If you’ve been in Annapolis or out on the Bay this week and thought you spotted the late Jimmy Buffett’s signature turquoise fishing boat Last Mango, your eyes weren’t deceiving you. The 42-foot-long custom-built boat is on an East Coast tour with Buffett’s longtime captain at the helm.
With a temporary home base of the Annapolis Yacht Club during Naval Academy Commissioning Week, Last Mango has been spotted cruising the Annapolis harbor and out at Thomas Point Light (where Buffett filmed a music video in October 2020).
Last Mango, named for Buffett’s 1985 album Last Mango in Paris, is a never-before-seen combination of a 42 Freeman Boatworks catamaran hull and a custom Merritt Boatworks house, built in Pompano, Florida. It works well for both fishing and cruising, proven by its smooth trip up the East Coast. After stops down south, the crew left Coinjock, North Carolina, last week, destined for the Chesapeake. Captain Vinnie LaSorsa shared views of the Naval Station Norfolk as they passed by it.
While on tour, Last Mango Boatworks is taking a select few friends and fans out of “one-of-a-kind experiences”, all-inclusive charter packages with “all of Jimmy Buffett’s favorite things aboard his beloved, one-of-a-kind vessel, and Jimmy’s favorite food and drinks.”
Last Mango Boatworks supports more than 80 different charities, in the spirit of Buffett’s philosophy, “It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad.”
The Mewshaw family, who live on the Fishing Creek side of Thomas Point, were lucky enough to go for a cruise on Last Mango Friday night just after a storm rolled through. Dave Mewshaw, a big Buffett fan who nicknamed his house “Margaritaville Annapolis” says his son Alex lined up the experience six months ago as a surprise.
In a surreal moment, the distinctive sportfisher cruised up Fishing Creek and picked up Mewshaw, his wife Janice, Alex, and friends Sam Creel, Logan Simpson, and Vivian Hyde, right from the Mewshaw’s dock. See the video:
They cruised to Annapolis Harbor and did a lap around Ego Alley, and out to Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse to watch the sunset.
Dave Mewshaw tells us that Captain Vinnie shared stories about cruising with Buffett, and even confirmed the story of how the captain was first hired to work for the mega-star. LaSorsa was signed up to join the military and had already gone through medical screenings and other prerequisites. “He was in the recruiter’s office and had recently gotten a call from Jimmy Buffett’s people wanting him to be one of Buffett’s captains,” Mewshaw relays. “Vinnie told the recruiter that, and the recruiter says, ‘What the heck are you doing? You need to go work for Jimmy Buffet!'” And the rest is history.
There are signs of Buffett on the boat: the refrigerator is stocked with Landshark beer. Custom features on board speak to the Parrothead lifestyle, like non-skid treads shaped like shark fins installed on the steps leading up to the fishing tower.
Last Mango is no stranger to the Chesapeake Bay; in addition to the 2020 music video shoot, Buffett also visited with his boat in 2021, enjoying standup paddleboard in Annapolis and dining on board at Chesapeake Inn Restaurant & Marina on the C&D Canal.
When the Last Mango motors out of Annapolis after this week, it will be destined for the Hamptons in New York to spend the summer months. After an early-fall jaunt north to Nantucket, the boat is scheduled to return to Annapolis around November on her way back down south.
You can learn more about Last Mango at lastmangoboatworks.com or to reach the organization, email [email protected].
