Very slowly but surely, Southwest Florida boating is bouncing back from Hurricane Ian’s battering that destroyed and scattered thousands of vessels and left behind estimated boat damage in the $1 billion range for the Sunshine State.
Near the end of October and continuing this month, industry businesses resumed operations as several major related events also set sail on their return.
Here’s what to know:
What Captiva, Naples boaters are among those sailing again?
For example, near the end of last month, Captiva Cruises celebrated the return of its beloved 65-foot flagship, Lady Chadwick, with its first voyage since Ian’s battering.
“We are thrilled to see Lady Chadwick back in the water,” said Bob Rando, who has co-owned Captiva Cruises with his wife, Jenny Rando, and partners Brad and Leslie Junghans at Andy Rosse Lane’s McCarthy’s Marina. “As we know, the hurricane impacted our whole community and caused not only a lot of damage, but also a lot of hurt. We can’t erase the past, but we hope we can provide our guests with some happy memories and positive experiences.”
And as In the Know reported last week, dealer Fish Tale Boats just officially turned its engines back on at its Naples location at 2540 Davis Blvd.
“Between supply chain issues and troubles stemming from Hurricane Ian, it was quite literally a perfect storm of issues that led to us temporarily closing the store in Naples,” said Travis Fricke, vice president of operations for Fish Tale, which has been operating for more than two decades and added an adjacent parcel to grow to nearly an acre.
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