The City of Gulfport and Gulfport Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always has a full calendar of events for all ages. The marina and harbor, found on the northern shores of Boca Ciega Bay, are easily accessible from the Western Florida ICW, just north of Tampa Bay.
May 2026 Gulfport History Museum & Gulfport Arts Center Newsletter
Gulfport Arts & Heritage is seeking board members Are you interested in Gulfport history and culture? Do you have ideas for expanding Gulfport Arts & Heritage’s programming and membership? Consider joining our board of directors! Send a statement of interest to amanda@gulfporthistoricalsociety.org.
Clam Bayou Environmental History Walking Tour: 5/2
Join Gulfport Arts & Heritage for our new walking tour exploring the environmental history of Clam Bayou, the last remaining estuary on Boca Ciega and an important strand in Gulfport’s history. Learn about the city’s early fishing industry, its environmental perils and attempts at restoration, and some of the amazing creatures who call this place home.
$15 for non-members, free for GAH members. Registration is required.
Picturing Paradise: From John James Audubon to the Florida Highwaymen – Plus! Gulfport’s Plein Air Painters Friday, May 15 at 6:00 PM at the Gulfport Public Library Please let us know if you’re attending! Your RSVP allows us to provide enough space, seating, and refreshments for everyone.
The Florida landscape has provided aesthetic inspiration to artists for centuries. Titian Ramsay Peale and John James Audubon came in search of native flora and fauna, followed by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Martin Johnson Heade, George Inness, Winslow Homer, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, who were lured by its natural beauty and warm climate. This presentation offers a succinct and engaging history of Florida’s landscape painters.
Keri Watson is an associate professor of art history at the University of Central Florida and co-executive editor for Panorama: Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art. She is the author of This is America: Re-Viewing the Art of the United States (2023) and editor of the Routledge Companion to Art and Disability (2022).
In addition to this wonderful talk, Gulfport Arts & Heritage is pleased to welcome members of Gulfport’s Plein Air Painters group, who will be contributing works to a special one night show in the Gulfport Library Atrium. Please plan to arrive early to enjoy a reception and some incredible hometown artwork! Plein Air exhibit opens at 6:00 PM, Dr. Watson’s talk begins at 7:00 PM.
Funding for this Florida Talks program was provided in part by Florida Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities.
Original Gulfport Walking Tour: 5/16
The next historic walking tour is Saturday, May 16 at 3:30 PM and starts at the Gulfport History Museum.
Join Gulfport Arts & Heritage on a stroll through history in the heart of Gulfport. The tour lasts for approximately 1.5 hours.
$15 for non-members, free for GAH members. Registration is required. Check in begins at 3:00 PM.
Please note: the walking tour summer schedule begins in June and runs through September. Monthly walking tours will move to third Thursday evenings at 5:30 PM.
Online Catalog
Did you know that you can browse and search hundreds of photographs, postcards, and objects from the museum’s collection online? The catalog is updated regularly and is available to view 24/7.
See someone or something you know in the catalog? Have a story? Share your knowledge with us and the community by emailing HistoryMuseum@mygulfport.us. Email links are also available at the bottom of each entry.
Submission Deadline: May 20th Opening Reception: June 5th @5pm-6:30pm Show Dates: 6/5/26-7/8/26
This Summer, we invite artists of all ages to submit up to 3 works for a group art show inspired by the botanical. We are looking for original artwork of any medium wherein plants are used in the artmaking process, a part of the work itself, or creatively depicted in some way. This includes fruit, vegetables, flowers, ferns, herbs, and other forms of vegetation. We encourage you to consider how the flora around us impacts you and how plants can foster creativity, community, and connection to our environment.
MAY 2026 ART WORKSHOPS
All workshops listed are FREE and all materials are provided!
Registration by email is REQUIRED in order to participate in adult workshops as space is limited. Registration for kids workshops is encouraged, but not required, otherwise space is first-come-first-serve.
