Author: Useppa

photos by Useppa Gin

Visitors, Birds, Dogs, Sailing, Bill’s Grille, Friends and Family

photos by Useppa Gin

Cruising with Carter

photos and story by Useppa Gin

Captiva Cruises donated a sunset boat ride to the 2014 Fire Department Fund Raiser.  The successful bidders were Tim and Judith Sear.  Part of the equation satisfied, they only needed a reason to celebrate.  Old Timer and old time Useppan Carter Bacon turned 90.  What better way to observe such a momentous occasion than cocktails, a toast, and good friends aboard ship?

Thank you to Captiva Cruises, the Fire Department, the Sears, and Useppa’s oldest resident, Carter Bacon.  Besides Carter, guests of honor included his long suffering, I mean, devoted wife, Mary, and his son Eric.

Happy Birthday to the Wizard!  Until next year and 91.

P.O.A. Party:  Out West Island Style

photos and story by Useppa Gin

Three generations on the dance floor, finger licking good food, and good times; cowboys and cowgirls filled the Tarpon Bar for the annual Useppa Property Owners Association Party.

Boys + Girls + Fish = An Izaak Walton Kids Fishing Tournament

photo and story by Useppa Gin

Izaak Walton Kids Fishing Tournaments have long been a tradition on Useppa.  Awards are given for 1st fish, Last fish, Ugliest fish, Most fish, etc.  But the point isn’t the award.  It isn’t the competition.  Izaak Walton Kids Tournaments are held to introduce our youngest islanders to the fun of fishing.  They teach the tradition of catching a fish, measuring it, and then setting it free, releasing it back into the water to watch it swim away.

Children who once fished the tournaments are now grownups helping new anglers learn how to put a shrimp on a hook, how to cast a line, and reel in the big one.  Grandparents teach another generation of family fishermen.  Moms and dads get as excited as their children when that first fish flops its way down the dock.

Join us next time with your own family, or just have fun watching.  It’s part of life on Useppa.

New Year’s Eve on Useppa

* Photographs  by Natalie Kerr, Story by Useppa Gin

For one night Useppa became a South Pacific island instead of a small, private island off Florida’s west coast.  Menu, music, fire dancers, and guests created a different world, and a unique experience that all will remember.

*Special thanks to volunteer photographer, Natalie Kerr.  She is only thirteen, but her poise and talent are the marks of a future professional.