would guess 1996 or so.  The owners of the Trumpy were also the owners of Fayard Moving and Storage.  Anyway, the yacht was soon vandalized by people cutting the teak off of her and the city finally stepped in and hired a salvage company to "lift her" .  A fatal mistake and she cracked in half and was destroyed.  The owners left her there.  A tragic death to the yacht who proudly sat next to the Sequoia when it came to visit in Biloxi.  I remember it well.


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## garza (Sep 16, 2010)

That's sad. A number of the classic yachts that used to be on the Coast have come to sad ends. What was the name of that yacht that belonged to the Kennedy family of Biloxi, the people who owned Kennedy Marine? She was run onto a gravel bar in the Bahamas. She was quite a bit larger than the Francis Fayard. She was a popular party boat when I was in high school.

Do you remember the Ridewith Rose? She used to stay berthed up in the corner next to 20th Avenue. 

I am sorry to hear about the end of the Francis Fayard. Did the Fayard family still own her? I think Francis Fayard was the present generation's grandmother. Maybe great-grandmother. Time flies. In my day the Belandes, Fayards, Kennedys, and Barqs were some of the elite of Biloxi society, out of my class.


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## The Backward OX (Sep 19, 2010)

garza - Are you sure it was Seqoiua in the novel? Try _Deep Six ~ Clive Cussler._


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## garza (Sep 19, 2010)

I must have gotten the name of the boat in the book wrong. What impressed me when I read the book was the idea of a sister ship to the Presidential yacht being the key to the mystery. I grew up in the town where the Seqoiua's sister ship was berthed, so over time I suppose the original name in the book was overlaid with the name Seqoiua. What was the name in the book?

I used Google Earth's earliest time setting, zoomed in on the Gulfport Small Craft Harbour, and was able to pick out both the Francis Fayard and the Ridewith Rose. A half block away from the small craft harbour I could see our house on 20th Avenue where we lived when I was eight and nine years old. 

If you go to the Seqoiua's official website and look at the pictures, you will see how the Francis Fayard looked when I was a child. She was one beautiful boat, a real classic.


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## The Backward OX (Sep 19, 2010)

I think I got the book title wrong. Another look shows nothing like the details you mentioned.


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## The Backward OX (Sep 19, 2010)

garza - What you could do is join AW and go to their historical forum. Someone would point you in the right direction. Or you could join a yachting forum.


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## garza (Sep 19, 2010)

No yachting forum would ever have me. The only boat I've ever owned was a 12-foot centre-board my dad got for me when I was ten and that I sailed often until I graduated from high school. Members of a yachting forum would look down their noses at me and sniff the air as though smelling something I'd stepped in and tracked on their carpet.

So what is AW?


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## The Backward OX (Sep 19, 2010)

Absolute Write. 
Absolute Write Water Cooler - Powered by vBulletin 

But you do need a strong constitution. And you need to watch out for the litchick brigade that run the place.

That said, if you can handle it, you'll have a good chance of obtaining your information.


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## garza (Sep 19, 2010)

I'll give it a shot. If I'm not back in 24 hours send help.


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## Taxiday (Sep 19, 2010)

Driving me nuts! I red the same book and can't remember the title OR the author!


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## garza (Sep 19, 2010)

Ox - I went. I looked. I was not impressed. That's not a good place for a shy underachiever like me.


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## garza (Sep 19, 2010)

Taxiday - I remember the plot, but that's all.


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