Trash into Texture Gelli Prints – Adult Workshop FRIDAY, 5/8 @1pm-2:45pm Create textured gelli prints using trash such as water bottles, plastic caps, bubble wrap, and more.Paper Marbling – Kids Workshop TUESDAY, 5/12 @12:45pm-2pm THURSDAY, 5/14 @5pm-6:15pm Learn how to create colorful marbled paper using oil or shaving cream and food coloring.
Mosaic Trinket Trays – Adult Workshop FRIDAY, 5/22 @5pm-6:45pm Sculpt and decorate your own trinket tray using air-dry clay and small embellishments.
DIY Scratch Art – Kids Workshop TUESDAY, 5/26 @12:45pm-2pm FRIDAY, 5/29 @3pm-4:15pm Make your own scratch art pieces using crayons, dish soap, and tempera paint!
GUEST INSTRUCTOR: Elizabeth Neily
Fast & Easy Silk DyeingWe are excited to announce Elizabeth Neily as our first guest art instructor! She is an award-winning fiber artist whose fiber art work is regularly on exhibit at Florida CraftArt in St. Petersburg and other galleries. Her fine art paintings are on display at the Brenda McMahon Gallery in Gulfport. She is the current president of Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild.
Neily’s Silk Scarf Dyeing class is fun and accessible to people of all ages. Add a bit of luxurious silk to your wardrobe or give them as gifts. This workshop will teach the COLORHUE™ method of dyeing using non-toxic, instant setting dyes.
Workshop is free with purchase of a 11″x72″ scarf ($13) or 2 scarves ($25), which participants will pay for upon arrival. Accepted methods of payment are cash (exact change only) or card. Dyes and other necessary materials will be provided.
Participants must register ahead of time by emailing ArtsCenter@mygulfport.us or calling (727)-893-1162.
OPEN COLLAGE GROUP MEETUP
BIMONTHLY, EVERY 1st & 3rd SATURDAY @3pm-5pm
MAY – May 2nd & 16th
Join us for an afternoon of collage-making with all materials provided, completely FREE! Bring your own ephemera to share or swap with others and get to know like-minded creatives in a laid-back atmosphere.
Email us at ArtsCenter@mygulfport.us to be added to our optional RSVP list and receive bimonthly reminders.
WORLD LABYRINTH DAY
This year, we are celebrating World Labyrinth Day with a free all ages activity during studio hours! Join us on Saturday, May 2nd anytime between 10am-2pm and create your own mini labyrinth collage. All materials will be provided.
OPEN STUDIO HOURS
Anyone 13+ can use our studio space to work on their own personal art projects during open hours. Studio space is provided on a first-come-first-serve-basis, reservations are prohibited. Artists must bring their own supplies.
Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is ready for your reservation with newly renovated docks, upgraded electrical service and onSpot WiFi, also a CRUISERS NET SPONSOR. And, as always, numerous activities at the Sea Pines Resort are offered for your enjoyment, as you will see in the Event Schedule below. Hilton Head Island is absolutely marvelous any time of year.
Seven years ago I first listened to a soft-spoken, slightly self-deprecating, incredibly talented keyboardist in Annapolis, and over three years ago I was reminded of that musician’s mysteriously cloaked past and said to him, “We need to write your story.” Upon receipt of his raised-eyebrow astonishment, I admitted to having no real idea what I was delving into, only intriguing bits and rumors, but the desire to document this man’s experiences was so strong that I offered my writing services to him at no cost. I’m so glad I did.
That is where the conversation ended, but later he reconnected, reconsidered, and confided, “No one knows the whole story. I’ll bare my soul to you, if you can stomach it.” My stomach did do a little dance, actually, but I was intimidated not at all. James (Jimmy) Jacobs aka Jimmy Warren, aka Jim Johnson, (aka, aka…) and I combined our forces to write my seventh book. Lucky seven. Lucky me. He and I agree that most memoirs and biographies include large amounts of superfluous information so we’re concentrating on his third decade, 1975 to 1984. Fifty years, as it turns out, is a long way to look back, and becomes a page-turning read.
