Cypress Gardens

This is amazing footage, and timely since the Cypress Gardens tourist attraction just closed in the last year. Do you have any idea what year this footage was taken and who some of the sailors and/or race committee members are? From the looks of the people, cars etc, l am guessing late 1950s to early/mid- 1960s. Maybe others can zero in on the date. What year is that nice red Mercedes towing a Sunfish? I had almost forgotten that the Sunfsh was often raced double handed.

Alan Glos
 
Hey Alan,

Yes I was wondering where I left that Mercedes! It had to be after 1960, fiberglass boats and lots of old style rudders, 5 panel sails. The sail numbers might give a clue, I saw one as high as 7051. Also most of the boats had no stripes, but couldn't see all of them.

Love the guy launching off the trailer, I think they had to go get the boat with the runabout.

1956 Mercedes Sunfish launch.png


Classic colors from the 60s, and some solid white sails.

Cypress Gardens Sunfish Regatta 1965ish.png
 
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Amazing video! Interesting two boats were pulled by Mercedes. As far as sail numbers go, Dave Davies won the 1964 NAs and his number is 7509. Based on the cars, clothing and sunglasses styles, I think this is from the early 60s. By the late 60s photos indicate racers were starting to sail with lower sails. Also, based on Dave’s sail number, by the late 60s we’d see some 5 digit sail numbers. So my guess is maybe 63-65.
 
I was born in Winter Haven Florida in 1965 and Cypress Gardens was a place we went to a lot. My Dad had bought a Sunfish in the late 60's that I remember as a kid. I liked the smell of the fiberglass and it had a red and white sail. I just asked him about that boat the other day and why he got rid of it. He said he had been sailing it and when he got out, a very large water moccasin swam by his leg and he decided to stay out of the water after that ( he did later buy property on a lake near Brandon and let us swim in the lake so I'm not sure how worried he actually was). It was only in '76 or '77 that he bought the boat we have in Wisconsin. This Cypress Gardens regatta may have been what prompted my Dad to start sailing in the first place and thus my involvement now. Very cool post!
 
signal charlie said:
Did he go swimming too, or just send the kids out :) Neat history!
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Dad would cut the grass with his rider mower while we swam but would jump in when he finished. I was always looking for an opportunity to swim but worried about critters the whole time. Couldn't wait to get to the safer waters in Wisconsin. Even at my age, they couldn't get me out of the lake last summer.
 
Alan S. Glos said:
This is amazing footage, and timely since the Cypress Gardens tourist attraction just closed in the last year. Do you have any idea what year this footage was taken and who some of the sailors and/or race committee members are? From the looks of the people, cars etc, l am guessing late 1950s to early/mid- 1960s. Maybe others can zero in on the date.
What year is that nice red Mercedes towing a Sunfish? I had almost forgotten that the Sunfsh was often raced double handed. Alan Glos
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Front turn signals on US-delivery automobiles were required to be amber in color beginning in1963. :cool: Maybe someone with a better monitor can render a decision on the Mercedes 190SL (built to 1963) or the VW Beetle.

Sometimes the color was provided with an amber bulb (only), so the outer turn signal lens still appeared clear. :confused:

Being sold at auto supply stores were small bottles of amber nail polish (in nail polish bottle shapes of the day) to coat the inside of one's older clear lenses. What we wouldn't do to be "cool". :cool:

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norcalsail said:
I was born in Winter Haven Florida in 1965 and Cypress Gardens was a place we went to a lot. My Dad had bought a Sunfish in the late 60's that I remember as a kid. I liked the smell of the fiberglass and it had a red and white sail. I just asked him about that boat the other day and why he got rid of it. He said he had been sailing it and when he got out, a very large water moccasin swam by his leg and he decided to stay out of the water after that ( he did later buy property on a lake near Brandon and let us swim in the lake so I'm not sure how worried he actually was). It was only in '76 or '77 that he bought the boat we have in Wisconsin. This Cypress Gardens regatta may have been what prompted my Dad to start sailing in the first place and thus my involvement now. Very cool post!
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Florida's lakes are also home to a passive and harmless species known as the Southern Water Snake, which swims after its fish prey totally submerged. I didn't know this until after I had one swim between my knees! :oops:

The aggressive Water Moccasin swims with its head exposed, and are most famously renowned for dropping from branches into boats containing fishermen. :eek:

Southern Water Snake video:

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I grew up in FL sailing and first lived in Lake Butler (north of Gainesville). I remember I was about 10 years old and we were out sailing our Flying Dutchman when a water moccasin swam by. My father beat it with a paddle, took it home and hung it on a nail on the shed. The next day the snake was gone. Don't know if someone took it or it woke up and slithered away.
 
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