I got stuck on a Jet Ski in Estero Bay

Vrrrooooooooom.
Under the bridge.
Vrrrooooooooom.
Passed the mangroves.
Vrrroooooom.

Behind the fishing boat.

Everyone standing on the Bonita Springs Dog Beach looked happy as I zoomed by them on my brother Jorge's new Jet Ski.

He held on for dear life as we hit waves at 45 miles per hour.

The watercraft had less than ten hours on the engine and it purred like a kitten.

“Go! Go! Go!” Jorge, 19, screamed as we headed for home after more than three hours of being on the water.

We left our friend, Kimberley DiCarlo, 18, at the Dog Beach and promised to pick her up when we loaded the Jet Ski onto the trailer that was parked on the other side of the Estero Bay.

We were zooming along and all of a sudden sandbars surrounded us.

“Stop! Stop!” said Jorge as we hit a sandbar and the engine stalled.

“We’re stuck! Oh no! The seaweed is everywhere,” I said. “What are we going to do?”

I dreaded the answer I knew I was going to hear – push – but we were stuck.

Enough so that the more than 800-pound machine with a staled engine became nothing more than dead weight.

We had fallen victim to our own inexperience, seaweed and a lot of sandbars.

We pushed and pushed but the sandy, murky bottom offered us no help. Our feet were stuck in the muck but we pushed the Jet Ski for a mile.

“It has seaweed in the motor. We are stuck and I can't turn it on,” said Jorge as he angrily pulled out handfuls of seaweed.

Like survivors on a deserted island we looked around but there was no one. We had two bottles of water and the sun was beating down on us.

High tide wasn't until after 8 p.m. and it was only four in the afternoon.

We could see our boat ramp and we could see land but it was too far to swim.

The mud got deeper and our legs got heavier.

I wanted to scream and I did at the sight of a boat in the distance but it zoomed passed us.

I never thought we could get stuck in three feet of water but there we were - stranded.

The pushing continued.

“This can't get any worse,” said Jorge lamenting his decision to Jet Ski in an area he didn't know. “I can't believe this. Poor Kim!”

Secretly, I felt guilty. I felt like I broke his new toy. It was my idea to go to the Dog Beach but low tide never crossed my mind.

Boats just four miles away passed by us but the mangroves deafened our cries - well, my cries. My brother refused to seem desperate.

“They can save us. I'll wave my arm until it falls off,” I said in a huff. “I can't push anymore. This is crazy! Poor Kim!”

I waved and whistled and a passing fisherman's boat saw us or, so I thought.

It was then that I remembered that the distress signal is two hands waving in the air. Not one.

The boat changed course and headed toward us.

“We are saved!” I told my brother who tried hard not to look worried, for my sake, as the tiny vessel approached us.

Despite my brother's lack of safety equipment like a flare gun or snacks to stave off starvation, he had a rope. And thank goodness because the fisherman’s boat didn’t.

We tied the Jet Ski to the boat and in two minutes we were back on the boat ramp.

The three member crew had saved us and all I could think of was Kim at the Dog Beach and how thankful I was that I didn’t die out there on the water.

We picked up Kim and it turned out the Jet Ski was fine. The seaweed came out and the engine roared once again.

I learned two very important lessons that day out on the water:

¸ I wouldn't mind getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with my brother again, especially since he “neglected” to mention there was less than a quarter tank of gas left.

¸ Sandbars are not my friend and seaweed is gross.

Parasailing sends riders 1,200 feet in the air

Tara Clydesdale, 33, works on Bonita Beach but she doesn’t sell hot dogs or set up rental chairs.

She thrills beachgoers and brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “on cloud nine” as a crew member of the Paragazm.
The vessel is equipped to send parasailers as far as 1,200 feet in the air using a harness and colorful parachute that can be seen for miles in the sky.

Clydesdale works for the Bonita Jetski and Parasail, Inc. based out of Doc’s Beach House on Bonita Beach.

Although she has only been on the job since February, people have been “flying” over the Bonita Beach and Vanderbilt Beach coastline for 17 years.

