Greek Gifts

During the sea trial aboard the new Stamas 308

Predator, we are treated to a tour of Tarpon

Springs by two people who know it well.

By Louisa Beckett • Photos by Gary Beckett

Few towns in America have preserved their cultural roots as well as Tarpon Springs, Florida. Established on the central Gulf Coast in the 1880s, it became a boom town a decade later when entrepreneur John Cheney began harvesting the abundant sponges growing in the clear waters offshore. Experienced sponge divers soon arrived from Greece by the dozens–historians report that by 1905, more than 500 Greek spongers were living in town and prowling the Gulf floor in their bell diving helmets. Although the sponging industry’s fortunes later waned with the arrival of synthetic sponges, Tarpon Springs remains a close-knit Greek enclave.

Fast forward to the 1940s when Peter and Nick Stamas, brothers whose parents had immigrated from Sparta, Greece, learned traditional boatbuilding from the Old-World craftsmen who maintained Tarpon Spring’s sponge boat fleet. “My father and uncle built their first boat behind the hotel my grandparents operated,” said John Stamas.
The Stamas brothers built wooden runabouts and deep-sea charter fishing boats, incorporating their company in 1952. Stamas Yacht was among the first boat manufacturers to recognize the benefits of fiberglass construction, switching from wood to glass permanently in 1959. Peter Stamas, the principle designer, introduced several innovations, including the first fiberglass inner liner and the first walk-in center console compartment. “He really thought out of the box when it came to boats,” John said of his father, who retired 10 years ago at age 76.
Today, Stamas Yacht is co-owned by the family’s third generation: Anna, John, George (a real estate developer), and Billy (a pilot for U.S. Air). While only John, who is president, and Anna, who is vice president of marketing, work at the yard daily, “When we go to boat shows, everybody jumps in to help,” John said.
Like his father, John’s enthusiasm for building boats began at an early age. “We lived a mile from the plant, and I used to ride down on my tricycle,” he recalled.
John came to Stamas full time after college, working his way up through all the departments. He developed such a close working relationship with his father that Peter’s retirement in 2000 came as a blow. “We worked alongside each other for so many years, it felt like half of me was missing when he stepped out,” John said. “I used to make up fictitious things to call him about for the first year.
I learned everything I know from my father. He was the best teacher I’ve ever had as far as business, as far as manufacturing, and as far as life goes,” John said.
John, who designed the new 308 Predator, started the process by building a wooden hull plug, and testing it for five or six months before making a fiberglass mold – in house. “We do it the old-fashioned way, where we make tests before we make the molds,” he said.
The 308 Predator is the first of a new series for Stamas. “We made this one a little more hard core – you can fish all the way around the boat,” John said. In addition, “It’s a lot lower to the water; it’s a lot racier than our Tarpon Series.”
Anna Stamas and her husband, Ed Whitson, Jr., own Predator Hull #1. Serious anglers who plan to take it to offshore tournaments, they added a T-top with crow’s nest made by Quality T-Tops of Tarpon Springs. The custom-designed crow’s nest is rigged with full engine controls. A knuckle hinge enables the entire structure to fold into the cockpit for trailering.
As we climbed aboard the 308 in the canal behind the Stamas factory that connects to Tarpon Springs’ main waterway, the Anclote River, we were struck by the boat’s ultra-clean lines, both inside and out. All the fixtures and fittings are streamlined so they won’t interfere with the fishing action, from the oversized, pop-up cleats to the integrated motor bracket. Unlike many center consoles, the 308 has a large hatch in its cockpit sole that provides full access to the fuel tanks, batteries and battery chargers, a Stamas hallmark. The sole also can be removed if you need to replace a tank. In another neat touch, the coamings are on stainless sail tracks. “They will pull right off – you can store them in the console and extend their life,” John said. As with Stamas’ Tarpon series boats, the entry to the console is via a hinged forward door rather than side access. A stand-up head is inside, along with dry storage and the battery switches,
It was easy to climb into the crow’s nest for a bird’s eye view of the wild Anclote (Spanish for “anchor”) River, which is dotted with mangrove isles where the Stamas siblings camped as kids. “These spoil islands are still a great place to pull up and picnic. They are loaded with boats in the summertime,” John said. A short cruise brought us to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, the town’s tourism center. The sponge boats that line these docks today fish only for tourists, but there are still a number of other commercial fishing vessels and boat service yards in this picturesque port. The small Municipal Marina provides transient dockage, but since we were only staying for lunch, we tied up at Dimitri’s on the Water, one of the dozen or so Greek restaurants that line Dodecanese Avenue, and enjoyed Greek salads and plump Gulf shrimp.
Authentic Greek food, natural sponges and other souvenirs, sponge-diving exhibitions, a Heritage Museum, and a small aquarium are Tarpon Springs’ daily attractions, all within walking distance of the docks. However, Anna and John pointed out there are many annual events that also draw cruisers to the area. One of the most unique events takes place each year on January 6, when the young male members of the Greek Orthodox Church make a ritual dive into Spring Bayou in hopes of retrieving the Epiphany Cross tossed into the water by the Archbishop. John was once one of those shivering teens. “The water is clear, but it is freezing cold,” he said.
Each March, the town hosts a well-attended Fine Art Festival, which attracts more than 200 artists. In April, the family-friendly Peter T. Assimack Memorial Fishing Tournament helps to raise money for youth scholarships. Ironically, tarpon is not the primary target of anglers in Tarpon Springs, but the Anclote River and the nearby Gulf waters it runs into are a source of snook, redfish, trout, mangrove snapper and shallow-water grouper. “You can find everthing you get off the Atlantic side, you just have to go further out,” Anna said.
Cruisers and dayboaters also love to visit the many unspoiled islands in the Gulf between Tarpon Springs and Clearwater to the south. Beyond the Anclote lighthouse we could finally open up the 308’s throttle and enjoy the smooth ride provided by its modified V-hull. Its variable deadrise runs from 50 degrees at the entry to 18.5 degrees at the transom. The hull is designed to work equally well with single or twin outboards up to a maximum 600 horsepower. It planed at 3,500 rpm with imperceptible bow rise. Top end is a brisk 39 knots at 6,075 rpm.
Wherever we went that day in Tarpon Springs in the shiny new 308, people waved and greeted Anna and John Stamas with affection born of more than just their Greek heritage, John and Anna share their love of the sea.