Sea Cloud Cruises has created a literary festival on the high seas with a sailing hosted by Miami Book Fair International Founder Mitchell Kaplan. Owner/proprietor of award-winning independent bookstore, Books & Books, headquartered in Coral Gables with outposts including voyage itinerary stop Key West, Kaplan will join Author Les Standiford to share stories and literary adventures of Miami, The Bahamas Out Islands and Marjorie Merriweather Post’s time in South Florida (Post and her husband, Edward Francis Hutton, were the original owners of Sea Cloud).
The Miami roundtrip sailing, running March 27-April 4, 2025, will be highlighted by a sunset departure out of Miami’s Government Cut, with port calls in Eleuthera, the Exumas, Key West and three days under full sail.
“Mitchell Kaplan is a fixture in the literary world and we are fortunate he calls South Florida home, making a lasting impact here in our community for decades,” said Mirell Reyes, president of Sea Cloud Cruises North America. “Mitchell is also a magnificent storyteller and longtime friend to Les Standiford and the two will share wonderful tales of Florida and The Bahamas on this memorable sailing adventure.”
Now with four South Florida locations, Books & Books hosts over 400 events annually. In addition, the original Coral Gables location is home to the well-established Café at Books & Books, and there are Books & Books affiliated stores at the Miami International Airport, and in Key West, where he collaborates with the noted author Judy Blume and her husband, George. In 2023, Mitchell launched the Books & Books Literary Foundation to “nurture readers, cultivate community, and promote the free exchange of ideas.”
Among his honors, Kaplan served as president of the American Booksellers Association and received the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation. Books & Books was also Publishers Weekly’s bookstore of the year. He now serves on the Board of the National Coalition Against Censorship. As co-founder of the Miami Book Fair in 1985, Mitchell has served as the chairperson of its Board of Directors and continues to guide the programming team at the Fair on the campus of Miami Dade College in the heart of Downtown Miami. Mitchell, with his partner Paula Mazur, established The Mazur Kaplan Company to bring books to the screen, both film and television. His most recent release is “Let Him Go” starring Diane Lane and Kevin Costner. Mitchell also hosts the podcast “The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan,” broadcast from Miami.
“I look forward to joining Les to talk about what’s been my passion for over 40 years: the rich literary tradition of Miami, the Keys, and the islands of the Caribbean. And to be aboard a legendary Sea Cloud Cruises adventure at the same time is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” shared Kaplan.
Les Standiford is a New York Times Bestselling author of 25 books and novels and is Founder and Director of the creative writing program at Florida International University. His list of books includes “Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America’s Xanadu,” which chronicles the unique island of Palm Beach in American history, including original Sea Cloud owners E.F. Hutton and Marjorie Merriweather Post. Standiford is also author of “The Last Train to Paradise,” a definitive history of Henry Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway that operated to Key West at one time.
“Sailing the secluded waters of the Caribbean aboard this ship is like taking a trip through a fabled time,” said Standiford.
Sails Over Miami
On each of the three sailing yachts comprising the Sea Cloud Cruises fleet, the sails are still traditionally hoisted by hand. There are no buttons that can simply be pressed and it takes almost a full hour until all sails catch the wind. Each voyage includes at least one day under full sail, a highlight of the Sea Cloud Cruises experience.
Upcoming voyages on Sea Cloud Spirit include open bar, all meals with exclusive wine and beer selections, water sports, port charges, gratuities and welcome bottle of champagne upon embarkation.
For more information, visit seacloud.com.