“It’s a beautiful view from up there,” said Clydesdale, who sets up the parachute and straps people into a harness that feels much like a swing. “People always ask all sorts of questions about wind conditions and how long the captain has been in the business.”

Paragazm Captain Lonnie Clark is a parasailing expert who has been in the business for 22 years.

“I don’t mind the questions but if they ask too many I say I charge a dollar a question,” said Clydesdale, of Cape Coral, jokingly.

But the questions are customary in a recreational sport where people worry about their safety although Clark would never put anybody in the air unless the conditions were just right.

“It’s a safe sport. There are wind concerns but people can still have fun and not worry about anything,” Clark said.

The adventure begins on Bonita Beach where people take a short boat ride to the Paragazm. Once there people are strapped into a harness and life jacket.

The parachute is then lifted into the air until it fills up with air.

“It’s similar to a hot air balloon and it’s quiet and a very mellow experience,” said Gene Sarazen, the parasailing manager.
On average, Sarazen sees about 3,000 people parasail every year. “We have the most experienced captain in the country let alone the state,” he said.

Having the experience is important especially as riders sit on the back of the boat completely strapped in and realize they are about to get a breathtaking view of Bonita Beach.

“People often ask ‘What if I fall out? What if the rope breaks?’” Clydesdale said.

She reassures people by telling them that the only dangers of flying are winds and old equipment. The flights are 10 minutes long and up to three riders can go at one time barring weight restrictions.

“It’s safe as long as you aren’t flying in bad weather. Everything we do is affected by the wind,” she said.

Once in the air, riders get a sensation of flying and can feel the slight shifts in the wind as the boat pulls them near the coast and back out to the ocean again.

Apart from seeing beachgoers as ants from the air, riders may see fish, manatees, dolphins and birds.

As a bonus Clark times the landing so that riders take a small dip in the ocean before landing on the back of the Paragazm.

“It’s totally safe and people always have a great time up there,” Clydesdale said. “It’s a great activity.”

Hot dog eating competition

Seven hungry contestants.

Three minutes.

And, the chance to be crowned “Bonita’s Top Dog” as part of the Independence Day celebrations at Riverside Park on Saturday, July 1.

The contest ended a day of festivities including a parade on Old 41, relay races and a giant water slide for kids.

Kevin Alleynne, 14, rode down the street in a fire truck in the early hours of the morning but stayed the whole day waiting for the main event — all the hot dogs he could eat for free.

“I think I have a chance to win,” he said before the competition.

As the judges set up the clock and put two hot dogs buns on the table, Alleynne didn’t even look at the competition.

He stayed focused on the trophie and the cheers from his friends in the crowd that lined the main stage.

“You have three minutes to eat as many hot dogs as you can and you get this trophie,” said Tim Spires, the master of ceremonies.

In his hands, Spires held a trophie with two plastic hot dogs on each side and a blank name plate.

Alleynne knew the trophy would soon bare his name.

“One! Two! Three! Go!” yelled Spires and the competition was on.

Sixteen-year-old Josh Denisen, of Bonita Springs would be Alleynne’s only real threat.

The other kids were younger and some were just too slow.

In a little over a minute, Alleynne ate two dogs.

Denisen took his hot dog out of the bun and started chomping. Swallowing the whole thing in no time as he eyed the competition — Alleynne just three contestants away.

Alleynne ate one more dog.

The other kids, ages 7 through 14, struggled to get their hot dogs down and guzzled water.

Alleynne hit dog No. 4 with a feverish pace. He poured water on the hot dog and bun to make it go down.
The crown cheered.

“Go Kevin! Eat man! Eat!” screamed Alleynne’s supporters from the crowd.

Even Mayor Jay Arend could feel the excitement on the stage.

“Wow!” he said as he stood by amazed at Alleynne’s ability to eat so quickly.

Alleynne finished number five but the time was against him.

“Ten! Nine! Eight!” the crowd roared.

Alleynne tried for number six but only got a quarter of the way in and the time ended.

He raised his arms in the air out of excitement and to make room for the first quarter of hot dog number six.

“That was incredible. The pressure,” said Arend looking at the boy who ate five and a quarter dogs in total.

Alleynne took a minute before he stood up to claim his prize. The competitor was full and looked glad it was over.

