A Backwater Tour - Naples Daily News

By Leigh Tahirovic
Photos by Scott McIntyre
Tour theTunnel
Motorized catamarans
explore the
Ten Thousand Islands
It’s a serene ride, one barely
disrupted by the hum of a smallcraft engine; it’s one that most
can only experience via a kayak
or canoe propelled by his own
paddle strokes. But not
anymore, with Backwater
Adventures and its
two-person motorized
catamaran tours.
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O
wners Doug Black and Lisa Seymour lead
tour-goers on a three-hour ride through
the Ten Thousand Islands. But it’s the ride
that makes this tour stand apart from
others. You can just sit back and enjoy,
with only one care: making sure you wear
enough sunscreen.
Recently, I took a tour with Doug, and was accompanied by a
photographer and a couple from Cleveland. We met at the docks
beneath the Goodland Bridge, and Doug asked just one
question, “How well can you drive a boat?” I cautiously replied
with, “I’m a novice.” Doug gave two instructions: push forward
to go right, push the lever backwards to go left, leaving me with a
shallow confidence that I wouldn’t drown my boat mate Scott,
who was holding thousands of dollars worth of camera
equipment in his lap. But within a few minutes, I had mastered
the concept and was cruising away on the CraigCat catamaran.
The CraigCat features stick steering, a dual-action control
system and it also has reverse for drivers like me who need a lastsecond correction before crashing! It’s over 11 feet long,
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with two side-by-side padded seats and a Bimini top that offers
some sun protection. The Evinrude 25-horsepower E-Tec engine
has an electric start and can reach speeds of up to 25 mph while
carrying 500 pounds. It has two polyethylene foam-filled
pontoons that are unsinkable.
The small craft seemed unstable at first glance, but once I stepped
aboard and was seated, I felt comfortable, safe and confident that
I could manage on this new adventure. We set out for Goodland
Bay, cruising the no-wake zone past Marker 8 restaurant and
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The narrow
mangrove tunnels are the highlight of the
Backwater Adventures tour. Doug Black, left,
instructs Mike and Cathy Warholic how to keep up
with him in their CraigCat before they enter the
narrow mangroves. Black keeps the pace slow in
the tunnels. The Warholics listen to Black’s boating
instructions before leaving the dock.
Coon Key Marina, to the open-speed zones of Coon
Key Pass. We trudged along at full throttle, which seem
slow in rougher waters, making the vessel a bit more
difficult to control, past the tip of Tripod Key and
turning north toward Blackwater River and its
magnificent mangrove tunnels, the highlight of our
adventure.
We played follow the leader to our destination, a long
tunnel with a beautiful canopy of mangrove branches
crisscrossing overhead. The zigzag course was tight,
leading my companion to duck his head occasionally as
we puttered along. The engine’s low hum kept us from
conversing between boats but not enough to disturb the
peaceful environment. We reached a point, turned
around and headed back the same way home.
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. . . and turning
north toward
Blackwater
River and its
magnificent
mangrove
tunnels, the
highlight of
our adventure.
Maintaining an “intimate” tour is Doug’s first
priority and limits every tour to just three vessels.
“I hated the structure of larger tours,” explained
Doug, of his reasoning behind keeping the tourgroup size so low, “like those Jet Ski tours with six
or more; that’s no fun.” And having fun is another
priority for Doug, who personally invites his tourgoers to happy hour at Little Bar following the
outing. “It’s a great way to end the tour.” n
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FAST FACTS
Backwater Adventure
n Rates are $250 per boat for the
239-877-4531
three-hour guided tour
www.backwateradventure.com
n Water is provided
n A 50 percent deposit due at booking
n Things you should bring: sunscreen,
water shoes or flip-flops, sunglasses,
camera (bring a waterproof bag or case), wide-brimmed hat and a small towel