Adieu! Adieu! We bid the Shooks residents Adieu!!

They are gone.....

For the last couple of months, we have been greeting new families and welcoming them to our Useppa Family.  This month, we are saying goodbye to a Useppa family that has been part of Useppa Island, almost since it's inception.... Charles and Rhonda Shook. 

                Things will not be the same!

They have graced our Island with their community spirit, gastronomical delights, angling expertise, green thumbs, seamanship, exceptional sense of humor, strategic croquet

 and just being wonderful neighbors, always there with a good word, a bowl of chicken gumbo, help with a boat or a hand in the kitchen.

Sooo...McColgans and the Trinos gave them a little farewell party...  a send-off we hope they'll remember!

Now....OFF THEY GO, back home to Mississippi

Though saddened by their departure, we give them a fond Adieu...wish them the very best, telling them,

"You damn well better come back!!

We love you!!"

The Useppa People: Giving Back to the Community & Welcoming New Neighbors

Giving Back to the Community

In keeping with the commitment made when we became Realtors, selling and helping to buy Useppa real estate, the time has come to live up to that commitment:  to donate 5% of our gross commissions to Useppa charities, 501c3's, of which there are two…the Useppa Volunteer FireCompany and the Useppa Island Historical Society.  Though we haven’t gotten a real check yet, we have closed two deals in a little more than two weeks and are excited to live up to our pledge.  And, we look forward to our third closing…and to writing another check. 

Thanks to all that have supported these entities…we are so lucky to be here!! And to have these fine organizations make our time here                     safe, enjoyable and an ongoing learning experience.

ADDITIONALLY, MEET THE NEW FACES OF USEPPA: 

Dave Thomas and Julie Lachman (from Dunedin, Florida) closed this week on Karma Cottage, the former home of Mike Albert and Karen Connery. Located at 130A Useppa Island, this 3-story attached villa overlooks the intercostal waterway and marina to the west and Pine Island Sound to the east. Dave & Julie are long-time social members of Useppa Island Club, but this is their first home on the Island.

Dave Thomas & Julie Lachman - the new owners of 130A Useppa Island

Mike and Karen Albert, the owners of Karma Cottage since 1981, are moving just a few doors north on the Pink Path to a home they have had under renovation since early last summer.

This good news comes just weeks after we announced the sale of 513 Useppa Island to Mike and Rosa Cupello, from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  They closed on Music! Music! Music! Cottage, 513 in The Village mid-May.  They, along with their three children, look forward to spending their time on the island boating, sailing, playing tennis and exploring all the activities the community has to offer.  

The Cupello Family

WELCOME TO OUR USEPPA COMMUNITY!!

Regatta Poker Run: It's Sailing Season on Useppa Island

It's a Poker Run!!!

It started on Useppa's Beach.  The first card of five was given to each of the 28 boats that sailed, taking along all those observers of earlier races....for a picnic on Cayo Costa.

We all take off for the south end of the Island where we pick up our second card.

It's Brian and I in the lead....only because Brian jumped in and got the first card and we were first off the beach.  Our passenger, Laura, our Fire Fighter/EMT joined for the ride.....

...being her usual "ham bone", cut up!!

From the south end of the Island, we head up Pine Island Sound to an offshoot of Cayo Costa, a couple hundred-yard long spit of sand, for a picnic.

Boats are lined up...food is broken out and discussions about who did what to whom, break out.

Did we mention....Useppans are dog LOVERS!!

Out of beer, sandwiches and chips, we pick up our third card and it's into the water and on to the south end of Punta Blanca to pick up our fourth card.

We watch the boat in front of us get theirs, then....

We almost miss!!  It's a good thing Jay has 6'5" legs and another 3 feet of arms.

 Everyone wades in after securing their boats for the next day's races and picks up our last Poker card.  However, we have to wait for the next night to see who Won the Run!

Boats put to bed.....

And, as the day subsides, we realize we have made some great memories ....and look forward to the many more yet to come.

Catboat Regatta on Useppa Island

SAILING...SAILING...

Yes...today was the first day of the bi-annual Catboat Regatta on Useppa Island, hosted by the Useppa Island Yacht Club....where there are no dues...no rules.  You just have fun! And, if you have an idea or suggestion....YOU get to do it!!

Four races today...with 28 boats participating from as far away as New Jersey, only a couple of boats caught too much wind and went topsy-turvy!  Didn't catch that on camera but see some of the action, here....

                                             Coming up on the mark....

Rounding the mark....

                                                                                                               
                                 "Ferreting" things out....

Then, replenishing your energy at mid-day cookout!

                             Captured beautifully by Useppa Island artist
                                  Captain Charlie Chapin

Tomorrow, it's a Poker Run.  Race, again, on Saturday.  So, if you're on the water....come watch!!  You can find the action on the east side of Useppa, in Pine Island Sound!

Flood Insurance Update: Keeping Florida Home Owners Informed

This hot topic is changing from moment to moment.

