Shelling Family

 

This family was a blast! The whole family loved and knew all of their shells. The weather was perfect. It's always fun to see the big smiles on the kid's faces after collecting shells. Dylan had a great time snorkeling and finding olive shells. He was out of the boat before I even had the anchor set.  Kloë found a great alphabet cone, many beautiful fighting conchs and sand dollars.   Kamden Shell (how can you go wrong with a middle name like Shell?), she was cute as a button and enjoyed finding sand dollars and just swimming around in the water.  This was a great day with a great family and I look forward to the next trip!

              Capt Brian

Fun Time With Dean And Bonnie

I always enjoy taking long time visitors Dean and Bonnie to the islands and out on the water. Dean and Bonnie are troopers and are always up for whatever adventure comes our way. Bonnie found many olives and nice whelks. Dean found one of the largest pear whelks I have ever seen, but it was alive so we took a picture and but it back in the water. We also saw bobcat tracks and a new sea turtle nest. It is unusual to see a sea turtle nest this late in the season. Time passed by fast as we were walking, talking and shelling. I look forward to our next adventure!

Exploring On A Beautiful Day



The weather was absolutely perfect for exploring. Kathy from Tampa and I covered a lot of different ecosystems. We started on the flats walking and talking about everything we observed. Next it was off to the outer islands. A new sandbar had recently emerged in the Gulf. The wind was calm so we went exploring in "Terra Incognito". I love it when the situation presents itself. After the newly formed sand spit was explored we went to another island. This island was full of wildlife and shells and empty of people. The back country was another gem of surprises on this day. It was a most pleasurable day on the water with Kathy exploring places just off the far horizon.

Summer Closes, Fall Opens

Happy Fall Equinox!



Back In Black

Yes, I am back, back in black. New bottom paint for the Muspa. It was time for a change of color. Grinding and sanding is always no fun. However it gives me time to think. There is nothing more thought inspiring for a water person than laying underneath his or her craft and grinding. Thinking of each scratch on the bottom and knowing where each one came from. I guess it was the long scratch on the bottom two summers ago in June in the Ten Thousand Islands that got me thinking. Maybe it was the dust of the paint. Whatever it was, I have been researching Cape Sable and the plants that were planted there ever since I took my first break grinding. The first Mango recorded  in Florida was in 1883. ( That statement alone sends shivers to my tongue.) To think of this going on in a place that is extremely remote even today makes me wonder.  Could there be a lone tree that is still there?  Some may say no.  I like to think otherwise. (The glass is always half full)  I look forward to exploring that area by boat later this year.  Grinding underneath your boat can lead to many things mostly being sore and very dusty, however this grinding time under my boat led to new possibilities  and adventures in a place I love, The Ten Thousand Islands. And yes I will be glad to be back. 

Tarpon Lodge with Nancy & Melissa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was another great adventure with Nancy and Melissa. We started our trip by boating over to the Tarpon lodge for a delicious lunch. then it was off to favorite island number one. The storm clouds were building so we stayed at the north end of the island in a new hiding spot.(it worked great for riding the storm out.)  Nancy found a great whelk while Melissa took pictures of the birds and a rainbow. We followed the rainbow back to Captiva just ahead of the next wave of storms.  Two days later we went on another great cruise. This time the skies were a little more sunny and the dolphins were very playful as we observed sea turtles eating jellyfish.  It was a great day to observe nature on the water.

Thank you Melissa for taking all of the (great) photos above and

thank you Nancy for being the outdoor trooper that you are.

                                                            Capt. Brian