“I did it just for fun. It feels good to win,” he said adding that he knew he could do it.

He had competed in a cookie eating contest at St. Leo’s Church and won.

“They tried hard but couldn’t keep up,” said Alleynne carrying a smaller trophie he could take home.

The larger trophy would sit at City Hall with his name on it.

“I’ll be back next year to defend my title,” he said.

Meet a certified Florida Naturalist

Snapper turtles have a small brain cavity.

Alligators will not chase you and drag you into the water.

Birds are just protecting their nests, not trying to hurt you.

These are just a few examples of random facts visitors can learn during a one-hour question and answer discussion with a certified Florida naturalist at Lovers Key State Park.

Volunteer ranger Pam Jones-Morton teaches the class that meets every other Tuesday to discuss birds, shells, and anything visitors have a curiosity about.

“We are starting to build a database of knowledge with things the public wants to know about animals and trees,” said Jones-Morton, of Estero.

She has volunteered her time at the park for two years and developed the “Meet a Florida Naturalist” program after discovering that park visitors would frequently ask her questions during her routine trips around the park.

“It has been very good so far,” she said referring to the few meetings she has had with visitors.

The attendance has fluctuated during the sessions because of seasonal visitors but she caters each class to the number of visitors that attend.

Dorothy Cromb, 86, attended a session recently and found the chat insightful. She even won a shell for answering questions correctly.

“It was great. I’d never seen the skeletal skulls of some of the animals,” said Cromb, who has a place near the park.

During the class, Jones-Morton uses samples of shells, plants and pictures to aid in the discussion.

“This was amazing. It was very hands on,” said Betty DeGrafft, 62, of Maryland. “She knew so much about everything.”

DeGrafft’s husband, Hart, was amazed that he was able to learn so much about nature.

“It was wonderful. She was able to answer all the questions,” said Hart DeGrafft, 62, of Michigan. “We would recommend it to anyone.”

Target volunteers to clean up park

Like a swarm of worker bees, Target volunteers descended on Lovers Key State Park and put their muscle and endurance to the test.

They battled the heat, the sun and even the bugs to clean up the park as part of Target’s National Day of Giving held at the park.

“We wanted to find an event where as a company, we could give back to the community and (the park) was generous and worked with us so we could bring a large group out,” said Jason Williams, 30, of Bonita Springs. He works in Target's Human Resources and helped organize the event.

The group of more than 50 volunteers including managers, employees and even their kids put on gloves, grabbed trashed bags and started cleaning.

“I thought it was a good project and we try to do things with the kids together,” said Gina Hoon, 48, of Estero. She brought her son to the clean up and sprayed him down with bug spray. “(Volunteering) a good thing for them to learn.”

The group split up into group of four to seven volunteers and scattered throughout the park.

Some trimmed trees, others sprayed for exotic plants and some picked up cigarette buds from the beach.

“The cigarette buds are dangerous to the sea turtles. They can’t tell the difference so they eat them and get sick,” said Pam Jones-Morton, to her group which focused on cleaning the North Beach of the park. “We have had a few turtles in rehabilitation and they end up with a stomach full of cigarettes.”

The goal for the day was not only to clean up the park but to get as many people involved as possible.

“My goal was to get at least 10 employees from each of the Southwest Florida stores to volunteer their time. I think we did that and more with a few exceptions,” said Williams.

Park rangers normally do the cleaning but the summer months are trying.

“Summertime is when we lose a lot of our seasonal volunteers so extra man power helps with the clean up,” said Park Ranger Brie Jamison.

Volunteers were asked to focus on picking up “micro trash,” or fishing line, rope, bottles and the tops of beer cans.

“This group is great, they are really into it and they are focused and just plowing though,” said Jones-Morton, of Estero. Her group collected sandals and found an old fishing rod sticking out of the water.

William was glad that the day brought a noticeable difference to the park.

“It’s great that we can come out here and give back,” Williams said.

The morning clean-up ended with a regrouping at the park's pavilion for lunch, frisbee tossing and group pictures.

“I think that (Target) picking us is a testament to the kind of company they are and how great Lover’s Key is,” said Jamison.