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America's Blue Highways

Paddle the Great Calusa Blueway, and you'll not only stumble across a slew of hidden wonders - you'll also discover the moments in life that truly count.
. Photographs by Sean McCormick.


From the helm of the Cayo Costa Star, Vince Tapager gazes out at the sun-bright waters and the mangrove islands of Pine Island Sound. He considers the sky, a dome of pale blue, and the wind, a soft exhalation from the west. He turns back to us, four soon-to-be kayakers. The plan is simple. Vince will ferry us out from Pine Island and drop us off at Cayo Costa, a lovely slice of barrier island and a state park off the coast of southwest Florida. Then we will paddle back to Pine Island Marina.

Vince operates Tropic Star Cruises, one of dozens of local outfitters offering myriad ways to enjoy these lovely waters. In the manner of all watermen, Vince is dry.

"With the wind at your back, you can make it back to the dock in a couple of hours," he says. "Assuming you don't get lost."

Since we left the dock, Vince has kept up an easy patter of history, ecology, and meteorology. He has talked about the Calusa Indians - the fierce, thriving, mound-building tribe of giants who paddled these waters from about 300 AD to the 1700s, when the Spanish saw them to their end. He has pointed out various flora and fauna, and he's addressed the wrath of Hurricane Charley, whose August 2004 landing created new passes between the islands overnight and sent kayaks where they were never meant to go.

"I found one kayak stuck 20 feet up in a tree," says Vince.