Safe to say Jimmy was an essential element and preferred the background. You can spot him between the two backup singers. r-l Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, Bill Kreutzman, Liz Stires, Jimmy ‘Warren’, Julie Stafford & Melvin Seals
During our first meeting I went through an entire legal pad at Starbucks; hot tea went cold as I felt the weight of a responsibility I had so firmly requested. It’s no small thing, to become another person, speak in their voice while constructing the intimate details of a life you haven’t lived but need to do justice. Not just do it justice but bring it back to life, in black and white, with a spine, making sure the key points are driven home in the form of entertainment, explanation and a dash of irony. I researched, learned and experienced substantial awe about the paths and bridges Jimmy crossed and built.
Anecdotes spilled forth about multiple passports, counterculture characters and supplying what fueled them, talented people you’ve never heard of and some you have, playing four-hand piano with Chuck Berry, exploring every genre and touring with the Jerry Garcia Band. Jimmy had been wise enough to jot down a few stand-out escapades, a delightful, intriguing assortment, really. Like the stamps in his passports, intriguing, unexpected.
To quote the Eagles, it truly was Life in the Fast Lane, and I became even more honored to be the only one who was told the story, in order to make sure that everyone would eventually hear the story.
I will be perfectly humble and tell you that I sent out many time-consuming, soul-sucking, well-researched query letters (47 all told) to agents and representatives of the traditional publishing industry, hoping for someone who was willing to take a chance on an aging keyboardist with a truly worthwhile tale and an unknown writer, but I didn’t find one. I took a class, even, and digested towering piles of advice on how best to find the right representation, bought books about publishing books…ironically enough. It’s a changing industry and there are no vampires in there, just bold truth. No regrets, just reminisces.
Well, all those ‘professional’ people missed out, in my humble opinion. When you read this story, I think you’ll agree. “Who Is Jimmy Warren?” now joins this author’s list of self-published work about a life that is far beyond ordinary. In an era when innovation peaked, this creative, entrepreneurial keyboardist had his finger in all the pies in San Francisco and beyond. Jimmy was introduced to Jerry Garcia and passed unconventional auditions with flying colors, playing over a hundred shows in 1981-1982. That music still lives on today. His incarnation recorded some of the Jerry Garcia Band’s best work; two shows were released to accolades in 2023; the person named on keyboards is Jimmy Warren, someone who never actually existed. Lots of folks, when they saw the insert, asked, “Who is Jimmy Warren?” “It’s a long story,” he’d tell them, thinking, Oh, if you only knew…the secrets were secret until now. Jimmy can still play all of that music and scores more, blindfolded, upside down and backwards; the book delivers insight into myriad aspects of the hippie counterculture and the burgeoning music scene. You should not miss this read!
This ‘Stack announcement is the second step in a marketing plan that DAMN WELL BETTER WORK (I know for certain your warm, generous hearts are going to SHARE & RESTACK this publication, please—EVERYBODY KNOWS SOMEBODY WHO LOVES the counterculture, the Deadheads, and all the other genres that came out of the San Francisco Bay area at the crux of Sex, Drugs & Rock’n’Roll. Everybody knows the words to Life in the Fast Lane. Here’s another ride.
If you would prefer and are proximate enough to personally experience our debut of “Who Is Jimmy Warren?” please come and hear Jimmy Jacobs tickle the ivories with Dean’s Five Piece Racket on May 16th at the very location where his sweet music first tickled my ears, a cool little coffee and wine bar in old Downtown Annapolis, Maryland, called 49 West. We’re selling signed copies and it’s gonna be a sought-after show, so make a reservation! Good things keep happening there.
THANK YOU, TRULY & SINCERELY, for getting this far. My happiness is radiating.
I think some of those old-school hippie music lovers are undercover, incognito, and everywhere among us, so we should send this work along to everyone. Right?? Take a step back in time. Please SHARE & RESTACK this post. It really does help publicize my work and is much appreciated.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
The sunken yacht Bayesian is raised from the waters off Sicily in June 2025. (YouTube/Andrew Maine)
Italian prosecutors deciding whether to prosecute the captain and crew of the Bayesian have concluded that high winds were not to blame—directly contradicting British accident investigators and experts who spoke to Loose Cannon.
