Captain Vinnie LaSorsa always wanted to find a way to give back to the service men and women. With the help of his wife, Sarah, his boss, Jimmy Buffett, and Manta Racks, Captain Vinnie is doing just that with his nonprofit organization, Freedom Fighters Outdoors (FFO).
Back in 2009, Jimmy Buffett offered his boat so Captain Vinnie could take a small group of veterans fishing in South Florida. That memorable day inspired Captain Vinnie to start FFO, and he now takes veterans fishing and hunting at no charge to them on Mr. Buffett’s 42’ Custom Merritt/Freeman Cat, the Last Mango. The goal is to provide an all-expense paid trip where previous trip veterans show the ropes to the first timers, to ease their nerves, to support their needs and emotions.
But when some of the veterans and Mr. Buffett wanted to take paddleboards and surfboards along on the adventures, Captain Vinnie and Mr. Buffett needed a way to transport the boards while underway. Thanks to the Manta Rack L2K Rack System, they were able to transport multiple boards during their adventures.
“Our L2K Rack System which Captain Vinnie uses to transport not only Jimmy’s Paddleboard but also his many surfboards,” says Manta Racks’ Tim Wilhelm. “Our L2K is designed to transport kayaks and other boards, like the LIVE Watersports L2 & L4 catamaran paddleboard. Just like all of our rack mounts, they rotate and lock every 22½ degrees to accommodate rod holders that are installed at an angle. This keeps the rack systems and boards parallel to the gunnel of the boat.”
For more info on the organization, visit freedomfighteroutdoors.org. For more info on Manta Racks, visit mantaracks.com.
