Contributing Writer Laurie Carlson
Cape Coral Cruise Club
“Where boaters become friends and memories last forever.”
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Time well spent!
Seals and Crofts once sang “We May Never Pass This Way Again,” and while I didn’t grasp the wisdom at the time, life eventually taught me its truth. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, we decided to create one: a summer cruise to the Dry Tortugas with the people I cared about most, finally making our way to Fort Jefferson after years of always putting it off.
The magic began as we cleared the Main Ship Channel off Key West. Tourists in Mallory Square had no better front-row seat than we did as the sun melted into the Gulf, turning the sky into crushed red velvet. Later, the heavens smiled down through a cloudless sky.
Under a whisper of wind our boat ghosted along a shimmering moonlit highway that gave way to a sky erupting into a blaze of starlight. We reminisced about life — the joys, the regrets, and the opportunities that lay ahead.
Dawn greeted us at the outer reefs of the 64,700-acre Dry Tortugas National Park. Garden Key rose ahead, crowned by its massive red-brick Civil War fortress standing guard over the emptiness of the sea. We eased through the azure waters around the breakwaters and into a secluded corner far from the chatter of dive boats and curious tourists.
As we dropped anchor, a chorus of seabirds returning from their morning hunt filled the air with life. Taking their cue, we enjoyed a simple celebration of our accomplishment while soaking in the majesty around us — and naturally, the conversation drifted to catching dinner.
The fishing did not disappoint. I had barely tossed a rigged ballyhoo when a grouper, tempted by this blue-plate special, rose from the depths and sent my reel screaming to life. Off Loggerhead Island, we hooked something enormous; our little rubber tub jerked around like a Radio Flyer pulled by our four-legged best friend. After a long, breathless battle, a magnificent wahoo surfaced in a flash of cobalt and silver. We ate like royalty on what Mother Nature had given us.
The next morning, we toured Fort Jefferson. Built of sixteen million bricks stacked atop one another, the structure fills the shifting sand island it sits upon. We marveled at this true example of the indomitable human spirit and the Herculean effort it took to build such a larger-than-life edifice in this remote and inhospitable place.
Standing in the solitude of Dr. Samuel Mudd’s cell, in a land of unfathomable possibilities, I felt a quiet revelation settle over me: We are all prisoners of time. No matter how fiercely we resist, everything eventually yields — the fort to the sea, and our lives to the fire that is our time on Earth.
All too soon, our moment in paradise ended. We weighed anchor and pointed homeward, hearts full of fresh memories. Over the stern rail, we watched the crumbling fort shrink into the frothy wake of time well spent.
As time marches on, we give ground reluctantly, now fully understanding the meaning of Carpe Diem — having spent far too much of life doing what was needed and not making time for what was most important — determined to never let our life pass us by.
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Gary Harring
Cape Coral Cruise club
Come Join The Fun!
If you have a vessel with full overnight accommodations, and would like more information about joining our Club, please contact our Membership Chairperson, Laurie Carlson, at 239-910-5543! You can also check us out on our Facebook page or our website at: www.CapeCoralCruiseClub.com
