by: Jim Kalvin
The thing I enjoy most about the privilege of writing this column is that I get to share sea stories and experiences from my past, growing up on the water in Naples. The thing that’s the most difficult for me is that it’s getting harder and harder to remember those adventures. Age? Or…. information over-load? Probably a little bit of both!
Being on the water used to mean that you were – “on the water” pursuing your past-time or career of choice. For me, that has included (and still does to a certain extent) sailing, inshore and off-shore fishing, SCUBA diving, beach camping, shark fishing, Keys trips, or that long-range yacht delivery to Nantucket, New York, Alabama, the Bahamas, or South Texas.
Used to be that you made your plans and you went. But now things are different. As a young man, I had a Captain’s license and a City Occupational license. With those two things, I could take you fishing for pay, SCUBA diving, to the Keys & beyond, or to Marco Island or Ft. Myers Beach for lunch – on your boat or mine. Today, I need my Captain’s license, my Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC), my Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Guide License (if I’m taking you fishing on your boat), County Occupational license, a City of Naples Sticker (if I’m taking you fishing on my boat). On the Guide License, I have a “Snook Stamp” and a “Crawfish Stamp.” Along with all of that, I need to maintain various forms of insurance, depending on the activity to be pursued. And if I want to shark fish from the beach, I need to take an on-line class and get a certificate of course completion.
All of those come with a cost and a penalty for late renewal. With the Guide license, if I let it expire, I can never get it back – it’s “Grandfathered” and there are only a handful of us left with this credential in Collier County. The most difficult thing for me is that all of those required documents expire on different dates every year! What’s the total cost for enjoying the water as a Mariner? I’m actually afraid to add it all up – might be cheaper to bank the money and go get a real job! Because – you have to consider the reality of boat maintenance costs, trailer maintenance, the fact that 33% (on average) of our seasonal days are blown out by weather, and, of course, we’ve had our water quality issues since Hurricane Irma……
I harken back to the days when we would go water ski down by Johnson’s Bay and Hurricane Pass. If you saw more than two boats on a Saturday afternoon, it was a bad day! Finding a place to enjoy quiet and solitude? It was everywhere back then. Today? You need Local Knowledge and either a skinny-water boat or a long-range off-shore boat.
But, we’ve grown, and with growth comes changes. As a local Mariner, I’ve made a decent living off this growth and so have a lot of other folks who grumble about it. So, I’ve learned to accept the fact that the area has changed – a lot! My outlook and methods of operation have had to change as well. With the waterways more crowded, my New Year’s wish is that everyone would chill and learn to have concern for the “other guy.” The “journey” is the destination in my mind; sometimes it’s more enjoyable getting there than the actual planned activity, once you’ve arrived. Slow down, enjoy the ride, and take a look around. Turn off the I-Pad, put your phones down, and talk to one another. You can ignore each other again once you get back to the dock!
Captain Jim Kalvin is a Florida Native, a USCG Licensed 100 Ton Master, and a local Marine Contractor. He can be reached at james.kalvin61@gmail.com, by calling 239-280-6054, or through kcmcfl.com. He is available for consultation on all of your waterfront needs.