Seven of the 22 people on board the 184-foot sailing yacht were drowned, including owner Michael Lynch, a tech billionaire. Bayesian sunk on August 19, 2024 while at anchor off the coast of Sicily. Italian authorities are considering multiple counts of manslaughter and negligence for the yacht’s captain and two of its crew members.
A British television news channel broke the story yesterday, writing:
Sky News understands they have found it amounted to “little more than a squall, a sudden increase in wind speed that precedes thunderstorms and downpours”, which should have been manageable for the crew.
According to the preliminary findings, the yacht therefore sank due to the crew’s improper actions, their underestimation of the weather, and certain safety devices not being activated properly.
By definition, a squall can contain sustained winds of more than 60 knots.
Loose Cannon quoted several naval architects for stories published in the months after the sinking. Among them were Roger Long (now retired), Tad Roberts of Tad Roberts Yacht Design and Guillermo Gefaell of Spain’s Association of Naval and Ocean Engineers. These three—among others—concluded that windage from Bayesian’s extraordinary 246-foot mast combined with a high center of gravity meant the yacht was liable to capsize even in moderately high gusts of around 65 knots.
As part of that conclusion, Long had calculated that Bayesian would have been “committed” to capsizing once the angle of heel reached 50 degrees. He is an expert on large sailing vessel stability.
The British Marine Accident Investigation Branch in May 2025 reached essentially the same conclusion as these experts. The MAIB report also challenged the Bayesian builder’s claims that the yacht could recover from a 73-degree heel.
Giovanni Costantino, the chief of The Italian Sea Group, has described the yacht as “unsinkable” and claimed the crew must have left doors or hatches open, allowing water in. TISG is the parent company for Bayesian builder Perini Navi.
The reason experts around the world were able to dissect the accident ahead of official inquiries was because someone in the yachting industry had leaked the Bayesian Stability Booklet to Loose Cannon, which turned around and published it.
Stability booklets are required for large yachts and must be approved by relevant national government bodies or classification societies—the Coast Guard in the U.S. or Yacht Designers & Surveyors Association in Britain. They contain engineering data that define the limits of a vessel in various sea and loading conditions.
The individual who leaked the booklet had anticipated that Italian authorities might try to blame the captain and crew for the disaster rather than vessel design flaws.
In January Perini Navi sued the Bayesian owner’s widow, her captain and two crew members, blaming them for the ship’s 2024 capsize and sinking and seeking $540 million for a collapse in sales.
Angela Bacares Lynch survived the sinking and inherited the Isle of Man-registered entity that owns the yacht. Besides her, Perini Navi’s lawsuit named three other defendants: James Cutfield, the boat’s captain, and Timothy Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, two crew members.
The latter three are the people now in the Italian prosecutors’ crosshairs.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Morningstar Marinas, a Cruisers Net sponsor, expands Little Creek Marina. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Morningstar Marinas now owns and operates 10 marinas in five states and plans to add three more marinas within the year.
NORFOLK, VA — Boaters cruising the Chesapeake Bay now have even more reason to make Morningstar Marinas | Little Creek part of their journey.
Following a major expansion, the marina now offers more than 700 wet and dry slips along with over 500 feet of dedicated transient dockage, further establishing Little Creek as one of the premier destinations for boaters traveling the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Positioned with quick access to the Chesapeake Bay and just minutes from downtown Norfolk, Little Creek has long been known as a convenient stop along the Intracoastal Waterway. With the expanded dockage, visiting boaters can now enjoy greater availability, enhanced amenities, and the elevated customer service experience Morningstar Marinas is known for.
“This expansion is about creating a better experience for transient boaters from the moment they arrive,” said Morningstar Marinas. “Whether guests are stopping for a night, fueling up before heading offshore, or spending a weekend exploring Norfolk, Little Creek offers the amenities, hospitality, and location that make it an easy choice.”
The marina’s expansion supports increasing demand from transient and seasonal boaters seeking a full-service destination with both convenience and comfort.
