Rum Runner

[Jon]

While returning from a kayak fishing trip on Ross Barnett Reservoir today I drove around the old Main Harbor area and saw an Ariel sitting on a trailer in a boat storage area. I checked it out and the boat is Rum Runner, A-258, I believe.

Does anyone know anything about her and who owns her today?

[Bill]

Other than the name, hull number and state reg number (IL2964FF) the entry in the registry only has the note "for sale on eBay Jul 2006." Is the boat in Illinois?

[Jon]

Bill,

I should have added some information. Rum Runner is on a trailer at a boat storage facility on the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Ridgeland adjoins Northeast Jackson and both are centrally located on the reservoir. I think I might know who owns or runs that facility and I'll try to give them a call this week to see what I can find about her. She was in a private yard and I didn't want to be caught in the yard without permission so I didn't get a chance to take a good look at her but I will say that she looked much, much better than Sirocco when I found her here in Oklahoma last year. I'll post again when I find out her story.

[Jon]

I did some calling yesterday and found that Rum Runner was purchased by Vicksburg, MS based Robert Delaney from some kind of Chicago based Foundation a few years ago. Robert, who is retired from USGS, has a hobby of restoring and selling old classics. We had great visit over the phone and I told him about this site. He can be contacted at robkardel@aol.com.

[Bill]

Thanks Jon. We'll follow up.