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SoBe Boatees - A (GPS-enabled) Nautical Novel

A Tropical Nautical Mystery

The Synopsis

Pilot/sailor Blackie Petersen flies the 767 home to his subtropical paradise – that’s the easy part.If he can just transport himself from MIA to his boat slip, he can kick back and relax in his cockpit without having to worry (like a Haitian migrant smuggler – or a no-frills airline pilot) about the 150 people crammed in the hold. But some of life’s simple pleasures remain elusive.

Blackie finds himself carjacked in the midst of downtown Miami. And in a hot and sticky variation of “Stockholm syndrome,” he ends up quaffing a beer with his hijacker at a squalid bar on Biscayne Boulevard. All this, and his day back in Miami has only just begun.

The brutal execution of his hijacker at the cheap dive pulls Blackie into the murky whirlpool created by Ted Jones, his marina neighbor on a big Breakwater motor yacht. Jones is intent on covering up his past and eliminating those who want to extort his yacht from him, and will stop at nothing to preserve his opulent lifestyle.

Attempting to pull himself from Jones’ vortex, Blackie enlists the aid of his nautical neighbors, including Dani, the SoBe model-turned-sailor with whom he often shares a berth. Blackie and Dani escape on a mid-week sail down to Biscayne National Park, only to be yanked from their idyllic cruise with more bad news from their neighbor, Yul.

They press José, another boatee buddy, into their group, and the four futilely try to plan a counterattack in their battle with Ted. But Dani and José instead end up stowaways on Ted’s Toy. A showdown takes place in the Bimini Islands chain, and casualties are heavy; only one boat stays afloat.

SoBe Boatees is the first in a series of nautical mysteries by liveaboard sailor Kevon Andersen. The novel presents Miami Beach and its sunny beaches from a different angle: a finger pier just off the island. This view from the water – until it is completely obliterated by the condo boom – is an idyllic way to celebrate both the sun rising and ultimately setting on Miami and South Beach.

See Kevon's blog for book event updates, signings and more info.

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