The NEW New Florida Girl: Party boat back in action after rescue

DESTIN, FL - What took only minutes to damage, took five months in drydock to repair. But The New Florida Girl is back, better than ever.

"It's like it's got a little skip back in its step," said Capt. Jim Westbrook.
 
The 1971 wooden hull party boat, took its first fishing trip Thursday after taking a beating from the high seas back in October when the wind and waves ripped a 15-foot hole in her side. On that dreadful day in October, Westbrook, crew and 25 anglers were out on a 36-hour fishing trip when disaster struck. They had fished all day and even into the evening, pulling in 1,400 pounds of fish. Then they anchored up for the night about 17 miles from the beach.
   
Just before daylight, the wind picked up as well as the sea.
   
Before they knew what hit them, the waves were so high and strong, Capt. Westbrook said, "it was like driving into a brick wall every two seconds."
   
The result, a hole in the side of the boat and a bucket brigade by the passengers and crew until the Coast Guard arrived with a pump. The New Florida Girl made it back in on its own power with an escort from the Coast Guard.
   
On Thursday, The New Florida Girl was back in business and fishing strong.
   
On the eight-hour trip, the group brought in a limit of mingo, a half-dozen triggerfish, two 20-pound grouper, a couple amberjack and a cobia.
   
"A lot of labor and a lot of planks ... but she is off sailing with a clean bill of health," Westbrook said.
   
It took 25, 15-foot pieces of mahogany to fix the hole that the Gulf ripped away.
   
"We also put in a new bow deck," Westbrook said. "She's back in real good shape."
   
The cost of materials, labor and shipyard time was $82,260.
   
"It was a little costly," Westbrook said. "But everything is running sweet and she's a lot lighter."
   
With the boat being in drydock for so many months at Pensacola Marine Ship Complex, the moisture dried out of the wooden hull. "She's probably five to six tons lighter," Westbrook said, noting she floats about five or six inches higher in the water now.
   
"We're just real tickled to death," Westbrook said. "It added several years of life back to the boat."