Cruise captain shares Pine Island history
After passengers of Tropic Star Cruises continued to request that a book should be written about the history of the Pine Island Sound, it finally became a reality four years later once the captain began talking and gathering information from residents.
Captain J. Kirk Walter said after retiring from almost 40 years in education as a teacher, principal and superintendent, he decided to become the Tropic Star Cruises boat captain during his retirement years. He has made that a part of his enjoyment and relaxation for the past seven years during the winter months.
The tour boat takes passengers from the north end of Bokeelia to Cabbage Key for lunch, along with bringing campers to and from Cayo Costa State Park. While on tour, Walter said the passengers learn about what has taken place over thousands of years on Pine Island Sound, along with learning about the Calusa Indians.
“After doing that for a while people kept on saying you ought to write about it,” he said, which he was hesitant on pursuing because of the many years he spent writing during his education career.
“I have no desire to write anything more,” Walter told his passengers.
His thought process changed after three years went by of being the captain and learning more about the area. Walter figured that no one else was interested in writing about the history, so why not tackle the quest.
“If someone doesn’t write about this a lot of history is going to be lost,” Walter said about why he decided to write his first book “Boat Goat: Memories of Pine Island Sound.”
For more than four years that “little bit” of information turned into a book of more than 200 pages full of history. Although there were a lot of people that Walter would have liked to interview, he only had the opportunity to directly interview 16 people.
In 2008, Walter contacted Taylor Stults, who used to live on Cabbage Key with his parents in the 40s to interview for his book.
Stults moved to Florida from Chicago with his parents, Larry and Jan, after his dad saw the island and decided to run Cabbage Key as a small inn between 1944-1969.
The collection of information that Walter gathered mostly came from a resident who referred him to another, or younger residents who provided contact information for their relatives that were born on the island.
“Gradually someone knew somebody and the book kind of grew from there,” he said. “It has been a pretty exciting adventure and I got to know a lot of people. It was amazing the trust that these people had in me once I explained what I was doing.”
After he typed the conversations he had with residents he brought it back to them, so they had a chance to read it. Walter said he wanted to give them the chance to share if they did not like something, along with making corrections.
“Very little that they corrected and none that they didn’t like,” Walter said.
The interviewing concluded in April and the printing and binding of the book was scheduled to be finished on Nov. 28.
“Boat Goat: Memories of Pine Island Sound” is not a research book, but rather a journey on a boat with Walter as he drifts around the islands with his readers sharing stories.
A few of Stults’ early memories and stories of Cabbage Key are a part of the finished book.
Stults said he remembers traveling from Cabbage Key to Boca Grande in a boat to pick up their supplies, food, mail and guests who wanted to stay at the inn. He also remembers attending a one-room school on Punta Blanca, which is also shared in the book.
Another topic that the book addressed is the Punta Gorda Fish Company. Instead of the residents drying and salting their fish, a run boat from the Punta Gorda Fish Company came down three times a week to bring ice to the fish houses. The fish was then put on ice and taken to Punta Gorda to sell.
“The Punta Gorda Fish Company changed the lives of people out there tremendously,” Walter said.
The book verified to him just how difficult it was to live on Pine Island Sound. He said he learned how lonely individuals were and how important family life was to those who lived there, along with how dependent they became on each other.
“It was very difficult being out there,” he said. “That was the message I kept getting over and over from people. They made it through, they were tough people.”
For those who would like a copy of the book can email Walter at boatgoat@rocketmail.com. Captain Kirk Enterprises is the publisher of the book.
“I’m pretty excited about it and hope it is well received,” he said.
Stults said the book is important because with the passage of time a lot of people have already passed on, which means fewer memories can be shared.