By Christy Johnson, SeaSquared Charters, Marathon, Florida Keys
The most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, Irma packed a mean punch to the Florida Keys. However, we are a resilient bunch, and will rebuild stronger and more beautiful than ever.
As I write this in mid-September, crews are working around the clock to clean up debris and restore services in Marathon. Fortunately, we are a small landmass, and the clean-up efforts are contained in manageable areas. Power and cell service have already come back to a large degree. Sewers are coming online, and water pressure is good. Publix and Home Depot have reopened.
Fortunately, the Keys have seen a surge in the development of modern lodging facilities and the upgrading of many of our lovely family-owned properties. Most are housing first responders currently, but will be ready to greet visitors in the near future. These include, Captain Pip’s, Gulfview Waterfront Resort, Holiday Inn Express, Indigo Reef, Coral Lagoon, Tranquility Bay, Courtyard Marriott and, of course, the beautiful Hyatt Place and Faro Blanco Resort and Marina where most of our boats are docked.
There are also dozens of vacation rental properties unaffected by Hurricane Irma, with professional property managers eager to assist you. You will find links here: http://www.seasquaredcharters.com/where-to-stay-2/
The SeaSquared family fared pretty well. The majority of our boats are just fine and are ready to take you fishing. Our gear and tackle came out unscathed. Most of our crews’ housing and properties received only minor damage. All of us are safe, healthy, eager to get back to business and, actually, can’t wait to get in on the great fishing!
As for the fishing, well, it should be nothing short of phenomenal. This sort of storm system does an excellent job at stirring up the waters and, hence, the fish, making them aggressive feeders. The reef and wreck areas will be alive with all the snapper and grouper varieties plus the beginning of our fall visitors – cobia, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, sailfish and more. And, with the abundance of floating debris, weeds and seagrass, expect tons of dolphin (mahi mahi), tuna, wahoo and tripletail.
If you’ve been contemplating a fishing trip to the Keys, now is a great time. Our economy needs your tourism dollars, and you can expect to be lavished upon with even greater hospitality than we normally bestow upon our visitors!
If you are inclined to make a donation in support of humanitarian efforts in Marathon and the Keys, here is an official, verified list of Florida Keys Charities that really need your help! Please share and donate today. They are all on the ground in the Keys already helping. Lots of options:
- https://baptisthealth.net/en/giving/pages/donate-now.aspx
- www.keysunitedway.org
- http://fkoc.org/donate.html
- www.MARChouse.org
- www.ahmonroe.org/giving
- www.ccadm.org
- www.kaironline.net
- www.fbcislamorada.org
- http://keyshealthystart.org/
- http://www.sosmission.org/
- www.fkspca.org
- http://southernmostboysgirlsclub.com/
- www.keywestwildlifecenter.org
- http://www.habitatmiddlekeys.org
- http://www.gooddeedsinthekeys.org/
Another good idea is to purchase gift cards to Home Depot, Publix and Winn Dixie and email them to people you know in the Keys.
While our landline service may be intermittent, please call us on our cell at (305) 942-9214, or email us at SeaSquared@bellsouth.net. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates on the restoration process in Marathon. We look forward to seeing you all very soon!
Capt. Chris Johnson specializes in offshore, gulf/bay, reef/wreck, sailfish, shark, tarpon and lobster fishing with SeaSquared Charters in Marathon. You can reach him at 305-743-5305, http://SeaSquaredCharters.com and http://Facebook.com/MarathonFishing.
