[7] It notably served as a presidential yacht for United States president John F. Kennedy[8][9] and was known as the "Floating White House.

Manitou was originally commissioned and privately owned by race car driver James Lowe.

She was launched in 1937 and promptly won the 1938 Chicago-Mackinac Race in the cruising division (on corrected time), beating all previous records.

Manitou was returned to private ownership in 1968 when she became a training vessel for the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Maryland.

She was then shipped to the Mediterranean where she was raced extensively[4] and made available for charter out of ports on the French Riviera.