Guests visiting Little Creek can enjoy:
More than 500 feet of transient dockage
Fuel services including high-speed diesel
Quick and easy Chesapeake Bay access
An on-site restaurant and bar
Resort-style pool access
Professional dock staff and customer-focused service
Modern marina amenities and facilities
One of the largest slip offerings in the region with 700 wet and dry slips
As boating traffic throughout the Mid-Atlantic continues to grow, Morningstar Marinas is investing in creating destinations that combine premium marina infrastructure with a welcoming, service-led atmosphere.
For transient boaters navigating the East Coast, Little Creek is more than a stop along the way — it is a destination designed to help guests relax, refuel, and enjoy the water as it should be.
To learn more about transient dockage and slip availability at Morningstar Marinas | Little Creek, visit the Morningstar Marinas website or contact the marina directly.
There is always plenty to do around Charlotte Harbor! While berthed at Fishermen’s Village Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, you are certain to enjoy visiting Western Florida’s beautiful Charlotte Harbor/Peace River.
The 21st annual Paddle for the Border event will be held on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, beginning near MM 28 at the Dismal Swamp State Park paddle launch on the historic Dismal Swamp Canal. We will host about 375 canoes and kayaks launching approximately 8:30am and traveling 7.5 miles north to the Ballahack Boat Ramp, in Chesapeake, VA. This event encourages recognition of the historical waterway and its importance to our area. The Dismal Swamp State Park, City of Chesapeake Parks, Rec and Tourism, Camden County, Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, and USACE all collaborate to promote this shared asset between two states.
We love our boating community and know this can be an inconvenience in your attempt to travel the waterway, but this event occurs for a few hours once a year. We’d like to suggest a compromise. Our set up starts early in the morning with traffic crossing the State Park pedestrian bridge for preparations and registration at around 6:30am. If you are tied up at the Welcome Center dock, we invite you to enjoy the view of paddlers launching colorful kayaks into the water from the park’s pedestrian bridge. The launch will begin at 8:30am and paddlers will have cleared out of MM 28 location by 10:30am, heading north. Paddlers have usually made their destination at Ballahack Road by 1 pm.
We want this experience to be enjoyable for all of our waterway travelers. Pulling out early from our dock (before 7:30 am) will also lead you on your way, without any encounters with paddlers. If you are staying at our Welcome Center dock the evening before, we will remind you of the upcoming events in the morning, to assist in your choices.
I hope this message will provide the ability to plan a great day on the Dismal Swamp Canal for all of our guests, paddlers and boaters, alike. On behalf of the Paddle for the Border Team, thank you for sharing this with your boating partners and please let us know if you have any questions.
Many thanks, Sarah
Sarah Hill, TMP Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
The Blue Angels Air Show is a spectacular treat, especially viewed from the water. Please use caution, especially around anchored spectator boats. Be safe!
Good afternoon Charleston HSC,
Please find attached MSIB 07-26 regarding a safety zone for the upcoming Blue Angels Airshow. As a summary:
The U.S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, will be conducting aerobatic maneuvers over the Charleston Harbor, SC, on Thursday, April 30th through Saturday, May 2nd, 2026.
A safety zone, encompassing a rectangular area within Charleston Harbor, will be enforced during the times referenced on the chart below. Please note that no one will be allowed to enter the safety zone without prior authorization from the Coast Guard Captain of the Port Charleston or a designated representative.
Mariners are encouraged to monitor the Broadcast Notice to Mariners on VHF Channel 16. Coast Guard Sector Charleston will announce the start and end of the safety zone enforcement each day. The Blue Angels’ schedule is dependent on weather, and any changes to the safety zone schedule will be reflected in a future MSIB.
For questions or concerns regarding this MSIB, please contact the Sector Charleston 24-hour Command Center at (833) 453-1261.
Very respectfully,
LT Nicholas Jones WWM Division Chief USCG Sector Charleston Nicholas.J.Jones@uscg.mil O: 843-740-3184 C: 843-323-7761
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