Hooked On Boating

Kenny Chesney likes spending free time in one of his boats. He recorded a song titled 'Boats' for his 'Lucky Old Sun' album, and it includes the lines, "vessels of freedom/harbors of healing," which explains his love for the hobby.


"That line came from a gentleman and his daughter I met in St. Croix," Kenny explains in the June issue of Boating magazine. "I think anybody who has a boat has an emotional attachment to it. It has a way of healing a person and gives him a sense of freedom. That's where I feel the most freedom -- and it's helped me heal something that needed healing."


Kenny currently has two Sea Rays, a 56- and a 60-footer, although he admits he's a little bit more fond of the 60-foot boat. One of his favorite boating memories is right after he purchased his first vessel.


"My manager and some buddies and I left Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., says Kenny. "The idea was to drive as far as we could toward the Virgin Islands. We made it farther, all the way to Georgetown in the Cayman Islands. It was a very peaceful time, [and] I had a lot of people I loved with me."


When he has some time to spend on his boat near his beloved islands, Kenny says the day usually involves "a little bit of suntan oil, a whole lot of music, and at 2 o'clock it's usually a cold beer out of the cooler. At some point a guitar comes out, and I either write a song or I don't."


Kenny also raises awareness and funds for the Coastal Conservation Association with a line of sunglasses he helped design with Costa Del Mar.  The limited edition sunglasses are available in five styles named after some of Kenny's songs, including 'Poets and Pirates' and 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.'