A trio of classic yachts from St. John will co-star with Johnny Depp in “The Rum Diary,” a film to be released in 2010. It is based on a Hunter S. Thompson autobiography, chronicling the years he worked for a sports newspaper in San Juan.
Producers of the film decided they needed some iconic, beautiful Caribbean boats for scenes in the film. They found several on St. John, and sailed to Puerto Rico where filming was done.
Two of the ships, Patient Lady of East End, and Robin Clair Pitts’ Liberty were primarily used in background shots, according to a story about the production published in the St. John Sun Times.
But Twig Bower’s Heron got some personal time with Depp, the actor. “We hung out with him a little bit,” Bower told the newspaper. The job was supposed to be done in six days, but it turned into a 3 1/2-week project.
Bower s also a shipwright and built the boat; launched it in 2003. Summers, he and his wife do day sails out of Rockport, Maine, and during they offer charters from Maho Bay.
- More about Heron: http://www.woodenboatco.com/HeronUSVI.html
- More about Liberty: http://coralbaystjohn.com/Liberty/st-john-magazine.htm
- More about The Rum Diary, movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376136/
- The St. John Sun Times story: http://www.stjohnsuntimes.com/boating_rum_diary