Here's an important update for Useppa Island:

The bill was expected to come up today -- meaning it would need a two-thirds majority vote to pass. But members coming out of the GOP meeting yesterday morning said they did not think it had enough votes to clear that hurdle. GOP leaders are now refusing to run the bill through committee, and instead, are negotiating directly with the Democrats. Read the article

Prior Report from the Florida Association of Realtors

U.S. House releases its own flood insurance bill

WASHINGTON – Feb. 25, 2014 – Florida Gov. Rick Scott pressed for help in high places on flood insurance in a meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday, but the issue may be decided in the GOP-controlled U.S. House.

The issue has split some Republicans in coastal states like Florida from GOP hard-liners who say some folks need to pay significantly more to help the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) get out of $24 billion in debt and discourage building in flood-prone areas.

Congressional Democrats said there is no deal yet but one lawmaker said conversations with GOP leaders have been “productive.”

A new House version of a bill to address the problem could be considered as early as this week. It eliminates, not just delays, certain triggers for a huge, immediate jump in premiums, such as the sale of a home, a lapse in coverage or the remapping of flood zones. Read the report

Behind the Scenes with Gulfshore Life Magazine on Useppa Island

Gulfshore Life is on the newsstands....so we can now "show and tell" about the model.

Aksala, who moved from Russia to Miami to avoid the cold, came to Useppa to do Gulfshore Life's annual fashion shoot.  The wind was howling, the temp was 38 degrees and she wore...not much!

Between shots, the team did what they could to keep her warm

But you could, literally, see her shiver!!  This next shot was perhaps the coldest time of the day....winds whipping.

Looks like Spring, huh???

Useppa Island Featured in Major Publications in 2014

So much to blog....so little time....

Well, January, generally slow, got off to a BANG!  At least, for us!

'Tis "the Season" here in SW Florida and we are advertising to best leverage the interest. We were immediately hit with Production Deadlines?!? All due the same date!  WOW!

We are doing full page ads in DuPont Registry, Soundings and Gulfshore Life plus DuPont Registry is using one of our listings for their "Featured Homes" on their home page.  www.dupontregistry.com/homes. 
(Go to the Featured Home box, upper right quadrant (they cycle fast) click quick on Useppa People Ad.)

Soundings also invited us to be their on-line  "Waterfront Home Feature" for "boat show" month. At  www.SoundingsOnLine.com month."  (Click the "Waterfront" tab, top right.)

Gulshore Life chose to feature Useppa Island as the perfect place to do their Spring Editorial Fashion shoot....8 pages!!  It took a crew of six and one model to pull it together.

               

  A couple in The Palm Garden.

....behind Jay's house 

                       ....On the Collier Preserve

Behind Albert's new house, on one of Irwin's Palms and our back deck for sunset.

And, what a great bunch of people.  We were unable to shoot the areas they had previously scouted so, we all scouted together...trekking through neighbor's back yards, phone in hand to ask permission whenever they found the perfect spot.  It was gusting to 35 knots at 40 degrees.  Brrrrr!! Between playing the wind, the sun and the temp, it was very interesting. That model made it look like 80-degree weather.

And, NO!!!  This is not the model.  Of course, every crew has it's comedian...this is "the Techie," Javier from Miami.  They were all independent contractors .  I could take pictures of everyone BUT the model - something to do with her Agency, how the photos are used, etc.

This is the afternoon break...still freezing.  Left to right...the tech guy, Gulfshore Life Fashion Editor, photographer from New York and Australia, hair and make-up expert and another tech assistant.  The fashion coordinator and assistant were in another room, with the model, coordinating, shoes, jewelry......underwear or NOT???

They were more than a little protective of both model and fashion pieces as Gulfshore Life is THE fashion opinion leader in SW Florida. So I could not shoot anything "definitive"....just the process.  I actually do have some photos of the model but am honor bound NOT to show them until after the publication is out. 

The whole process was absolutely amazing! Some had worked together, most had not. Yet, as a team, they worked like a well-oiled machine. 

A few had to get back, so Brian got to boat 'em back...in 38 degrees minus wind chill.  Those that stayed were super fun!!  A little dinner....a little wine....a few jokes....a few stories on each other and prior shoots....  A good group!  They were an experience, by themselves. 

And, rumor has it....they'll be back!!!

Useppa Island Featured on US Harbours

Travel writer and resident of Useppa Island, Gretchen Coyle, shares her perspective of the various lifestyles and activities found on Useppa, in this article from US Harbors.

USHarbors delivers free, printable tide charts, onshore and marine forecasts, buoy data, weather radar, a steady stream of local knowledge, and a directory of coastal businesses. 

Useppa Island Lifestyles

Is it a harbor? A private island? A marina? What the heck does the name “Useppa” mean, and where is it located? For me and my husband, Useppa Island, Florida, is our home for six months of the year — and it has been for almost thirty-five years.

The island is private, but the definition of that sort of depends on who you know, your membership status, whose guest you might be, and what boating organizations you might be a part of that might have privileges.

Our home is a 1912 Collier Cottage, built by Barron Collier as bedrooms and baths while visitors ate meals in a large inn on the north end of the island. Over the years we have restored and added to the structure while keeping the mullioned windows and look of the old home.

Read the article Useppa Island-Life at a slower pace