Mike Hubbard, prominent and notorious figure throughout the late 20th century lower Gulf beaches, shares some of his recollections with St. Pete Wiki. These stories are transcripts from oral stories which have been lightly edited for readability.
Each story reflects a unique time or experience relating to growing up in Pass-a-Grille, his family history, and the business of Hubbard’s Marina, a 100-year old operation.
Mike Hubbard Crossing Pass-a-Grille Channel, 1950s as an 8-Year Old
Interview and transcript: Matthew Bane
Yeah, I did go across [Pass-a-Grille channel] with my pram. When I was about eight. I had a pram that dad bought me that we kept at the Pass-a-Grille Yacht Club, which was up between 22nd and 23rd in Pass-a-Grille on the bay side. And they had docks there, and they had a whole bunch of prams and had a club – a sailing club. My dad was a member of the club, so he asked them if he could keep this pram he bought for me there. They said,” yeah okay.” Well, I wasn’t a member of the club, so I didn’t know the rules. They don’t – they don’t apply to me anyway, ’cause I’m not a member of the sailing club. I never had any classes. I just, you know, knew how to sail.
So I go down a couple times, I’ve sailed back and forth, practiced out there, behind Vina del Mar bridge. This is before Vina del Mar was built. So that was done in ‘59, and I was about eight, so this was about ‘54.
So I’d have a sail around. So, one day, and another guy was with me, and we sailed out. Seems like they had built the bridge, but it [Vina del Mar] hadn’t been filled in yet. Anyway, we sailed out, sailed around the corner of Vina, had sailed all the way across the bay to Pine Key. And we went back there, got a hold of Bobby and, you know, searched for Indian mounds and stuff.
We sail back. I had to watch the time, the tide went out of there fast, so I had to wait ‘til the incoming tide… or something – because the outgoing tide was too fast. By the time you got to the other side of the bay, you’d be down at the point.
Anyway. So I sail back. I sailed into there – sail up to the docks. They’re all freaking out, they didn’t know where I was. They thought I’d taken a boat out and drowned or something. And so I get in and they’re all screaming, “You can’t take the boat beyond the bridge!” The bridge was it. “You can’t sail the boat under the beam of the bridge south, that’s the limit!” I said, “Nobody told me that.” I said, “Besides this is MY boat!” I’m arguing as an eight year old. Eight years old.
So they call my dad. [Mike’s dad is the infamous Wilson Hubbard]. So my dad comes up. The club guy says “He sailed the boat over to Pine Key and back!” Flabbergasted. Beside himself. He said “He’s not allowed to go behind the bridge!” And so my dad, my dad’s real proud of me. He says, “Well?” I said to him, I said, “That’s my boat!” My dad said, “He’s right. It is his boat.” So the guy says “Well. He can’t… sail… He can’t keep it here and sail under the bridge!” Dad said, “Well, I guess he can’t keep it here anymore.” So my dad – he stood up for me. I was real proud of my dad for that.