Living on a sailboat teaches you that change is constant, and sometimes the winds don’t blow in the direction you planned. From 2018 until the fall of 2022, we lived anchored out like true sailors in Fort Myers Beach. Those years were filled with adventure and daily happy hours as we savored life on the water. But in September 2022, we took a vacation and sailed north, not knowing that Hurricane Ian would arrive just as we returned—and change everything.
As we headed upriver to get through the locks before the floodwaters came, the waters were calm. Sunday felt like any other day, with powerboats, motorboats, and sailboats filling the Caloosahatchee River between Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach. People played as if it were just an ordinary day, even though we knew a massive hurricane was barreling toward us, set to hit Wednesday. In our sailboat, we could only manage 3 mph against the tide, while the invisible dragon of Ian raced much faster. We out ran it just in time, but by then, life as we knew it had already begun to shift.
We survived Ian, but many of our friends’ boats didn’t along with many homes; lives were lost. The entire yacht basin and all the boats in downtown Fort Myers is no more. Many of our favorite places were destroyed. Some ended up with boats on top of them. Two more hurricanes followed within a year turning up the PTSD for all. The landscape—and our hearts—felt disjointed. The often photographed Fort Myers Beach Pier was gone. Shuckers the restaurant where we got engaged was gone. The shrimp boats were all in a pile on top an RV park. On the bright side, the Pirate Ship tour boat survived. I will add more photos to a gallery on this post, over time. For now I just need to get some of this written down for it to be cathartic. The place we had loved didn’t feel like home anymore. The storms left us wondering if it was time for a new adventure, a different direction.
Sea Dog Eco Tours, my paddle boarding business, has been a huge part of our lives, but like so many others, we’ve felt the economic impact of the last few years. While we thrived during the abundance of the post-COVID era, this past year brought challenges, with business slowing to almost no income. At the same time, I’ve noticed more people venturing out on their own paddleboards. This has inspired me to change directions and focus on offering rescue training and advanced paddling techniques to help people paddle safer and have better experiences—especially here in Florida, where fast tides can be tricky to navigate. We’ll still be here for one more season, and I’m looking forward to the prime paddling months from February through April in Fort Myers Beach. While I won’t be closing the business, I’ll be leaving it in the capable hands of my friend Jodi—a yoga instructor, paddleboard coach, and personal trainer. If anyone else is interested in joining the team or taking on part of the schedule, feel free to reach out to me. Additionally, we’re dedicating more energy to our Etsy store, which features my Alaskan Native husband’s traditional Tlingit formline art on clothing and accessories. With more time to be creative, I’ve loved collaborating with him on the layout for his designs, and it’s been a truly rewarding experience for us both.
One of the favorite things about Florida is Happy Hour. I spent many days aboard my Father, Captain Don’s boats sipping wine at 5:00 (we actually started earlier than that). We lost my Mother, Linda, to dementia in 2017. I have so many sailing memories, of adventures with them, coming up in my Facebook feed and on my phone. A year or so after my Mom passed my Dad was able to create many new memories with his partner, Grace, after reconnecting at an event with old work friends. They traveled all over by land and sea. My now is that my Dad is sailing the ocean seas like the sea gypsy he taught me to be and enjoying all the happy hours he wants and dancing with my Mom once again. I had a dream they were dancing in Memphis.
Since getting past Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, (oh and I got to enjoy Beryl in Texas visiting my daughter – so that’s 4 hurricanes in 2 years), and the other changes in our lives this year, we’ve realized that the daily happy hours we once enjoyed were taking a toll. Maybe that traditionally happens as we reach further into our decades? Even if it wasn’t excessive—one or two cocktails (or three, or four)—it was still a daily habit. In September, I decided to take a break, starting a personal challenge to go one month without drinking. James joined me two weeks later. I wasn’t drinking to get drunk, but I loved my wine, margaritas, and the vibe of happy hour. Now, nearly three months in, my body is loving it. My skin looks better, the spots on my hands are fading away, and I’m hoping I look younger—because I just turned 67 on January 5th!
This new direction feels freeing, like a fresh wind filling our sails. We’re leaving behind the storms, but not the lessons. Life is too precious to be dulled or drowned out by what once seemed harmless. So here’s to new beginnings: cheers—not with a glass in my hand, but with a mocktail. These days, we chuckle over happy hour as Google keeps sending me more non-alcoholic drink recipes. I’ve learned that finding drinks with the same flavors I loved tricks my brain—and that’s a lot healthier.
I’m deeply grateful for my journey so far, my amazing children who’ve grown into adulting with grace and strength, and all the adventures still ahead. Life has a funny way of turning unexpected challenges into new horizons, and I’m excited to see where this next voyage takes us.
Hurricane Ian Photo Gallery
