By David Fleet
Editor
Ft. Myers— Steve Gotham had always wanted to live on a boat.
So in 2019 the former Big Fish Lake resident sold his house and moved to Fort Myers, Fla. There he purchased a 1988 Symbol 52 feet motor yacht. The two bedroom, two head yacht was powered by twin 3208 Caterpillar diesels was docked in the Ft. Myers basin on the Caloosahatchee River.
“It was a wonderful life,” said Gotham. “The others that lived on boats in the area were a very close-knit community. We were very close to downtown Ft. Myers and just three feet above sea level.”
The boats in the river were safe from storm surges, said Gotham.
“We were far enough up the river to be considered a hurricane safe zone,” he said. “Before the storm, yachts were coming in and tying up. Some of the big boats were 115 feet when they arrived. We had hurricane parties.”
Then Hurricane Ian arrived.
According to news sources, the Category 4 hurricane blew through coastal islands before making landfall in southwest Florida on Sept. 29, killing hundreds. President Joe Biden toured the area and declared it “an American crisis.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described the storm, which reached sustained winds of more than 155 mph, as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the state. More than 3 million people lost power, and the death toll continued to climb.
Gotham had vacated his boat just before the storm and went about three miles inland.
“I just took a few personal items, a change of clothes and my computer,” he recalled.
Gotham planned to return following the storm with only minor damage.
Ian had other plans.
With 12-feet waves, 155 mph winds and massive storm surge Gotham’s boat home was under about eight feet of water.
“I’m still alive, I can replace everything,” he said. “ While the boat is at the bottom of the river with all my worldly possessions, what I will miss most is the sense of community we all had at the yacht basin.”
The boat and contents were all insured. On Wednesday divers arrived to begin salvage.
Gotham will sail another day.
“Boating is a great life,” he said.
The brackish water which is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as seawater, takes its toll on boats in Florida.
“Next year I’m returning to Michigan and purchasing a Great Lakes boat then sailing it back to Florida,” he said. “There’s always something to fix on a boat.”
While millions of residents on the gulf of Mexico reeled from Hurricane Ian, the east side of Florida on the Atlantic ocean received only minor damage in comparison.
Adam Neal, a 1999 Brandon High School and 2003 Oakland University graduate, grew up in Ortonville and landed a job at a daily newspaper in Vero Beach, Fla., about 140 miles north of Miami.
“When Ian hit Southwest Florida and went northeast across the state, our area was just outside of the cone,” said Neal. “But we received 8 inches of rain and 66 mph wind gusts.”
The Treasure Coast did not have any evacuation orders, he added.
“I don’t think anywhere on the east coast did, just on the west coast,” he said. “However, our communities opened a few emergency shelters for those who did not feel comfortable in their homes, especially those in flood-prone areas and who live in mobile homes.
“Schools were closed last week Wednesday-Friday,” he said. “My wife and I had snow days when we grew up in Ortonville. Our kids now have hurricane days. Many local businesses shut down on Wednesday and Thursday, especially because workers with kids had to figure out childcare.”
“We are keeping an eye on two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic right now. It’s that time of year,” he said.