GTB Visitor's Guide 2015

Green Turtle Bay Resort History
Green Turtle Bay Resort began as a vision in the mind’s eye of our father, Bill Gary III, in
1983. Dad, a lawyer by trade, first developed his love of the water as a teenager in the
Culver Academy summer sailing program. When we - his children - Vida and Bill IV, were
in our teens, Dad and friend Dan Moody, along with Dan’s son David, piloted their coowned
35’ Chris Craft, “Old Blue,” from Owensboro to what was then, Port KenBar. That
trip was a lively topic of conversation for years to come, and the seed of a dream was
sown. Years passed, and Dad’s passion for the water grew as he spent time sailing whenever
he could get away. One particular summer sail, Dad crossed Kentucky Lake in his
small yellow sailboat and meandered through the Lake Barkley Canal to revisit the fond
Port KenBar memory.
Port Kenbar was in sad shape, neglected and poorly managed at the time. Dad looked
around the harbor and suddenly, the dream seed that was sown so many years before
broke through the soil and he saw the potential before him. He decided then and there
to find out if it could be purchased and if so, how could he do it.
In 1984, his efforts came to fruition. Along with finding investors, Dad’s big score was in
winning the hearts and minds of the US Army Corps of Engineers to allow his vision for
property development. So, in April 1984, Green Turtle Bay was christened as a corporation
with three partners. Within a year, under Dad’s direction, the marina’s appearance began
to become more appealing to potential slip holders. But, for his vision of more boat
docks, dry stack storage, and condo rentals to come to its full realization, he needed an
influx of new customers, and he was stumped on how to reach them. And, so were
his “partners”, who quickly left the fledgling Turtle to swim on its own. Little did anyone
know that in the winter of 1985, the US Army Corp of Engineers was soon to provide an
answer.
The Corps opened the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway to connect the Tennessee to the
Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers in December of 1985. This created a safer, shorter
route to the Gulf of Mexico, through Mobile, Alabama, rather than New Orleans. Nicknamed
the “Tenn-Tom”, its opening went mostly unnoticed by Dad, or anyone else on
the lakes. But that was about to change, dramatically. Perhaps, in a cosmic preparation
for what was coming, Vida joined the company in the summer of ‘86. Then, on a warm
day in September, Dad’s ship, both figuratively and literally came into his dream, and he
stood speechless.
The “ship” was the 108 foot Burger Motor Yacht,
“Chanticleer”, and aboard her stood one of her storied
owners, Hollywood actress, singer, and star,
Frances Langford. The other famous owner was her
husband, Ralph Evinrude, of the legendary Evinrude
boat motors. Frances had lost her beloved Ralph in
May and “Chanticleer” was moving south from the
Georgian Bay where the two had loved to spend the
summers. She and their long-time captain, Karim Ha
dad, brought the “Chanticleer” into Green Turtle B to
fill the breath-taking vessel with over one thou- sand
gallons of diesel fuel. This was the “Aha!” moment
for Dad – the customers he needed would come
by water first, then by land – and the “Water-Way-of-Life”
slogan was quickly etched forever under the Turtle.