Quite Continental

The iconic actor Humphrey Bogart is known by a number of his trademarks: the scar, the lisp, the trench coat, chain smoking, his love affair with Lauren Bacall.  He also had a love affair with the sea, and some of my favorite films and pictures of Bogart involve boats — have you seen Key Largo?  The African Queen? You must.

In California in 1945, Bogart bought a 55-foot (17 m) sailing yacht, the Santana, from actor Dick Powell. The sea was his sanctuary and he loved to sail around Catalina Island. He was a serious sailor, respected by other sailors who had seen too many Hollywood actors and their boats. About 30 weekends a year, he went out on his boat. He once said, “An actor needs something to stabilize his personality, something to nail down what he really is, not what he is currently pretending to be”.

Aboard his yacht the Albatross for the races at the Newport (CA) Yacht Club.  Taken 1943 by John Florea.

Holy moly.  The hat!  The shirt!  “Sluggy” was Bogart’s nickname for his third wife Mayo Methot and he also owned a motorboat with the same name.

Newport (CA) Yacht Club

Boss.  With cigarette intact, natch.

Aboard his yacht Santana as he gets set to participate in the Newport (RI) Harbor to Ensenada Intl. Yacht Race.  Taken 1945 by Peter Stackpole.

Aboard the African Queen in the Congo.  Taken in 1950 by Eliot Elisofon.

Talk about Awesome People Hanging Out Together…  Actor Humphrey Bogart, director John Huston and Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall on the set of the film “The African Queen.”  Can we talk about how adorable Bacall is here?  And the gun Huston just happens to be holding?

All images via LIFE.